UPDATE: Tuesday, March 18, 2025 @ 10:30 a.m.:
A Towns County volunteer firefighter is facing a misdemeanor obstruction charge with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) for allegedly publicly releasing photos of two Gwinnett County twin brothers found dead on Bell Mountain earlier this month.
A GBI release on Tuesday, March 18 says they arrested 42-year old Scott Kerlin of Hiawassee for taking photos of the death scene for Qaadir Lewis and Naazir Lewis of Lawrenceville upon their discovery Saturday, March 8. No further details behind the arrest have been released.
Meanwhile, family members of the 19-year old Lewis twins have shared with multiple media outlets that they firmly do not believe the initial reports of the brothers committing murder-suicide, and are seeking more answers. The GBI release on Tuesday said in a separate statement that a GBI examiner has completed the autopsies, but that the official ruling from the Medical Examiner and results are pending additional forensic tests.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) is assisting the Towns County Sheriff’s Office with a death investigation involving two Gwinnett County men on Bell Mountain in Hiawassee.
The GBI's website press release says hikers found two men dead at the top of Bell Mountain on Saturday, March 8 after 11:00 a.m. The men were identified as twin brothers, Qaadir Malik Lewis and Naazir Rahim Lewis, both 19, of Lawrenceville.
The Towns County 911 Center received notification that two people were found dead at the top of Bell Mountain. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was requested by the Towns County Sheriff’s Office shortly after the discovery.
Both men were found with gunshot wounds. The preliminary investigation reveals the deaths to be a murder-suicide. Autopsies are pending.
The GBI adds that the death investigation is active & ongoing.
