Twin brothers were found dead atop a mountain in Georgia, USA, just one day after they missed a flight, having apparently succumbed to gunshot wounds.
Qaadir and Naazir Lewis, 19, from Lawrenceville, Georgia, were reported missing on March 7. The pair were scheduled to board a 7 a.m. flight but never arrived at the airport.
On March 8, a hiker discovered their bodies at the summit of Bell Mountain, near the North Carolina border.
The mysterious circumstances surrounding the case have fueled rampant speculation online. The Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI) is treating the case as a potential murder-suicide, though the family of Qaadir and Naazir refuses to accept that conclusion.
Family’s Denial of Murder-Suicide
Rahim Brawner, the boys’ uncle, emphasized that the twins were inseparable and would never harm each other.
“They’re very protective of each other. They love each other,” Brawner said in an interview with WXIA-TV. “I couldn’t imagine them hurting each other because I’ve never seen them get into a fistfight before.”
The twins’ aunt, Yasmin Brawner, echoed this sentiment, stressing that the boys had a “huge support system.”
“We know them. They wouldn’t do anything like this,” Yasmin said. “To say they did this to each other? No. Something happened in those mountains, and we want answers.”
The Discovery of the Bodies
According to The New York Post, Qaadir and Naazir’s bodies were found by a hiker at the summit of Bell Mountain at around 11:05 a.m. on March 8. Both brothers had sustained gunshot wounds.
Their family has revealed that the twins had their plane tickets in their wallets when they were found, suggesting they had planned to fly. Additionally, the area where their bodies were discovered was unfamiliar to them.
Unanswered Questions
Another aunt, Samira Brawner, questioned how the brothers ended up in the mountains.
“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?” she asked.
A spokesperson for the GBI told PEOPLE Magazine on March 16 that an autopsy had been completed, but official results are still pending additional forensic tests.
Support for Funeral Costs
Yasmin Brawner has set up a GoFundMe to help cover the funeral expenses for her nephews. The link to the page can be found here.
