The family of twin brothers found fatally shot on a Georgia mountain has pushed back against police's "murder-suicide" theory.
Qaadir Malik Lewis and Naazir Rahim Lewis, both 19, were discovered dead by hikers on the morning of March 8 at the summit of Bell Mountain in Hiawassee.
Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) speculated that the pair, who'd died from being shot, may have passed away in a murder-suicide. But their loved ones aren’t buying it.
"They’re very protective of each other. They love each other," the twins' uncle, Rahim Brawner, told WXIA, cited by NBC News.
"They’re, like, inseparable. I couldn’t imagine them hurting each other, because I’ve never seen them get into a fistfight before," he added.
Qaadir and Naazir, who were just days away from their 20th birthday, had plans to fly to Boston on March 7 to visit friends. But authorities say they never boarded their 7AM flight and instead, their bodies were found nearly 90 miles from their home in Lawrenceville.
Adding to the family's confusion, the twins had never mentioned visiting Bell Mountain before, and their plane tickets were still tucked inside their wallets when their bodies were discovered.
"How did they end up out in the mountains?" Brawner questioned. "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 has completed autopsies but is awaiting further forensic testing before making an official ruling. The agency has not responded to requests for additional comments.
Meanwhile, the family remains convinced that the police theory is flawed. "We want answers. We want to know exactly what happened to the twins," Samira Brawner, an aunt, said.
The twins had big dreams and an even bigger support system, their family says. "They had a huge support system. We know them. They wouldn’t do anything like this," Yasmine Brawner, another aunt, shared. "To say they did this to each other? No. Something happened in those mountains, and we want answers."
In a GoFundMe post raising money for funeral expenses, Yasmine further challenged the murder-suicide narrative.
"In recent new[s] reports, it was claimed that they took their own lives. 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," she penned.
As of this writing, the fundraiser had already gathered more than $28,000, surpassing the $20K goal.
Our thoughts remain with Qaadir and Naazir's loved ones at this heartbreaking time.