A couple found shot to death inside an SUV near a historic mansion in Fairmount Park were not targeted at random, police have determined.
Police on Sunday still had not released the identities of the 25-year-old man and 32-year-old woman who were found with gunshot wounds in their heads inside a white Toyota Sequoia at the park's Lemon Hill Friday afternoon. They have, however, said the two were dating and that the killings were not the result of a murder-suicide.
Police do not yet have a suspect in the killings, and haven't revealed anything about what may have motivate the grisly slayings.
A maintenance crew found the bodies inside the white Toyota Sequoia parked at the hill, just north of Boathouse Row and yards from the historic Lemon Hill Mansion, about 2:40 p.m. on Friday.
The crew was emptying trash cans at a picnic pavilion just off the 800 block of Lemon Hill Drive when authorities said they noticed the SUV parked in an unusual area near a gazebo and went to investigate.
Police said the two were in the back seat of the SUV with Arizona plates. A back passenger-side window was shattered by gunfire.
The victims each suffered several gunshot wounds to the head, police said. It was not immediately clear when the shooting happened. A maintenance worker at the scene told NBC10 the man was naked, but the woman was dressed.
Philadelphia Police 9th District Capt. Ray Convery said although the vehicle is registered out-of-state, its owner is from the Philadelphia area.
Family members of the male victim came to the scene to speak with police, but did not comment to the media. Authorities said the family apparently had been looking for the man for the past day.
Convery said it appears the broken window was shot from the inside, but a weapon hasn't been found. He doesn't believe the shooting was random. The SUV was towed to the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's office to be processed by crime scene investigators.
The SUV was parked just up a hill from Boathouse Row, Kelly Drive and a popular running and walking path along the Schuylkill River.
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"The area itself is usually very nice and quiet. We've not had problems up here in the past," Convery said.
Tipsters should contact 215-686-3334 or text a tip to PPD TIP (773847).
