Nineteen-year-old twins were found dead with gunshot wounds at the top of a Georgia mountain earlier in March. As law enforcement investigates, the cause of death remains unclear.
Hikers discovered the bodies of Qaadir Lewis and Naazir Lewis at the top of Bell Mountain, a popular hiking destination near Hiawassee, Georgia, after 11 a.m. on March 8, according to a news release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
⚠️ WARNING: This post contains graphic descriptions of violence
Qaadir & Naazir Lewis, 19-year-old twin brothers from Lawrenceville, Georgia, were found shot dead at the summit of Bell Mountain on March 8, 2025. The discovery came just 24 hours after they missed a 7 AM flight to… pic.twitter.com/tFE6XLZXhP
— True Crime Updates (@TrueCrimeUpdat) March 17, 2025
The GBI medical examiner has completed the autopsies. However, the official ME ruling has yet to be determined, and “results are pending additional forensic tests,” the GBI stated in a news release.
Deputies with the Towns County Sheriff’s Office first arrived at the scene on March 8 after receiving a 911 call about the two teens reportedly dead at the top of the mountain, according to the news release. The sheriff’s office later called the GBI, and both agencies determined in a preliminary investigation that the teens’ deaths were a murder-suicide.
Twin brothers Qaadir & Naazir Lewis, 19, tragically died on March 8, 2025, after missing their flight to Boston. Found on Bell Mountain in Hiawassee, GA, their family is searching for answers.
Our thoughts & prayers are with the Lewis family. We pray for the truth & peace. 🙏🏿🤍 pic.twitter.com/vhlhydIjnW
— Hues & Culture (@HuesAndCulture) March 17, 2025
The family demanded answers after murder-suicide conclusion
The teens’ family believes something else occurred and disputes the murder-suicide preliminary determination that authorities made prior to the autopsies.
“We want answers, we want to know exactly what happened to the twins,” Samira Brawner, their aunt, told 11 Alive News.
“They’re very protective of each other. They love each other,” their uncle Rahim Brawner told the outlet. “They’re like inseparable. I couldn’t imagine them hurting each other because I’ve never seen them get into a fistfight before.”
The two teens had no prior connection with Bell Mountain
Family members told the outlet that the two teens had booked a 7 a.m. flight to Boston on March 7 but never made their flight. Instead, they were both found dead at the top of Bell Mountain, and the family confirmed the teens had no prior ties to the location and had never been there before.
“How did they end up out in the mountains? They don’t hike out there, they’ve never been out there,” Samira said. “They don’t know anything about Hiawassee, Georgia. They never even heard of Bell Mountain, so how did they end up right there?”
Other family members shared positive memories of the brothers, emphasizing their close bond and asserting that it would be out of character for them to harm themselves.
“They had a huge support system. We know them. They wouldn’t do anything like this. To say they did this to each other? No. Something happened in those mountains, and we want answers,” Yasmin Brawner, another aunt, said, per 11 Alive News.
Yasmine also launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover their funeral costs. On the campaign page, she wrote, “Unfortunately Something happened at Bell mountain that ended the lives of 19 year old Qaadir and Naazir, which needs to be further investigated.”
‘They were a bright light on some of my darkest days’
People reported that the teens’ older sister, Kairee Powell, also rejected the authorities’ initial assertion about their deaths.
“They were a bright light on some of my darkest days and were some of my biggest supporters,” she wrote in a Facebook post.
She and other family members created the hashtag “#JusticeForQaadirAndNaazir” to raise awareness on social media.
Georgia man was arrested and charged with misdemeanor obstruction
On Tuesday, the GBI announced that a man identified as Scott Kerlin, 42, of Hiawassee, was arrested and charged with misdemeanor obstruction. He is a volunteer firefighter in Towns County and took photos of the teens’ bodies and shared them publicly, according to a news release.