SOUTH BEND — A man came home from vacation and found two people dead inside his garage. Now, South Bend police are working to find out why.

The bodies were found in a garage in the 800 block of North St. Peter Street around 12 p.m. Tuesday.

They have been identified as William Howell, 49, of South Bend and Clarissa L. Chism, 28, of South Bend. Police say Chism recently lived in California.

Police found no visible signs of injury to either one of the bodies, and no apparent signs of foul play.

Detectives confirm Howell is a relative of the homeowners, but the homeowners were not expecting anyone to be there while they were away over the last two weeks. For that reason, police are classifying the deaths as suspicious.

Family members said their neighborhood has been very supportive, and they're all working with investigators to try and find out what happened.

"My wife said she saw a white van hitting the alleys at a high rate of speed, circling the block,” said neighbor William Clark. “That's all I know."

St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Unit detectives were brought in to collect evidence. They also spoke with neighbors, but say no one saw or heard anything suspicious — including strange or unusual barks from the homeowners' dogs that are caged just behind the garage.

“I hear them barking, but I don't think nothing of it,” said neighbor Heidi Schmieder. “Mr. Howell always looked out for me, and I'll do the same for him, and everybody else.”

Detectives say they don't believe the bodies were in the garage for more than a few days. At this point police say they won’t know much more until autopsy results come back on Wednesday.

"The male party has been ID’d as a relative of the family, so it's not as if these two individuals are complete unknowns,” explained Capt. Phil Trent of the South Bend Police. “What isn't known is exactly how long they were there, and the exact cause of death at this time."

Stay with WSBT News and WSBT.com for the latest on this developing story.