Bodies of missing North Carolina teenagers found with gunshot wounds

Two missing North Carolina teenagers were reportedly shot dead after two bodies matching their descriptions were found near power lines on Sunday, authorities said.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said the bodies, which had gunshot wounds, likely belong to 14-year-old Lyric Woods and 18-year-old Devin Clark, who were each reported missing by their families over the course of of the weekend.

The medical examiner has yet to officially identify the bodies, but police initially said one body was a white woman and the other a black man, both under the age of 20.

“While we don’t 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 becoming increasingly clear,” the county sheriff said Monday. Orange, Charles Blackwood. “This loss is devastating to the families and friends of the victims, and indeed to the entire community.”

The pair of bodies were found in western Orange County just before 3 p.m. near a power line easement by two men on four wheels, the sheriff said.

Woods, a freshman at Cedar Ridge High School in Hillsborough, was reported missing by family members a day earlier on Saturday afternoon, and Clark’s family reported him at 1 p.m. Sunday. 45, police said.

Woods was last seen by her stepfather at the Efland home they shared around 11 p.m. Friday, according to the missing persons report.

Her stepfather reported her missing after discovering her bed was empty when he went to wake her around 10am. The report.

Clark, a senior and football player at Eastern Alamance High School in Mebane, was also last seen around 11 p.m. Friday, according to his missing persons report. The report did not provide additional details.

Blackwood did not say whether the two high school students, who lived in neighboring counties, knew each other.

Blackwood has launched a homicide investigation into the deaths and said more details would be released as the investigation continues.

Two GoFundMe pages launched for families of the teens have raised nearly $40,000 combined to help cover funeral costs starting Monday night.