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2 bodies found in Madison Co. identified as missing couple

Posted at 5:49 PM, Jan 18, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-19 22:16:30-05

MADISON COUNTY, Ind. -- The bodies of a couple that mysteriously disappeared in December after visiting family in Indianapolis were found Thursday afternoon in a field in Madison County. 

A snowmobiler called 911 around 4:15 p.m. to say he thought he saw a body near a railroad crossing in the area of CR 200 S and 700 W near Lapel.

Deputies arrived on the scene and located two bodies that were partially hidden.

The Madison County Sheriff confirmed Thursday night they were the bodies of Heavan Henderson, 21, and her boyfriend Jeremy Danowski, 23. The two were found in an embrace. 

Sheriff Scott Mellinger says it's a reasonable assumption that their deaths were a murder-suicide but that has not been confirmed. "We will attempt to determine whether there was any coercion. We'll attempt to determine which person died first," said Mellinger.

 

 

 

Sheriff Mellinger says a handgun and two shell casings were found at the scene, but it's unclear if either Henderson or Dankowski was shot or if the casings came from the gun found near the couple.

Danowski had purchased a gun just days before the couple went missing.

Sheriff Mellinger confirms Heavan Henderson's mother told investigators Heavan was prepared to leave Dankowski, but his family disputes that claim.

Rene Ruiz says she was worried about Heavan being out in the cold, and that she recently had a dream about her daughter.

Henderson and Dankowski were last seen on December 17 when they visited Jeremy's mother in Indianapolis.

The couple, who are both from Lapel, had been living in Indy.

Their car, a 1997 Delta 88 Oldsmobile, was found abandoned in Woodward Park in Lapel later on the evening of Dec. 17.

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Watch Sheriff Mellinger's entire press conference below: