Firefighter Arrested For Obstruction After Taking Pics Of Twin Brothers Killed On Georgia Mountain

Authorities say Scott Kerlin, a volunteer firefighter, shared images of the crime scene.

A volunteer firefighter has been arrested for taking photos of the teenaged twin brothers found dead on a Georgia mountain.

Scott Kerlin of Hiawassee, Georgia, received a charge for misdemeanor obstruction. According to Fox 5, Kerlin disrupted the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s case into the teenagers’ deaths by sharing photos of the crime scene. Authorities did not say where Kerlin shared the photos.

Qaadir Malik Lewis and Naazir Rahim Lewis, 19, were found dead March 8 on top of Bell Mountain in Hiawassee. Both men appeared to have gunshot wounds.

In the midst of the GBI’s investigation, Kerlin shared photos of the slain young men. He was detained at Towns County Detention Center, where he was later bailed out. The county has removed him from the fire department.

While the GBI initially considered the Lewis’ deaths a murder-suicide, their family has pushed back against this conclusion. Although a medical examiner had completed the autopsies, the official ruling awaits more forensic tests.

The brothers had flights scheduled for Boston a day before they were found by a hiker. The tickets were still in their wallets. These discrepancies have led the family to believe foul play may be involved.

Their loved ones remain adamant that the young men did not die via murder-suicide. Moreover, they asserted that the two boys never visited the Bell Mountain area, located two-and-a-half hours from their residence in Lawrenceville.

“They don’t know anything about Hiawassee, Georgia. They never even heard of Bell Mountain. So how did they end up right there?” the twins’ aunt, Samira Brawner, said.

Brawner has launched a GoFundMe to handle funeral expenses, emphasizing her disbelief in the original claims surrounding the twins’ death. More than $34,000 has been raised as of Wednesday, March 19.