2 bodies found in Hingham bunker

Authorities are investigating the suspicious deaths of two men whose bodies were discovered in Hingham yesterday at a disused military bunker, where items found near the men suggest they had been living or camping there, according to Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz.

One of the men, who is white and estimated at between 40 and 50 years old, showed signs of a beating, Cruz said. Details were not available about the other man, whose body appeared to be more decomposed. One of the bodies had not been extracted from the old ammunitions bunker by 7 p.m., according to a law enforcement official at the scene.

Cruz said state troopers investigating the deaths are asking the public for help in identifying the men, who may have been dead for as long as a week before they were reported by a 911 caller at 12:08 p.m. yesterday.

Cruz, who announced the deaths and investigation at a news conference near the scene, declined to identify the caller or to give details about how the bodies were found.

''It's very sad," Hingham Town Administrator Charles Cristello said last night in a telephone interview. ''Anytime anyone loses their life, it's sad."

The bunker, which dates to World War I, is in Bare Cove Park near the Weymouth border, and lies in a wooded area near Beal Street, off Route 3A. While doors on such bunkers are supposed to be welded shut, the door on this one was open, Cristello said.

Town officials have been trying to get the structures knocked down for years, saying they are eyesores where injuries can occur. But some of the bunkers are state-owned, including the one where the men were found.

''The state hasn't had the money to deal with those things," Cristello said. ''We'd like to get it and take these buildings down."

About 300 yards from the bunker last night, a couple of young boys took time out from watching a Little League baseball game at a neighborhood ballpark to take in the scene and to snap cellphone pictures of police and fire vehicles near the bunker.

Bare Cove Park is popular with bicyclists, joggers and dog walkers, residents say, though it can be scary at times.

''I walk my dog there, but when I'm by myself, I get a little nervous," said Susan Bonn, 43, mother of one of the Little League players. ''It's a little creepy back there."

Donovan Slack can be reached at dslack@globe.com. Maria Cramer can be reached at mcramer@globe.com.