Authorities in Georgia have arrested a man following the deaths of twin brothers Qaadir Malik Lewis and Naazir Rahim Lewis, whose bodies were discovered by hikers at the summit of Bell Mountain in Hiawassee earlier this month.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), which joined the Towns County Sheriff’s Office in the case, announced on Tuesday the arrest of 42-year-old Scott Kerlin.
“Kerlin, a volunteer firefighter in Towns County, has been charged with misdemeanor obstruction for taking and publicly sharing photos of the Lewis twins’ death scene,” the GBI stated.
The agency has not provided further details regarding the case.
According to the GBI’s initial report, the Towns County 911 Center received a call at approximately 11:05 a.m. on March 8 about two deceased individuals at the top of Bell Mountain. The victims were later identified as Qaadir and Naazir Lewis.
The brothers were scheduled to board a 7 a.m. flight to Boston on March 7 but missed it, according to NBC affiliate WXIA. Their family said they had never visited the location where their bodies were found.
“We want answers, we want to know exactly what happened to the twins,” their aunt, Samira Brawner, told WXIA.
Their uncle, Rahin Brawner, also raised concerns. “They don’t hike, they’ve never been there, they don’t know anything about Hiawassee. They never even heard of Bell Mountain. So how did they end up there?”
The GBI’s initial investigation suggested the deaths were a result of murder-suicide, according to WXIA, but the family strongly disagrees.
“We knew right away that wasn’t true,” their uncle said, describing the brothers as “inseparable” and “very protective of each other.”
“I couldn’t imagine them hurting each other,” he added. “I’ve never even seen them get into a fistfight.”