Firefighter Shared Crime Scene Photos of Twins Mysteriously Found Dead In Georgia Mountains: GBI

On Tuesday, The Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced Scott Kerlin, a 42-year-old volunteer firefighter in Towns County, was arrested and charged with misdemeanor obstruction. He stands accused of taking photos of the “death scene” of Qaadir Malik Lewis and Naazir Rahim Lewis and sharing them “publicly.”

The bodies of the twins were found were found by hikers at the top of Bell Mountain in Hiawassee, Georgia, on March 8. On Sunday, the GBI put out a press release where they revealed the twin’s death was determined to be the result of a “murder suicide,” though the family has pushed back at that narrative. 

Per 11Alive, Kerlin has since bonded out of jail. He’s not being charged directly in the brothers’ death, but has been fired for violating department protocol.

According to Towns County Schools Superintendent Darren Berrong in a statement to 11Alive, the photos also somehow made their way to students in the district.

“Towns County Schools was made aware that a crime scene photo had been shared with some of our students on Monday. In collaboration with local law enforcement, our administration promptly initiated an investigation and took appropriate measures to ensure the photo was no longer in the possession of any students,” said Berrong.

“The students involved were unaware of the illegal nature of how the photo was distributed and were fully cooperative with the administration during the investigation,” he added. “Due to FERPA regulations, we are unable to comment on specific student discipline matters.”

In another update in the case, the GBI said that while the medical examiner has completed the autopsies on the twins, the official ruling and results are “pending additional forensic tests.”

The family of the teens also spoke with 11Alive, saying it’s “scary” that there are photos out there of their loved ones’ dead bodies.

“I’m literally scared to go on social media,” said aunt Samira Brawner. “I’m scared to pick up my phone because I know if I see that picture, I already know I’ll have a heart attack.”

“Just imagine if their mother sees that—like, that would really destroy her. She’s already going through a lot,” added aunt Yasmine Brawner, before aunt Sabrina said, “It’s very disrespectful to this family. I feel like our privacy was invaded.”

The remains of Qaadir Malik Lewis and Naazir Rahim Lewis were found by hikers at the top of Bell Mountain in Hiawassee, Georgia, on March 8. The Towns County Sheriff’s Office coordinated with the Georgia Bureau of Investigations to look into their deaths.

On Sunday, the GBI put out a press release where they revealed the twin’s death was determined to be the result of a “murder suicide,” but their family isn’t buying it at all.

The young men had booked a flight to Boston for 7 a.m. on March 7 to visit friends, 24 hours before their bodies were discovered, People noted. Those plane tickets were still in their wallets. The twins, who lived in Lawrenceville, Georgia, about 90 miles from where their bodies were discovered, were both found with gunshot wounds. The GBI stated that the investigation is going.

A GoFundMe was created by Yasmine Brawner, an aunt of the twins, to help with burial expenses. In the description for the fundraiser, she pushed back against the idea that the men had died as a result of a “murder suicide.”

“My nephews wouldn’t do this!” she insisted. “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.”

“Unfortunately Something happened at Bell mountain that ended the lives of 19 year old Qaadir and Naazir,” she added, “which needs to be further investigated.”

The twins’ uncle, Rahim Brawner, echoed this statement while talking with Atlanta NBC affiliate WXIA. “They’re very protective of each other. They love each other,” he 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.”

“We want answers, we want to know exactly what happened to the twins,” said another aunt, Samira Brawner, who said that as soon as the family saw the GBI’s “preliminary” cause of death, the family “knew right away that wasn’t true.” She also questioned where the twins were found.

“How did they end up out in the mountains?” she wondered. “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?”

Speaking with WXIA, Yasmine reiterated her statements on the GoFundMe, emphasizing that the twins “had a huge support system. We know them. They wouldn’t do anything like this.”

“To say they did this to each other? No,” she added. “Something happened in those mountains, and we want answers.”