A Lawrenceville family is in disbelief after two brothers were found dead at the top of a Georgia mountain in what authorities suspect is a “murder-suicide.”
“We want answers; we want to know exactly what happened to the twins,” the twins’ aunt, Samira Brawner, told WXIA.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) said in a news release that hikers found the remains of twin brothers Qaadir Malik Lewis and Naazir Rahim Lewis, both 19 years old, on top of Bell Mountain in Hiawassee, Georgia, on March 8, according to People.
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At approximately 11:05 a.m. local time, hikers made the discovery and contacted the Towns County 911 Center. The Towns County Sheriff’s Office then requested that the GBI get involved.
According to preliminary findings, investigators believe the teens, who were discovered with gunshot wounds, died as a result of a “murder-suicide,” with official cause of death yet to be known. Even though autopsies have been completed, the medical examiner is refusing to officially rule on both manner and cause of death for the teens “pending additional forensic tests,” the GBI announced in a statement cited by People.
Relatives told WXIA that they assumed the teenagers were visiting friends in Boston at the time, leaving them horrified by the announcement.
Family members revealed that on March 7, 24 hours before the brothers were found at a location they felt Qaadir and Naazir had never been to before, the brothers booked a 7 a.m. trip to Boston. According to family members, the plane tickets were found in their wallets.
Their uncle, Rahim Brawner, told the outlet, “They’re very protective of each other. They love each other; they’re like inseparable. I couldn’t imagine them hurting each other because I’ve never seen them get into a fistfight before.”
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Their aunt, Samira, stated that the teens’ location, around 90 miles from Lawrenceville, was one they had “never even heard of.”
She said, “How did they end up out in the mountains? They don’t hike out there, they’ve never been out there. They don’t know anything about Hiawassee, Georgia, … So how did they end up right there?”
Another aunt, Yasmine Brawner, told WXIA that her nephews had a large support system. She believes that “something happened in those mountains.”
Since then, their aunt Yasmine has started a GoFundMe page to cover the costs of their memorial service and funeral. Regarding speculation of a murder-suicide, she commented that they “wouldn’t do this.”
Her words read, “They came from a family of love, and twins wanted so much for their future; they had dreams of starting their very own clothing line.”
“Unfortunately something happened at Bell Mountain that ended the lives of 19-year-old Qaadir and Naazir, which needs to be further investigated. We need your support to share their story,” she added.
