Police name 3 suspects in killing of men lured from NYC gay bars

April 1 (UPI) -- New York City Police on Saturday identified a trio of suspects in the killings of two men who were drugged and robbed last year after visiting gay bars in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood.

Authorities posted photos of the suspects, identified as Jayqwan Hamilton, Robert Demaio, Jacob Barroso, on the NYPD Crimestoppers Facebook page.

John Umberger, 33, and Julio Ramirez, 25, were killed in two separate incidents in spring of last year. Both were seen leaving bars with unidentified individuals before thousands of dollars were withdrawn from their bank accounts via facial recognition on their phones.

Ramirez's lifeless body was discovered in the back of a taxi and Umberger was found dead at the Manhattan apartment where he was staying during his visit to New York.

According to the text of the indictment, the perpetrators would approach victims and drug them till they became "incapacitated to the extent that their ability to perceive events became diminished."

NBC News reported police confirmed the suspects are believed to have targeted victims at bars that were not necessarily related to the LGBTQI+ community.

New York City Police said there could be as many as 17 connected cases.