The victims have been identified as, from left, Jewel King, Verdell Jefferson, and Dorothy Butts. (Photo courtesy of D.C. police)

D.C. police announced Wednesday that bodies found at an apartment building in Southeast belong to three middle-aged women who have been missing for more than a decade.

Over the spring, construction workers discovered a set of human remains in a crawl space while renovating an apartment in the 100 block of Wayne Place SE. Police later discovered two more skeletons on the property’s grounds. Two of the women died of gunshot wounds, and one of blunt force trauma.

The victims have been identified as 48-year old Jewel King, 41-year old Verdell Jefferson, and 43-year-old Dorothy Butts. They all lived in close proximity to where they were found and were last seen at various points in 2006: King was the first to disappear, in April, and Jefferson was last seen alive in May. The last time that Butts was seen alive was on Christmas Day as she headed to a local store.

King and Jefferson were buried in close proximity to one another.

All three women had children, according to the police chief. King had three daughters, while Jefferson and Butts each had one son.

“Whenever you have a family member that goes missing I am sure, regardless of how much time has passed, you are always hopeful that they will return,” said D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham. “I am certain that this news is devastating to these families.”

After police announced the bodies had been found earlier this year, a number of people with missing family members came forward.

D.C. police called on the FBI to do mitochondrial testing, which involves matching DNA from family members to the remains. Relatives of eight missing women who fit the broad profile submitted samples.

It is not clear what, if anything, might link the three victims besides their age, gender, and where they lived. Police have not ruled out the possibility that the homicides are the work of a serial killer, but they don’t currently have evidence that there are additional victims.

While their identities mark a major step in the investigation, Newsham said that they don’t have any persons of interest in the case yet. “As you can imagine, there is still a tremendous work ahead of us to find the person or persons who are responsible for these murders,” he said.