Twin 19-year-old brothers were found shot to death on a Georgia mountain a day after missing a flight to Boston to visit friends. Qaadir and Naazir Lewis, from Lawrenceville, vanished on March 7 after missing their 7 a.m. flight. The following day, a hiker discovered their bodies at the summit of Bell Mountain, near the North Carolina border.
Their family refuses to accept the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s theory that the deaths were the result of a murder-suicide. Rahim Brawner, the brothers’ grieving uncle, insisted that the teens, who were inseparable, would never harm one another.
“They were very protective of each other. They loved each other,” Brawner told WXIA-TV. “I can’t imagine them hurting each other. I’ve never seen them get into a fight.”
The brothers’ aunt, Yasmin Brawner, added that the teens had a strong support system, and they would have sought help if they were struggling or experiencing suicidal thoughts.
“We know them. They wouldn’t do something like this,” Yasmin said. “To say they did this to each other? No. Something happened in those mountains, and we want answers.”
The family also expressed confusion over how Qaadir and Naazir ended up at Bell Mountain, as the teens had no history of hiking and had never been to the location. The brothers were found with their plane tickets still in their wallets.
The bodies were discovered by a hiker around 11:05 a.m. on March 8, with gunshot wounds on both of them. Although autopsies have been completed, the GBI is waiting for additional forensic results before making a final determination on the cause of death. Authorities have not yet disclosed which brother they believe may have carried out the murder-suicide.
