FacebookThe bodies of two individuals have been identified after they were discovered on June 19, 2020 by a group of teens who recorded the experience on TikTok.
According to the King County Medical Examiner's office, the remains belong to Jessica Lewis, 35, and her boyfriend Austin Wenner, 27. The authorities said the cause of death for Wenner was a gunshot wound to the torso, while Lewis' was "multiple gunshot wounds." The suspected homicide is estimated to have taken place 10 days prior.
The case drew national attention last month because of a TikTok video showing the discovery of several bags, which were later revealed to be containing two dead bodies. In the video, the teen said the app Randonautica brought him and his friends to a "part of the beach" in Seattle, where the suitcases appeared to have been washed ashore.
He shared, "We were joking that maybe the suitcase would have money... as soon as she opened it the smell was overwhelming."
After opening a bag with what appeared to be a stick, the teens then called the police who, according to a Seattle Police Department press release, promptly opened a homicide investigation.
Oxygen.com reports that Seattle Police Detective Mark Jamieson stated the video is not believed to be staged. "We've interviewed them and we're actually glad that the video is out because it helps corroborate some of the information," Jamieson told the site. "I can tell you that it's accurate."
Additionally, Jamieson revealed that there were no missing persons reports filed prior to the bodies' discovery.
Lewis' aunt Gina Jaschke issued a plea for help in an interview with the NBC's local affiliate King5 news. She told the outlet, "Somebody knows something," and implored people to call the Seattle Police Tip Line at 206-233-5000 if they have any information concerning the case.
The co-founder of the app Randonautica, which led the group to the grisly discovery, told Inside Edition that this "was an unfortunate coincidence."
The app's website states that its function is to "generate truly random locations," with the user establishing an "intention" that guides their journey. Some people who hash-tagged Randonautica on TikTok have reported eerie experiences, while others shared more innocent stories.