A 17-year-old boy has been charged with murder in the deaths of two teenagers who were reported missing last month from northwest Indiana.
Connor Kerner is charged with two felony counts of murder for the deaths of 18-year-old Molley Lanham and 19-year-old Thomas Grill, according to a statement from the Porter County sheriff’s office.
Lanham and Grill were reported missing on Feb. 26, the sheriff’s office said. Lanham Lived in St. John, Indiana, while Grill lived in Cedar Lake, Indiana.
Police in Cedar Lake received an anonymous tip on Saturday morning that Kerner had killed them, put their bodies in the Honda Civic they’d been driving and lit the car on fire in a field in rural Hebron, Indiana, according to the sheriff’s office.
Investigators located the burned-out car and found the remains of two people inside, the sheriff’s office said. While their identities have not been confirmed, “all evidence obtained at this point at the scene and through statements given” points to the bodies being those of Lanham and Grill.
DNA evidence is being sent to a lab for processing and the Porter County coroner’s office will conduct a forensic autopsy with medical records to identify the bodies.
Investigators got search warrants for Kerner’s Valparaiso home, as well as for a Hebron home where they believe the murders took place, according to the sheriff’s office. They found “substantial evidence” during both searches.
Kerner was arrested and booked into the Porter County Jail about 6:15 p.m. Saturday, according to the sheriff’s office. He is being held without bail.
