Mystery deepens in bizarre case of Georgia twins found dead on remote mountainside, family demands answers

A group of hikers on Georgia‘s Bell Mountain made a grisly discovery on the morning of March 8 when they reached the summit: twin brothers dead from gunshot wounds. Towns County Sheriff’s officers were soon on the scene, though weeks on from the discovery the mystery of how these men died in this isolated and lonely place has only intensified.

Investigators quickly identified the pair as 19-year-old Qaadir Malik Lewis and Naazir Rahim Lewis, of Lawrenceville, Georgia. Adding to the bizarre scene was the fact that they had plane tickets in their pockets for a flight to Boston, that they’d never visited this area before, and neither had indicated any depression or emotional distress.

The preliminary conclusion was that the twins died as a result of a murder-suicide, apparently mutually deciding to end their lives for an unknown reason. Perhaps understandably, their family has angrily pushed back on that hypothesis and is demanding answers. In an interview with NBC affiliate KSDK their uncle Rahim Brawner couldn’t imagine them hurting, much less killing, each other:

“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.”

Brawner expressed confusion as to why the pair were found in this strange location:

“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. They never even heard of Bell Mountain, so how did they end up right there?”

That’s the million-dollar question right now. The fact that authorities very quickly determined that this was a murder-suicide may indicate they know more than has been publically released, like a spent firearm being found at the scene, the possibility of a note being left by them, that was no signs of struggle, and no evidence that a third party was involved. In addition, it’s not unusual for people to take their lives in a remote spot to avoid traumatizing family members who might discover the aftermath.

That said, the family knew them better than anybody else and they’re adamant this doesn’t add up. Their aunt Yasmine Brawner dismissed the theory: “To say they did this to each other? No. Something happened in those mountains, and we want answers.” Brawner has set up a GoFundMe for the family, which says:

“In recents new reports, it was claimed that they took their own lives. My nephews wouldn’t do this! 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.”

In a depressing side note, this case has also resulted in the arrest of volunteer firefighter Scott Kerlin, an early responder who took personal photographs of the twins’ death scene and shared them on social media. He’s been charged with misdemeanor obstruction, with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation saying:

“The GBI has arrested and charged Scott Kerlin, age 42, of Hiawassee, with misdemeanor obstruction.  Kerlin is a volunteer firefighter in Towns County who took photos of the Lewis twins’ death scene and shared them publicly.”

Autopsies have been completed and additional forensic tests are underway, so we can only hope for the sake of the twins’ family that answers are forthcoming.

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (En Español: 1-888-628-9454; Deaf and Hard of Hearing: 1-800-799-4889) or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741. A list of international crisis resources can be found here.