NAACP, family of twins found dead on Bell Mountain allege cover-up

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - The family of twin brothers found dead on Bell Mountain is pushing back against the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s conclusion that the deaths were suicides. On Friday, relatives of Qaadir and Naazir Lewis, alongside NAACP representatives and their state representative, held a news conference in Lawrenceville demanding a deeper review.

The 19-year-old brothers, who lived in Lawrenceville, were discovered by a hiker earlier this year in Towns County. According to the GBI, investigators examined cell phone data, surveillance video, internet history, and purchase records before determining that the injuries were self-inflicted.

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What they're saying:

However, the Lewis family is challenging that finding, asserting there are unanswered questions surrounding the deaths. They are calling for an independent investigation and the release of all evidence in the case.

"This is not just our fight. It is a test of whether Black lives truly matter in this country. We will not rest until justice is served," the twins' uncles said at the news conference.

The NAACP has joined the family in labeling the deaths as a lynching and is supporting the call for a renewed investigation.

"So we stand here for the twins, demanding the same thing we demanded for Ahmaud Arbery and others — a thorough, complete, and full independent investigation — because we find it very hard to believe that individuals who resided in Gwinnett County would somehow end up in Towns County on a mountain they knew nothing about and commit suicide.

We've been here way too many times. In the 116 years that the NAACP has responded to lynchings, we know what a lynching looks like, we know what it smells like, and we know what a cover-up starts out like.

And so we stand shoulder to shoulder with the Gwinnett County NAACP and all the 100 branches of this association in Georgia in demanding that the GBI release all of the evidence. Now, let's be clear: I know the director knows the open records laws just like I do. If the investigation is closed, he has to release the file. So we are demanding that he release the file," attorney Gerald Griggs, president of Georgia NAACP, said. 

Additionally, Rep. Gabe Okoye echoed the family's allegations of a cover-up.

"This investigation surely looks like a cover-up. … If you're going to cover something up, make it believable," Rep. Gabe Okoye said. 

Questions:

During the press conference on Friday, a number of questions were asked:

1. What happened after they left the gas station?
2. Show us more videos.
3. Since when does a 19-year-old who just spent money on a plane ticket to see his long-distance girlfriend all of a sudden choose to take his own life?
4. Did they have a key to the locked gate at the mountain? Did they call authorities or emergency services to unlock the gate? Who unlocked the gate?
5. Why would two teenage boys, who were described as bad drivers, drive up a curvy, narrow, dark mountain road?
6. Why were their lifeless bodies positioned in a way that "screams sacrifice"? Why were their bodies arranged like crosses, resembling execution and staging?
7. Where is the crime scene evidence—such as tape, markers, or a gun?
8. Why hasn’t all evidence been released to the family? Why does the GBI publicly say the case is closed but privately refuse to release evidence?
9. If the investigation is closed, why has the GBI not released the complete file?
10. Why would they travel three hours away to commit suicide rather than doing so at home?

WATCH FULL PRESS CONFERENCE BELOW

The other side:

Soon after the press conference concluded, a spokesperson for the GBI posted a message to attorney Gerald Griggs on X:

"@AttorneyGriggs – here's what we actually reported on May 21. We've never said it was closed." The message included a repos of the earlier message.

The backstory:

The bodies of the brothers were discovered by a hiker on March 8 atop Bell Mountain in Towns County, more than 90 miles from their home in Lawrenceville.

According to the GBI, investigators reviewed cellphone location data, surveillance footage, internet history, purchase records, and forensic evidence, all of which supported the determination that the injuries sustained by the brothers were self-inflicted.

GBI investigators say that cellular location data helped them create a timeline that showed the brothers traveled alone from their Gwinnett County home to the mountain. Surveillance video obtained from several points along the route confirmed they were not accompanied by anyone.

Officials say only Naazir Lewis was found to have purchased an airline ticket for a planned March 7 trip to Boston. He went to the airport alone on March 19 but never boarded a flight. Records also show that Naazir purchased ammunition used in the firearm found at the scene, with the order delivered to their home on March 5.

 Since then, their loved ones have publicly voiced doubts about the official explanation and say they hope to set the record straight.

RELATED: Family disagrees with GBI's ruling on deaths of twins found on Bell Mountain

What they're saying:

However, the family says they do not agree with the agency’s findings and are calling for another investigation.

"They had no reason to take their own lives," Samira Brawner, the twins’ aunt, previously told FOX 5. "It feels like a nightmare."

Brawner described her nephews as happy, outgoing young men who were close to their family. "Both of them were funny. They loved spending time with family," she said. "No, that doesn’t make any sense."

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