Here’s what we know about the deaths of 2 NC missing teens, the suspect and the case
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office has named the 17-year-old suspect in the death of two teenagers who were found fatally shot outside Hillsborough in September.
On Monday, Nov. 7, Orange County Assistant District Attorney Jeff Nieman said Issiah Mehki Ross of Mebane has been charged as an adult for the murders of Devin Clark and Lyric Woods. The press conference, and the few details provided about the investigation, come over six weeks after officials filed a juvenile petition against Ross.
Monday was the first time that authorities released the 17-year-old suspect’s name. He was detained Oct. 5, but Ross’ name and other identifying traits were not released at the time due to his age.
Lyric Woods, 14, and Devin Clark, 18, were found dead in the Buckhorn Road area outside Hillsborough, about 3 p.m. Sept. 18, a few days after their families reported them missing. Their deaths launched a homicide investigation with the juvenile petition filed Sept. 20.
Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood also announced Nov. 7 that two people have been charged in Delaware with harboring a fugitive after housing Ross when he fled there following Clark and Woods’ deaths.
After multiple petitions and hearings, this case now moves from juvenile court to superior court, said Assistant District Attorney Jeff Nieman.
Throughout the investigation, officials have pleaded for patience from the community, despite the heightened interest in the case.
Here is what we know and don’t know, according to public documents and statements made by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney’s Office.
When were Lyric Woods and Devin Clark last seen?
The two teenagers were reported missing by their families before their bodies were found Sept. 18.
Woods’ stepfather said he last saw Lyric around 11 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 16 at their house in Efland in western Orange County, according to a missing persons report filed with the Sheriff’s Office. He learned the teen was missing around 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 17, when he went to wake her up, according to the report, filed about noon that day.
A copy of Clark’s missing persons report released by the Mebane Police Department said he also was last seen around 11 p.m. on Sept. 16 but provided few other details. The report was filed Sept. 18 around 11:23 a.m., shortly before he and Woods were found.
Who were Lyric Woods and Devin Clark?
Woods was a ninth-grader at Cedar Ridge High School in Hillsborough, and Clark was a senior at Eastern Alamance High School.
The Sheriff’s Office did not say whether the two students knew each other, though several posts from friends and family on social media say the two were friends.
Clark was a wide receiver for the Eastern Alamance football team, according to a statement from the Alamance-Burlington School System.
In addition to Cedar Ridge, Woods had attended Gravelly Hill Middle and Efland-Cheeks Global Elementary, the school district said.
When and how were they killed?
On Nov. 7, Blackwood provided an updated timeline of events. He said he believes Woods and Clark were killed sometime between the late night hours on Friday, Sept. 16 and the early morning hours on Saturday, Sept. 17. Both Clark and Woods were found with gunshot wounds.
Where were Clark and Woods found?
Two men riding four-wheelers found the teens Sunday, Sept. 18, before 3 p.m. near a power-line easement in the Buckhorn Road area outside Hillsborough, Blackwood said. The site is about 2 miles away from the house where Woods was last seen.
“These victims were later confirmed to be Devon and Lyric,” Blackwood said. “Because several people living near where Devin and Lyric were discovered heard gunshots early Saturday morning.”
A memorial with crosses, candles, lights, and other items was set up at the site by community members, friends and family.
Grandfather: A cross with lights on for Lyric Woods ‘because she was afraid of the dark’
Who is the suspect?
On Nov. 7, the Orange County District Attorney’s office named Ross as the defendant in this case. He is charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Authorities say he had recently moved to North Carolina and was a student at Alamance Burlington Schools for six days.
Blackwood said he was determined as the suspect after investigators processed the crime scene “to collect and analyze evidence, including forensic evidence.”
Authorities said Ross “fled the state” some time on Sunday, Sept. 18. Orange County officials notified law enforcement in Delaware. He was detained on Oct. 5, 18 days after the teens were found.
What was the motive of the shooting?
Authorities have not provided a motive in the shooting or described the connection Ross may have had with Woods and Clark.
“I don’t know that we’ll know in this case, that we will find out collectively,” said Orange County Sheriff’s spokesperson Alicia Stempter on Nov. 7. “Unfortunately, a lot of times cases go all the way through the court system and even get convicted, but if evidence convicts and the defendant does not speak, we don’t always know the motive. That may very well be what happens in this case.”
Is the suspect being tried as an adult?
Yes, at a hearing on Oct. 25, Ross was notified that his case would be moved to superior court. He was given a 10-day window to appeal this decision. Nieman said Ross’s lawyers declined to appeal the decision. As of Monday, the case has been transferred to superior court, and Ross will be tried as an adult.
Could the suspect receive the death penalty?
No. Due to a 2005 Supreme Court ruling, even if a juvenile suspect is tried as an adult, they cannot receive the death penalty. If this case goes to trial, it will likely extend past Ross’s 18th birthday. However, the law states that he cannot be given the death penalty because the crime occurred while he was under the age of 18.
Has anyone else been charged in this case?
Yes. On Monday, Blackwood said Ross had fled to Delaware, where he previously lived, in the immediate aftermath of the homicides. Two individuals have been charged with harboring a fugitive. They will be prosecuted in Delaware. Authorities did not say where in Delaware Ross was found or name the two people charged.
How can people help or give information?
Anyone with possible information about the case is asked to call Investigator Keith Goodwin at the Sheriff’s Office at 919-245-2918.
Their office is working with the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office, the Efland Fire Department, the Burlington Police Department, and Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Viper Unit of the State Highway Patrol.
Woods’ grandfather Stan Dean offered a $10,000 reward for anyone who had information about who was responsible for her death.
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