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Police: Couple slain in Fairmount Park were dating

Homicide detectives were continuing their investigation Saturday into the shooting deaths of a man and woman discovered inside an SUV on Friday afternoon in East Fairmount Park.

Homicide detectives were continuing their investigation Saturday into the shooting deaths of a man and woman discovered inside an SUV on Friday afternoon in East Fairmount Park.

Police said that based on interviews with family members, the two - a 25-year-old African American man and a 32-year-old Hispanic woman - evidently had been dating.

Maintenance workers removing trash from a gazebo on the grounds of the Lemon Hill Mansion in East Fairmount Park found the grisly scene while checking on a white Toyota Sequoia parked on the grass about 2:40 p.m. Friday.

The first sign that something was amiss came when the crew from Parks and Recreation noticed the SUV's rear passenger window was shattered.

Peering inside the vehicle, the workers saw the man and woman sprawled across the backseat, each with multiple gunshot wounds to the head. The man was unclothed, according to police.

Detectives ruled out a murder-suicide but must solve several puzzling details. No gun was found at the scene, but the back window had been shot out from inside the vehicle.

Family members at the scene would not speak to reporters but told police they had been conducting a search for the man for about a day.

Medics pronounced the couple dead at 2:55 p.m. Friday.

Detectives had the SUV towed to the coroner's office and have cleared the crime scene.

Police said the picturesque park area just off Kelly Drive is patrolled regularly by police and is normally quiet.

No information on a possible motive for the crime or suspects has been released.

dpurcell@phillynews.com

215-854-4915

@dylancpurcell