Mystery deepens after body of priest & 2nd victim found burned beyond recognition blocks away from his Louisiana church

ONE set of charred remains found near a Catholic church have been identified as former priest Otis Young.

The bodies were found at around 7am on Monday in an alley near a glass shop.

Father Young, a 71-year-old retiree, had been missing since Sunday.

His body was one of two sets of charred human remains found next to the church.

Father Young's caretaker, Ruth Prats, is also missing, and local media has described the pair as inseparable.

Police have not said whether the second set of remains belongs to Prats, and the coroner is awaiting DNA results.

Young suffered a massive stroke in the spring of 2020, leading to his reliance on his caretaker Prats ever since.

Speaking to The Clarion Herald, the Archdiocese of New Orleans' official newspaper, after his stroke, Young said: “It’s very stressful because I try to maintain my balance.

"The standing is a part of what I have to do. I do the Mass as I regularly do, and the deacons have been preaching a lot to give me a chance to sit down and renew my energy.”

At the time, Young also expressed his gratitude for the support of his parishioners, who he said were "praying for me all the time."

The diocese noted that Young could have retired after his stroke, but he refused to step down after he completed the first part of his recovery.

Young told The Clarion Herald that he returned for two reasons: "One, I wanted to see exactly what I could do and couldn’t do.

"And, two, I wanted to thank the people for all their prayers and support while I was in the hospital."

Instead, he waited until July 1 of this year to officially retire, just months before he was killed.

Police have arrested Antonio Tyson, 49, in connection with the killing.

Tyson faces two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree kidnapping, according to 4WWL.

A coroner examining Father Young's body said he died of "blunt force trauma."

"We are deeply saddened, and ask that you join us in praying for Fr. Otis and Ruth, who is still listed as a missing person, as well as for their families," representatives from the church said.

The church said that Tyson was not part of the congregation.