Investigators have revealed the cause of death for twins found atop Bell Mountain in Georgia.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation had initially characterized the deaths of 19-year-olds Qaadir and Naazir Lewis, who were found deceased atop the mountain in March, as a murder-suicide. But in the two months since, new information was uncovered that changed its assessment, the agency said.
“Based on the results of the medical examiner’s autopsy and other investigative findings, their deaths have been ruled suicide-suicide,” the GBI said in a press release Wednesday. “GBI agents have met with the Lewis family to share the findings.”
Forensic evidence from the scene indicated that both twins fired a gun, according to authorities. Also, their phones’ internet history included suicide-related searches and procedures for loading a gun.
“Naazir purchased ammunition used in the gun,” the GBI said.
The gun was delivered to his house two days before the pair’s trip to Hiawassee, Georgia, which is nearly 90 miles from their hometown of Lawrenceville. Surveillance video showed the twins at a Shell gas station in Lawrenceville about 12 hours before their bodies were discovered on March 8.
When police first labeled the deaths a murder-suicide, family members were skeptical.
“The twins would not have harmed each other. They had a strong bond,” their aunt, Yasmine Brawner, said on Facebook in April, according to CNN. “Someone took their lives away.”
On a GoFundMe page Brawner organized, she added, “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.”
Its name: Overkill. “Like strive for your future, and don’t just stop there. Overkill. Go for it. Go all the way,” aunt Sabriya Brawner told CNN.
The Lewis twins had been enrolled in trade school, with Qaadir attending an aviation maintenance school and Naazir studying automotive repair.
“They were not bare-minimum people,” older sister Kai’ree Powell said. “They were so career-driven.”
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