A 17-year-old teenager has been arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Devin Clark, 18, and Lyric Woods, 14. The teenagers were found dead on a hiking trail in Orange County, North Carolina.
On Tuesday (Sept. 20), Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood announced the arrest of the minor suspect, saying: “Through the hard work of my investigators, along with the assistance of personnel from many other law enforcement agencies, we have identified a suspect in this case. We will now work with local, state, and federal authorities to apprehend and present the suspect to the court system.”
Sheriff Blackwood continued, “I want to thank the families of Devin Clark and Lyric Woods for trusting us and the investigative process during this excruciatingly painful time. I hope the imminent apprehension of this subject will bring them some comfort as they mourn their loved ones.”
According to People, Woods and Clark’s families filed missing reports for the teenagers after they went missing on Saturday (Sept. 17). It is unclear, however, how long the teens had been missing when the reports were filed. Their bodies were found Sunday (Sept. 18) afternoon by men riding ATVs in the area.
Clark’s mother, Tiffany Concepcion, expressed her determination to seek justice. “He never hurt anybody, so for him to get done like this is—I have to have answers,” she said. “I want to get justice, and I don’t care where I have to go, what I have to do, who I’ve got to talk to, I’m going to keep going and keep doing it.”
Clark was a senior at Eastern Alamance High School in Mebane, and Woods was a ninth grader at Cedar Ridge High School in Hillsborough. As per the family, the teens were acquaintances of one another.
It is unclear how the suspect knew the teens or what caused their deaths as of Wednesday (Sept. 21). The investigation is ongoing and details will be provided as they become available.