REPORT: Bodies Found in Texas Pit Were Shot in Head

Texas authorities have confirmed that two bodies recently found in a pit in Midland Texas had been shot. The two bodies are believed to be connected to the disappearance of two teens in 2015. The confirmation that the victims had been shot and then left in the pit raises a series of new questions.

The manner of deaths for the yet unidentified remains was revealed in the preliminary autopsy report, Lubbock’s KCBD reported. The information pointed to the two bodies having been shot in the base of the skull and the Midland County’s Sheriff’s Office classifying the case as a homicide.

The bodies were discovered last month in a pit that had been filled with dirt and trash prompting the re-opening of a 2015 missing person’s case, Breitbart Texas reported. While authorities have not released the identity of the victims, the information that led to the remains came through a tip.

“This will tie back to a case we had in October of 2015,” Sheriff Painter said. We had two teenagers come up missing … We had their family get in touch with us and notify us … We found an individual who had their property but we could not find the teenagers … We pray this case will tie back to that.”

Authorities have disclosed a motive or suspects in the case. Midland Texas is home to a growing economy tied to the vast oilfields in the area. The city is also next to Interstate 20, which is a route used not only by truckers but also by drug trafficking organizations. As Breitbart Texas’ Brandon Darby reported in 2014, cities that have seen an oil boom have also seen an increase in the presence of Mexican drug cartels as well as street violence.

“we’re having an oil boom, so what happens when you have that kind of boom? You have girls, sex trade, and methamphetamine–so who moves in? Cartels move in, just like they have in other regions of the country,” Darby said. “That is an oncoming problem that I don’t think anyone is reporting on.”