By Lindsay Tice and Dan Hartill,Staff Writers

LEWISTON – Police identified the two men found in shallow graves over the weekend as John G. Graffam, 30, of Auburn and James E. Vining, 43, of Lewiston. They believe the men were murdered.

Police won’t say how long the bodies had been buried off Foss Road, where they were found. But Graffam’s mother reported him missing about a month ago, and police believe no one has seen Vining in at least two weeks. Police also aren’t saying how the men died, what evidence was discovered with their bodies or how they knew each other.

“The less information we can release right now, the better,” Michael Bussiere, deputy chief of the Lewiston Police Department, said during an afternoon news conference.

Teams of investigators, including police from Lewiston, Auburn, the Maine State Police and the state’s Violent Crimes Task Force, are now reconstructing the men’s last days of life.

The bodies were discovered Saturday morning in sparse woods near the railroad tracks. One was found by a group of hunters. The second was found by police. Their autopsies were conducted Sunday.

Police identified one of the men on Sunday evening. The other identification came on Monday morning. Graffam and Vining were both “known to police” Bussiere said.

Both men had criminal records. Most recently, Vining was found guilty of theft, according to Androscoggin Superior Court records for July. Graffam was charged in July with domestic assault and unlawful sexual touching, according to police logs archived by the Sun Journal.

Although they were not from the Lewiston-Auburn area originally, both had lived in the area for a couple of years and had known each other.

Police are looking for help reconstructing their last days. Police are asking that anyone who has information about Graffam or Vining call the Lewiston Police Department at 784-6422 or 795-9000, or the Maine State Police at (800) 288-0857.

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