Vanessa Bautista, 24, and Alexa Navarro, 23, were positively identified Thursday after their bodies were pulled from a submerged Jeep in the St. Joseph River.
The two young mothers, both from South Bend, Indiana, were discovered Tuesday night inside the mangled vehicle near Niles, Michigan — roughly 11 miles north of their hometown. Western Michigan University Office of the Medical Examiner confirmed their identities two days after the recovery, though an official cause of death remains undetermined.
Niles Police Chief James Millin said the vehicle is believed to have plunged over an embankment around 4 a.m. Sunday. The women were reported missing later that same day, setting off a search that ended in the river.
Millin addressed public speculation about the extensive damage to the Jeep, explaining the violent path it took before reaching the water.
“A lot of people were concerned that the vehicle had a lot of damage and I don’t think they understand that the vehicle went off at embankment and down approximately 60 or 70 feet of a pretty steep incline, hitting trees and so on on the way down before it hit the water,” he said.
The chief noted that rumors of a possible chase had reached investigators.
“There’s been statements made that possibly somebody was chasing the girl, so we’re investigating that, looking into it,” Millin said. “You know, right now, there do not appear to have been any outside forces, you know, such as pushing the vehicle off the road or something like that – but again that is still under investigation.”
Police continue pursuing all leads while emphasizing that preliminary findings point away from foul play. The steep terrain and multiple impacts during the descent account for the severe condition of the vehicle, according to authorities.
The timeline remains under scrutiny as investigators work to reconstruct the final hours before the early morning plunge. No additional details about where the women had been or who last saw them have been released.
The case has drawn intense attention from both local communities and online observers, many of whom questioned whether the damage indicated something more sinister than a single-vehicle accident. Millin’s remarks appeared aimed at tempering that speculation while acknowledging the ongoing nature of the probe.
Both women leave behind young children, according to social media posts from family and friends mourning their deaths. The South Bend community has rallied around the families, with vigils and memorials planned in the coming days.
The St. Joseph River, which forms part of the border between Michigan and Indiana, runs through an area of mixed residential and wooded terrain near the recovery site. The embankment where the Jeep went over sits along a stretch of road that has seen previous accidents, though none with comparable outcomes.
Autopsy results and toxicology reports are pending, which could provide clearer answers about what led to the fatal incident. Police have not indicated when those findings might be available.