Cortez Williams

Two men found dead in a vacant Dutchtown home earlier this week had been shot, police confirmed Friday. Police identified the victims as Cortez Williams, 35, and Chase Williams, 22. Cortez Williams lived in the 3900 block of Folsom Avenue. Chase Williams lived in the 2200 block of Missouri Avenue. The men are cousins, said Evita Caldwell, a spokeswoman for the St. Louis Police Department. They were discovered dead about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 4600 block of South 38th Street, a couple blocks north of St. Mary’s high school. Police were first called to South Spring Avenue, which is a block over, for a report of “suspicious persons.” Officers found the men bleeding from what police initially called unknown injuries. Only later did the medical examiner’s office confirm they had been shot. Police said the home was vacant and considered uninhabitable. Police haven’t said if homicide investigators have a suspect or possible motive in the case.