Missing North Carolina teens, 14 and 18, found fatally shot on trail

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. (TCD) -- A 14-year-old female and 18-year-old male were found shot to death on a trail after they had been reported missing by their families.

On Sept. 17, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office asked people to be on the lookout for Lyric Woods, a 14-year-old freshman at Cedar Ridge High School. She had reportedly left her home the night prior and her parents had not heard from her since. Devin Clark’s family reported him missing to the Mebane Police Department on Sunday, Sept. 18.

On Sept. 19, two days after Woods was reported missing, the Sheriff’s Office said men riding four-wheelers came across two bodies, a Black male and white female, on a trail in the western part of the county. They both suffered what appeared to be gunshot wounds. Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood said evidence leads him to believe the victims are Woods and Clark, and their deaths are being investigated as homicides.

Blackwood said, "Investigators are still awaiting a report from the medical examiner to confirm the victims' identities. 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 and Woods' bodies were reportedly found near a power line easement, WGHP-TV reports.

According to WTVD-TV, Woods and Clark knew each other but attended different high schools. The two were reportedly remembered with a moment of silence when their schools played each other in a soccer match. Clark’s high school, Eastern Alamance, released balloons on the football field Monday.

WRAL-TV reports a person who lives near the trail where Clark and Woods were found allegedly heard several gunshots Friday night. Clark’s mother told WRAL she thinks a third person could have been involved.

She asked, "Who is strong enough to carry two bodies and dump them?"

The investigation remains ongoing.

MORE:

• Sheriff Confirms Homicide Investigation - Orange County Sheriff's Office
• High school students found dead in Orange Co. remembered by classmates at soccer game - WTVD
• Reports: Teens found dead on trail may have been in car with a third person - WRAL
• 'He had so much love; Family, friends mourn Eastern Alamance High School student found dead in Orange County - WGHP