Two Submerged Bodies Recovered From St. Joseph River Amid Search for Missing South Bend Mothers
NILES, Michigan — Emergency rescue crews in Southwest Michigan have recovered a submerged SUV containing two deceased individuals from the St. Joseph River, concluding an intensive multi-agency search across state lines. As reported by regional public safety outlets serving northern Indiana and southern Michigan, including WNDU 16 News Now, underwater recovery divers extracted the vehicle on Tuesday afternoon, September 15, 2026, near a steep riverbank in Niles.
Submerged Vehicle Recovery and Victim Alignment
According to police statements from Niles Police Chief James Millin, search teams located a dark 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee submerged deep in the river current. Heavy-duty tow equipment hauled the vehicle onto the shoreline, where officers confirmed two individuals were deceased inside the cabin.
While formal identification awaits official autopsy findings and DNA verification by the Berrien County Medical Examiner’s Office, investigators noted the physical descriptions and clothing matched those worn by 24-year-old Vanessa Bautista and 23-year-old Alexandra “Alexa” Navarro, two young mothers from South Bend who went missing early Sunday morning, September 13.
Timeline and Multi-Jurisdiction Investigation
Relatives reported Ms. Bautista and Ms. Navarro missing after the two women failed to return home from an outing in Elkhart, Indiana. Family members tracked mobile device location pings to the Niles area before losing contact, prompting coordinated search sweeps involving law enforcement officers and community volunteers across South Bend, Elkhart, and Berrien County.
#michigan#deceased#joseph#death#obituary
