Bodies of 2 Missing Men Found in ‘Hidden’ Car 10 Days After They Were Last Seen Alive. Police Are Asking for Public’s Help

William Hutchinson and Stuart Tallis were found dead in Hutchinson's vehicle, which was tucked away in undergrowth, on July 4

NEED TO KNOW

• William Hutchinson and Stuart Tallis were found dead in Hutchinson’s car, which was hidden in undergrowth, on July 4
• Both men were separately reported missing from their homes and were last seen in the early hours of June 24
• The discovery of the vehicle containing the bodies came after tips led investigators to believe that the men “may have been together”

Two men went missing in the early hours of June 24. Ten days later, their bodies were found in a car tucked away from view.

The bodies of William Hutchinson and Stuart Tallis were found in a car belonging to Hutchinson at around 12 p.m. local time on Saturday, July 4, in Lancashire, England. Lancashire Police announced the “extremely sad update” the same day, after previously asking the public's help finding the two men, who were separately reported missing from their Preston homes.

Lancashire Police said officers uncovered the remains of Hutchinson, 31, and Tallis, 27, in a blue Peugeot 106 that was “hidden from view, in thick undergrowth off the westbound carriageway of the A584 Preston New Road, close to its junction with the A583 Blackpool Road at Newton with Clifton.”

“Sadly, two deceased males were found inside the vehicle,” Lancashire Police said. “While formal identification is yet to take place, we believe we have found William and Stuart.”

“Two men have lost their lives in what appears to be extremely tragic circumstances, and my thoughts are very much with their loved ones at this sad time,” Sgt. Martin Wilcock, who is with Lancashire Police's Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said in a statement. “I know a number of my colleagues were involved in the searches for William and Stuart, and I know they were hoping for a happier conclusion.”

The vehicle containing the bodies was found after tips led investigators to believe that the men “may have been together” amid the respective searches for both of them, police said. Both Hutchinson and Tallis were last seen in the early hours of June 24. 

Hutchinson was last seen at an address on Hull Street in Preston and was believed to have left the area in the same blue Peugeot 106 that his body was found in. Tallis, meanwhile, was last seen in Preston's Fishwick View area. He was formally reported missing on June 27.

On June 29, a woman who identified herself as Hutchinson's mother shared a photo on Facebook of the missing 31-year-old in “the trainers he was last seen wearing.” In the same post, she urged anyone who has information about his disappearance to come forward.

“Thank you, we are so worried about his disappearance,” the concerned mother wrote.

In the wake of Saturday's discovery, Lancashire Police said the two men's “loved ones are aware of the extremely upsetting development."

They added, "Our thoughts are with them at this distressing time. They are being supported by specially-trained officers.”

Now, police are asking the public for help again — this time, seeking information about the circumstances surrounding the men's deaths.

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Lancashire Police are asking any witnesses who spotted Hutchinson's blue vehicle on the A584 Preston New Road “in the minutes” leading up to 5:30 a.m. on June 24 — the time police believe the Peugeot left the carriageway — to come forward.

Police are also asking anyone who traveled in that area during that time window “to check their dashcam footage to see if they have captured anything which could assist our investigation.”

In the update from Lancashire Police, Sgt. Wilcock said, “My job now is to establish the full circumstances which led to the collision, and that is why I would ask any witnesses or anyone with CCTV or dashcam footage which could help the investigation to make contact with my officers.”

PEOPLE has reached out to Lancashire Police for additional updates.

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