N.C. Police Find Bodies in Car Matching Description of the One Missing Couple Was Last Seen Driving

Police in North Carolina may have found the bodies of two missing women who were last seen leaving their apartment three weeks ago. A car resembling theirs has been found in a wooded area.

On Monday, a grey 2013 Dodge Dart believed to belong to Stephanie Mayorga, 27, and Paige Escalera, 25, was found “deep in the woods off the intersection of Independence Blvd. and River Road,” according to a statement released by the Wilmington Police Department. Inside the vehicle were two decomposing bodies.

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On Tuesday, authorities confirmed that the vehicle belonged to the couple, but authorities were unable to confirm the identity of the bodies inside, the Port City Daily reports.

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Mayorga and Escalera were reported missing by their roommate on April 19.

Wilmington Police Department

The couple were last seen leaving their apartment on April 15. While police do not currently believe foul play is involved, the pair went missing under mysterious circumstances.

“It’s very important that we find them,” Wilmington Police Captain Thomas Tilmon said of Stephanie Mayorga, 27, and Paige Escalera, 25, at a prior press conference. “The investigation has been extensive, trying to figure out who they’re connected to and where they went. We’re working all those leads to try and find them, and we’re really hoping this has a happy ending.”

The couple were engaged and were last caught on CCTV footage leaving their apartment in a scene investigators described as “entirely normal.”

Police declined to comment to PEOPLE on the case Tuesday morning, citing the ongoing investigation.