Bodies of newborn babies found in suitcase, authorities say

Authorities say the bodies of two newborn babies have been found in a suitcase along a road in northeast Arkansas. The infants appear to be twins, Detective Sergeant Jeffrey Nichols told CBS affiliate WREG.

The Cross County sheriff’s office says the bodies were discovered Friday afternoon in a purple suitcase, which was on a ditch bank along a county road.

Officials say the investigation is ongoing and they are asking the public for any information regarding the identity of the infants or a suspect. The Sheriff’s Office said the bodies are being sent to the state crime lab for autopsies, which should help investigators determine how the infants died and when, WREG reports.

It’s still not clear if they died before or after they were placed in the suitcase.

Nichols told WREG his office has identified several persons of interest but did not elaborate.

News of the discovery struck a nerve with those who live in the area, WREG reports.

“When I left work this evening, I was shaken up. Like, I was in tears,” Santia Wallace told WREG. “Here I am want to have kids and for you to, like, kill them? Like, who does that?”

“You could have took him to the fire station, you know, something like that. You don’t have to kill no kids,” said Wallace.

“It’s hard to comprehend. I mean, I wouldn’t know why anybody would abandon two little babies like that,” Walter Hill said.