Two men charged in Lewiston murders

LEWISTON – State police made arrests in the slayings of two men whose bodies were found in shallow graves last fall in Lewiston, officials said Wednesday.

Gary Gauthier, 25, and Tommy Dyer, 20, both of Auburn, were arrested at the Lewiston Police Department, said Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety. They were expected to be transported to Androscoggin County Jail.

The men were both charged with murder in the deaths of James Vining, 43, of Lewiston, and John Graffam, 30, of Auburn, McCausland said.

They were reported missing in September and their bodies were found in rural Lewiston by deer hunters on Oct. 29.

Authorities have released few details about the investigation. The state medical examiner’s office declined to release causes of death, and detectives declined to discuss a search they conducted last month in the town of Pownal.