2 Bodies Found at Texas Beach Are New Hampshire Couple

A deputy on Sunday located a woman's remains in a shallow grave on Padre Island, near Corpus Christi, the sheriff's office said

The two bodies found buried at a South Texas beach have been identified as a missing New Hampshire couple, investigators announced Friday.

The deaths of James Butler, 48, and Michelle Butler, 46, are being investigated as homicides, the Kleberg County Sheriff's Office in Texas said in a release.

"At present law enforcement officers are working on the investigation and are working on identification of persons of interest and attempting to find the whereabouts of the victims' truck and RV trailer," the release stated.

A deputy on Sunday located a woman's remains in a shallow grave on Padre Island, near Corpus Christi, the sheriff's office said. Chief Deputy Jaime Garza said a man's body was discovered beneath the first body on Monday.

The sheriff's office had announced last week that the Butlers were reported missing, along with their truck and RV. Relatives said the pair was traveling the country in a recreational vehicle and was last heard from on Oct. 14. They said they believed the Butlers visited Padre Island.

The couple was likely headed to a part-time job in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and due to arrive on Nov. 20, relatives had reported.

The Butlers had set up their truck and RV near Beach Market 263 on Padre Island on Oct. 15, the sheriff's office said.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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