Bell Mountain Georgia: Twin brothers, 19, found shot dead on top of mountain in US after missing flight to see friends

Qaadir and Naazir Lewis, both 19, from Lawrenceville near Atlanta, were discovered last weekend at the summit of Bell Mountain, a scenic but isolated peak in Towns County near the North Carolina border in Georgia. The twins had suffered fatal gunshot wounds before their bodies were found by a hiker.

Their grieving family is baffled as to what happened because they say the brothers were supposed to be on a plane to Boston to see their friends and instead were found dead in the rugged wilderness. Their uncle Rahim Brawner told 11Alive: “They're very protective of each other. They love each other.

“They're were inseparable. I couldn't imagine them hurting each other because I've never seen them get into a fistfight before.”

The twins had booked a 7am flight to Boston for Friday March 7 and had been excited to visit friends, but they never boarded their flight. Just 24 hours later, they were found dead, with the family saying their plane tickets were still tucked inside their wallets.

In a statement that has only deepened the family's anguish, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) has indicated preliminary findings point to a murder-suicide - but the family is vehemently rejecting such findings. The GBI confirmed autopsies have been completed, but said further forensic tests are still pending, leaving the official cause and manner of death unresolved.

To the family, the idea that one brother killed the other before turning the gun on himself is not only unimaginable but also entirely inconsistent with their relationship. “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,” Yasmine shared on the GoFundMe page set up to cover funeral expenses for the pair. The family have since made an emotional plea for anyone who may have seen the twins in the days leading up to their deaths to come forward.