By Mark Scott
Buffalo, NY – Autopsies have identified two women missing for several months. Their bodies were discovered over the weekend in barrels in a storage barn.
The Erie County Sheriff's Department say the victims are, indeed, 69-year-old Nancy Phelps and 87-year-old Geraldine Jackson.
The bodies were found Saturday in Colden.
Monday's examination determined that Phelps was killed by a severe blow to the head. Police believe they have the murder weapon.
Jackson had been missing since her house burned down in December. The autopsy showed she was strangled.
They were found in a storage building across the road from the residence of 42-year-old Robert Henchen, who was arrested in January on parole violations. Erie County District Attorney Frank Clark says he's the prime suspect in the murders.
The storage building is owned by Colden Town Justice Carolyn Siegel.