Tragic cause of death revealed for 19-year-old twins found dead on Georgia mountain
Qaadir and Naazir Lewis' lifeless bodies were found by a hiker on the summit of Bell Mountain, more than 90 miles from their Lawrenceville home, on March 8.
The brothers, described by family as upbeat and outgoing, were supposed to be flying to Boston to meet up with friends when they died from gunshots.
Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) preliminary findings initially suggested their harrowing deaths were the result of an apparent murder-suicide.
But a deeper look at the situation and shocking new evidence revealed Qaadir and Naazir each took their own lives, the GBI announced on Wednesday.
'Based on the results of the medical examiner's autopsy and other investigative findings, their deaths have been ruled suicide-suicide,' the statement reads.
Detectives said before publicly sharing this gut-wrenching information, they had notified the Lewis family.
The GBI pieced together a timeline of the brother's final days using cellular location data, which reportedly tracked the brothers from their homes in Gwinnett County to the mountain near the border of North Carolina.
In video that 'correspond to those locations,' the brothers are seen alone, investigators wrote. Forensic evidence suggested each of the brothers fired a gun.
Regarding the trip the teens were supposed to be taking to Boston, the GBI found that only Naazir showed up to the airport on March 7.
But he never boarded his flight, he just left the airport and went back home. Records obtained by the GBI show that only Naazir had an airplane ticket.
Investigators said Naazir had also ordered gun ammunition that was delivered to their house on March 5.
The brothers' phones also held clues about the tragedy. According to the GBI, their internet searches included 'how to load again' and 'suicide rates in 2024.'
The GBI said they plan to officially close this months-long investigation in the upcoming weeks.
Just as they fiercely refuted investigators original belief that one brother killed the other before turning the gun on himself, the twins' family does not agree with the GBI's suicide-suicide ruling.
'No, it doesn't make no sense,' Samira Brawner, the brothers' aunt told FOX 5.
'Both of them was funny. They loved spending time with family,' she added about the college students.
Samira is also baffled about why they would have gone to Bell Mountain, claiming the two had never been their before.
The distraught family said security footage from March 7 showed the twins at a Shell gas station near their home.
Sabriyah Brawner, another aunt, said they seemed to be acting completely calm and normal in that video.
'Foul play was definitely involved,' she asserted. 'I feel like they were murdered.'
Adding to the unsettling circumstances surrounding their deaths, a volunteer firefighter was accused of taking pictures of their corpses.
Scott Kerlin, 42, was charged with misdemeanor obstruction for allegedly taking photos of the twins while responding to the scene of their death.
The firefighter was then accused of sharing the photos publicly, according to the GBI.
He posted the photos to social media, WSB-TV reported, though it wasn't clear on which platform he shared them.
Kerlin, of Hiawassee, was fired on March 14 for violating department protocol, Towns County Commissioner Cliff Bradshaw told 11Alive. After his arrest in March, he bonded out of Towns County Jail.
A GoFundMe originally created for funeral arrangements is now being used to collect funds for a private investigator to continue probing the situation.
'In recent news reports, it was claimed that they took their own lives. My nephews wouldn't do this!' the organizer, one of the brothers' aunts, wrote on the donations page, which has raised more than $67,400.
'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.
'The family is looking for a private investigator to help bring justice to Qaadir and Naazir Lewis, we did hire a private investigator.'
The distraught relative said the family had previously hired an investigator, but the case was too complex for their realm of expertise.
They are hoping to hire a new detective who specializes in homicide and criminal cases.
'We will not stop fighting until the twins get justice. Anything you donate will be appreciated,' the fundraiser's description reads.
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