A volunteer firefighter has been accused of leaking photos taken from twin brothers Qaadir Lewis and Naazir Lewis‘ apparent murder-suicide.
Scott Kerlin, 42, has been arrested and charged with misdemeanor obstruction for allegedly taking pictures of the teens’ death scene and sharing them publicly, according to a March 18 press release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).
E! News has reached out to Kerlin for comment but hasn’t heard back.
Qaasir and Zaazir, both 19, were found dead atop of Georgia’s Bell Mountain on March 8, one day after their scheduled flight to Boston. According to their family, the boys’ plane tickets were still in their wallets when their bodies were discovered by hikers.
“How did they end up out in the mountains?” their uncle Rahim Brawner told NBC affiliate WXIA-TV March 14. “They don’t hike out there, they’ve never been out there. They don’t know anything about Hiawassee, Georgia. They never even heard of Bell Mountain, so how did they end up right there?”
The GBI ruled the twins’ death as a murder-suicide following a preliminary investigation, though Rahim said they “knew right away that wasn’t true.”
Their aunt Yasmine Brawner added to the outlet, “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.”
In their March 18 press release, the GBI noted that autopsies have been completed for both Qaadir and Naazir. However, per the agency, an official ruling from the medical examiner is still “pending additional forensic tests.”
In the meantime, Qaadir and Naazir’s family members have set up a GoFundMe campaign to cover funeral costs. In the page’s description, their aunt rejected the police’s theory that one twin fatally shot the other before taking his own life.
“My nephews wouldn’t do this,” Yasmine wrote. “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.”
To learn more about Qaadir and Naazir’s case, keep reading.
Who Are Qaadir Malik Lewis and Naazir Rahim Lewis?
QaadirMalik Lewis and Naazir Rahim Lewis were 19-year-old twins from Lawrenceville, Ga., who were found dead at the top of Bell Mountain in Hiawassee, Ga., March 8, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Their aunt Yasmine Brawner shared in a GoFundMe raising money for their funeral costs that Qaadir and Naazir had “dreams of starting their very own clothing line.”
Authorities classified their case as a murder-suicide, but their loved ones have expressed their disagreement, with Yasmine emphasizing on the crowdfunding website, “My nephews wouldn’t do this! They came from a family of love, and twins wanted so much for their future.”
What Led Up To The Day Qaadir Lewis and Naazir Lewis’ Bodies Were Found?
Qaadir and Naazir were believed to have boarded a 7 a.m. flight from Atlanta to Boston March 7 to visit friends, their family told NBC affiliate WXIA-TV. It came as a shock to learn that the brothers, who still had the airline tickets in their wallets, never made it on the flight, their loved ones added.
When and How Were Qaadir Lewis and Naazir Lewis Found?
The bodies of Qaadir and Naazir were found by hikers at the summit of Bell Mountain in Hiawassee, Ga., on March 8 at about 11 a.m., the Georgia Bureau of Investigation shared in a press release.
What Have Authorities Said About Qaadir Lewis and Naazir Lewis’ Case?
The GBI shared in a March 9 press statement that the brothers were both “found with gunshot wounds” and that the “preliminary investigation reveals the deaths to be a murder-suicide.”
A GBI medical examiner completed their autopsies, the officials announced in a March 16 update, “but the official ME ruling and results are pending additional forensic tests.”
What Has Qaadir Lewis and Naazir Lewis’ Family Said About Their Case?
Despite Georgia authorities classifying Qaadir and Naazir’s deaths as a murder-suicide, their family doesn’t believe that’s the case.
“They’re very protective of each other,” their uncle Rahim Brawner said of the brothers to WXIA March 14. “They love each other. They’re like inseparable. I couldn’t imagine them hurting each other because I’ve never seen them get into a fistfight before.”
He revealed that the twins were found dead nearly 90 miles from their home at a place their family said they had never visited.
“How did they end up out in the mountains?” Rahim added. “They don’t hike out there. They’ve never been out there. They don’t know anything about Hiawassee, Georgia. They never even heard of Bell Mountain, so how did they end up right there?”
Their family also paid tribute to Qaadir and Naazir with their sister Kairee Powell reflecting on her relationship with the twins.
“I’ll never forget all the memories and life experiences we shared growing up together,” she wrote on Facebook March 16. “They were a bright light on some of my darkest days and were some of my biggest supporters. They will forever live on in the hearts of mine and our families.”
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