Two high school students were found shot dead two miles from one of their homes.
Lyric Woods, 14, and Devin Clark, 18, who were good friends, were reported missing this weekend.
They were found dead on Sunday in western Orange County around 3pm near the intersection of Buckthorn and Yarbrough roads.
Orange County Sheriff’s Office was called by the two men who found them and officers have launched a homicide investigation.
Lyric and Devin’s family say a third person was in the car with them hours before they disappeared.
Speaking to ABC11, David White, who lives nearby, said: ‘I heard close to 10 shots going off like an automatic gun and paused for a little bit, and five more shots went off.
‘I thought, ‘who’s shooting this late at night?”
Lyric Woods, 14, pictured, and Devin Clark, 18, who were good friends, were reported missing this weekend. They were found dead on Sunday in western Orange County near the intersection of Buckthorn and Yarbrough roads
Lyric and Devin’s family say a third person was in the car with them hours before they disappeared. There were reports of at least 20 gunshots going off on Friday night, according to a person who lives near where the bodies were found. Pictured: Devin Clark
Lyric’s stepfather Shane Cannada said that she had a shower at around 11pm on Friday night, according to a missing person’s report.
On Saturday morning, when he went to wake her up, he noticed that she was missing.
Police were told by Cannada that he thinks she left by an unlocked door on Friday night.
The report also states that Lyric left all of her things in her room apart from her iPad, so he did not think she had run away.
Brady Woods, Lyric’s father, helped in the search after the Sheriff’s Office contacted him, reports WRAL.
Friends and family members had gone to Cannada’s house to try and search for Lyric.
The search took authorities to backwoods’ trails and hunting stands and they used a K-9 dog to search for her.
Brady Woods, Lyric’s father, helped in the search after the Sheriff’s Office contacted him. Pictured: Lyric Woods
It was determined, with the help of the dog and Woods’ pillow case, that Lyric left her home and went through woods where four wheelers drove through, according to the report.
Lyric was seen by a neighbor in the car in that area at 3am on Saturday and deputies believe someone in the vehicle gave her a ride.
Her phone, iPad and laptop were taken into evidence.
Lyric and Devin’s family wants clarification about what happened to them, with Devin’s mother Tiffany Concepion saying: ‘Who is strong enough to carry two bodies and dump them? We want answers.’
The Sheriff’s Office have given out no information about who may be responsible for the death of the teens.
North Carolina Medical Examiner’s Office are investigating the official cause of death and the identities of the teens.
Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood said: ‘Although we do not have that confirmation yet, in the absence of any other missing persons matching the descriptions of the individuals located, the tragic but logical conclusion is increasingly clear.’
Clark, pictured, a keen footballer at Eastern Alamance High School in Mebane, was described as an ‘athletic person, a good person with a good heart’ by his mother
Yesterday, Woods’ grandfather posted on Facebook to say he would offer a $10,000 reward to anyone with information about who was responsible for her death.
A Mebane Police Department report was filed on Saturday for Clark, who had lived with his father, according to his mother Concepion.
Clark, a keen footballer at Eastern Alamance High School in Mebane, was described as an ‘athletic person, a good person with a good heart’ by his mother.
The high school had last night organized a balloon release in memory of Clark.
Woods attended Cedar Ridge High School in Round Rock.
Yesterday, Woods’ grandfather posted on Facebook to say he would offer a $10,000 reward to anyone with information about who was responsible for her death. Pictured: Lyric Woods
Clark’s mother says that she is going to keep fighting for answers and is upset about how her son’s disappearance and death were handled by law enforcement, adding that she was not allowed to see her son.
She said that in the early stages of the investigation, she thinks the sheriff’s office should have been more aggressive and sent out an Amber Alert when the friends first vanished.
But the Orange County Sheriff’s Office has since said that Amber Alerts are not issued for those who are 18 years old.
Sheriff Blackwood said in a statement: ‘The process is important and critical to lead us to the person or persons responsible for this horrific crime.
‘I’m asking for your patience as we, along with other investigative agencies, do the work necessary to seek justice for the victims and their families.’
Alamance County Sheriff’s Office and the Mebane Police Department are handling Clark’s investigation.
Anyone with information is asked to speak to investigator Keith Goodwin at 919-245-2918.
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