Ohio teen in custody after Amber Alert case turns into double-homicide

(AP) OTTAWA, Ohio - Two teenage brothers who had been reported missing were found dead in northwest Ohio after a third teen pointed authorities to their bodies before he was taken into custody, officials said.

The three teens -- 14-year-old Blaine Romes, 17-year-old Blake Romes and 17-year-old Michael Fay -- lived together with their mothers in a trailer home in Ottawa, Ohio, according to a neighbor.

The three had been the subject of an Amber Alert issued Thursday morning after a relative of one returned to the home and found a crime scene, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office said. A car also was reported missing from the trailer park.

Fay was taken into custody Thursday afternoon at a gas station in Columbus, about 115 miles away, after stopping to ask for directions, authorities said. He was driving the missing car, police said.

Fay told officers that the Romes brothers were dead and gave the location of their bodies, according to the sheriff's office, which released no details about the condition of the bodies or the scene. Autopsies were scheduled to determine the cause of death.

There was no word on any possible charges against Fay.

Classmates and friends mourned the brothers as news of their death spread Thursday through Ottawa, a village of 4,500 people south of Toledo.

A neighbor, 17-year-old Sam Williams, told The (Toledo) Blade that the younger brother, Blaine, was supposed to join his classmates early Thursday on an eighth-grade class trip to Washington.

Blake Romes was a junior at Ottawa-Glandorf High School, where he was involved in track and choir, principal Jayson Selgo said Friday. The school has about 530 students, and word of his death traveled fast in the community.

"He was very well respected and liked by the students and faculty, as well. A very friendly kid," Selgo said.

Selgo said counselors were made available in the district for students and staff who might need help coping with the news.

"I think everyone is trying to get through this difficult time in their own way," he said.

The school posted a notice on its website Friday saying "our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Blake and Blaine."

Selgo said Fay does not attend the high school.