A North Carolina family’s plea for help went unanswered, resulting in a tragic murder-suicide that claimed the lives of four, including two young children.
In a tragic turn of events, a young North Carolina family perished in an apparent murder-suicide after they sought help from their local sheriff’s office but were unable to receive the assistance they needed. The heartbreaking incident involved 26-year-old Ashton Brown and her boyfriend, Aschod Ewing-Meeks, also 26, along with their two young children, Bella, aged four, and eight-month-old Brixtyn.
Investigators now believe that Ewing-Meeks brutally murdered his girlfriend and their two children before ending his life with a gunshot and setting their Davie County home ablaze. This horrific act unfolded less than two hours after the family had visited the sheriff’s office, seeking protection from a perceived threat.
Surveillance footage captured Brown and Ewing-Meeks at the sheriff’s office around 12:10 pm on April 18, 2022, with their two children in tow. The family, all of whom were Black, did not provide specific details about their concerns but repeatedly requested a chance to speak with a deputy. Despite their efforts, they were unable to secure the help they desperately needed. Instead, a receptionist provided the family with a phone number, and they left the office five minutes later.
Davie County Sheriff JD Hartman, who described the murder-suicide as “one of the worst, if not the worst” cases he’d seen in his career, revealed at a press conference that the family didn’t engage with the receptionist or explain their situation. Later that day, at 12:35 pm, Brown called 911, imploring authorities to connect her with a sheriff’s deputy. Although she expressed fear for her family’s safety, she did not elaborate on the specifics of the threat.
Shortly after, a deputy returned the call, and Brown handed the phone to Ewing-Meeks. The conversation abruptly ended thirty seconds later, with the reason for the disconnection remaining unclear. Over the next half hour, authorities had several brief conversations with the couple, during which Ewing-Meeks claimed someone was following him but did not feel threatened. He also refused to disclose their location and declined the officer’s invitation to return to the sheriff’s office.
Tragically, the day culminated in authorities discovering the family’s burning home, with all four members dead from gunshot wounds. Sheriff Hartman confirmed that the fire was intentionally set and that Ewing-Meeks died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He also noted that the gun used in the killings was found in Ewing-Meeks’ hand.
This devastating story underscores the importance of taking every cry for help seriously, especially when lives are at stake. The family’s desperate pleas went unheeded, and now, an entire family has been senselessly torn apart, leaving a community to grapple with the unimaginable loss.
WATCH the video below for more details:
Source: AWM