High school students found dead in Orange Co. remembered by classmates at soccer game
HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A 14-year-old girl and an 18-year-old young man have been identified as the victims found dead on an Orange County trail during the weekend.
Orange County Sheriff's Office (OCSO) said men riding ATVs on Sunday found the two bodies around 3 p.m. near a power-line easement in the western part of the county. Investigators said both victims appeared to have been shot.
Family members have confirmed the bodies were Lyric Woods, 14, and Devin Clark, 18. OCSO said it believed those were the victims but would not confirm until the medical examiner released positive identification. Both had been reported missing over the weekend.
According to the sheriff's office, family members reported Woods missing Saturday afternoon and a deputy entered the information in the National Crime Information Center index (NCIC) around 3:44 pm. Clark's family contacted the Mebane Police Department on Sunday with concerns about his whereabouts. An officer entered him into NCIC at approximately 1:42 pm.
Both families were at the crime scene Monday.
Clark's mother said she will not rest until she gets justice.
"He never hurt anybody, so for him to get done like this is--I have to have answers," Tiffany Concepcion 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."
Woods' family asked for space as they grieved. They left a cross and flowers at the scene of the crime to honor Lyric.
A person who lives near where the bodies were found told ABC11 he heard something unusual in the area a few days ago.
"I heard close to 10 shots going off like an automatic gun and paused for a little bit, and five more shots went off," David White said. "I thought, 'who's shooting this late at night?'"
Investigators describe Woods and Clark as acquaintances. The pair were high school students. Woods attended Cedar Ridge High School and Clark attended Eastern Alamance High School.
Orange County Schools said counselors and support services were dispatched to the school Monday to help students and staff. Support staffers were also present at Eastern Alamance in Mebane,
On Monday, Sheriff Charles Blackwood issued the following statement: "As a parent, I cannot imagine how excruciating the wait for confirmation of the victims' identity is. However, 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."
The lives of Woods and Clark were remembered Monday night with a moment of silence at a soccer game between their two high schools.
"This past weekend, Devin Clark an Eastern Alamance student and Lyric Woods a Cedar Ridge student tragically lost their lives," the public address announcer stated just before the game. "Please keep their families in your thoughts and prayers."
Also Monday evening, Eastern Alamance honored Clark with a balloon release on the football field. Clark was a senior and former football player.
His aunt Crystal Hughes said she found some comfort in knowing her nephew was loved and supported by many.
"It actually made me feel good to know that he touched a lot of people's lives, that he made an impact on a lot of people. And not only in the school, within the community as well, because people looked up to him as well as him looking up to other people as his coaches and just a man figure in the community," said Hughes.
Clark's family has many questions about his death. The circumstances remain unclear.
"It's hard for us to process everything that's going on because we don't have any details," Hughes said. "And we really, our lack of information and is just not sitting right with us with the stuff that we're hearing and all different sides of the story we know, hoping that the police department in investigation is going the way that it's supposed to go. But it's hard on us."
It's also been hard for Clark's best friends who consider themselves more like brothers.
"there's not really words that we can say about this loss, because the way he went out just really hurts," said Dontrell Lee." I would never expect that to happen to him. As he doesn't get into anything."
Lee attended the Monday night balloon release along with Clark's friend Erik Battle.
"I have to face the fact that I'm gonna be here for the rest of my life until I go to the other side without needing my brother or being able to hear my brother's voice," said Battle.
Students at Cedar Ridge High wore white T-shirts Monday with Lyric Wood's name written on them. School administrators said they plan to honor Woods with a balloon release later this week.
