Police have recovered 2 bodies in the search for the New York couple that vanished while vacationing in the Dominican Republic

Beatrice Christofaro

April 10, 2019 11:00 AM

The bodies of a man and a woman have been recovered by police in the Dominican Republic searching for a New York couple who went missing in the country in March.

Portia Ravenelle and Orlando Moore

Portia Ravenelle and Orlando Moore were supposed to return to the US on March 27, but never made it to the airport.
Bodies discovered by authorities match the descriptions of Ravanelle and Moore, they said.
Authorities suspect the couple crashed their car into the ocean on the way to the airport.
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The New York couple that disappeared while vacationing in the Dominican Republic is presumed dead after police found two bodies that match their descriptions, officials said on Tuesday .

Portia Ravenelle, 52, and Orlando Moore, 40, were meant to return to Mount Vernon, New York, on March 27. Police said Ravenelle and Orlando didn't make it on to their flight to Newark, and there is no record of them returning to the United States.

Authorities now suspect the tourists may have crashed their car into the sea on the way to the airport.

Col. Frank Flix Durn Mejia, the spokesman for the Dominican police, told CBS that a car was found at the bottom of the sea in the area the couple was last seen.

"We can't confirm the characteristics of the vehicle because of rough seas and our divers are having a hard time reaching the depths," he said.

Local fishermen reported they heard a loud sound coming from the highway in the early morning hours of March 27, police said in their report.

A seriously injured woman who was not carrying any identification was later found near that location, and taken to the hospital, police said. She died after spending six days in intensive care.

Authorities said they then found the partially decomposed body of a man in Sans Souci, about 13 miles (21 km) from the car. The man had a tattoo on his right arm that read "Milano," which matches the description of Moore, CBS reported.

The bodies are currently being identified, and autopsies are pending, CNN reported . Authorities said earlier on Tuesday that they do not suspect foul play in the vanishment of the couple.

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Beatrice Christofaro