FAIRVIEW, N.C. — A 16-year-old girl and a man were charged with three counts of first-degree murder after investigators found three family members shot to death inside a Fairview home and tracked the suspects to Tennessee, authorities said.
Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office deputies discovered the victims Thursday evening during a welfare check at a home on Ashworth Drive. Inside, deputies found 41-year-old Travis Eugene Grant, 42-year-old Kimberly Michelle Grant and 66-year-old Sharon Harwood Grant dead from gunshot wounds, according to the sheriff’s office.
Investigators later identified 16-year-old Star Grant as missing from the residence and developed information indicating she may have fled to Gatlinburg, Tennessee with Devan Oneal Loving.
By Friday morning, law enforcement agencies located both suspects in Gatlinburg following a multi-state search involving the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and Gatlinburg Police Department.
Multi-State Search Led Detectives to Tennessee
Authorities said deputies first responded around 7:15 p.m. Thursday to conduct a welfare check at 18 Ashworth Drive in Fairview, a community east of Asheville.
The grim discovery immediately launched a homicide investigation that quickly expanded beyond North Carolina after detectives learned Star Grant was no longer at the home.
Investigators tracked the pair to Gatlinburg and located them shortly after 6 a.m. Friday, according to the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office.
Detectives traveled to Tennessee to interview both suspects. Information gathered during those interviews led investigators to charge Star Grant and Loving with three counts each of first-degree murder and one count each of felony conspiracy to commit murder.
Authorities said Star Grant will be charged as an adult.
Key Points
• Three people were found shot to death inside a Fairview, North Carolina home Thursday night
• Investigators charged 16-year-old Star Grant and Devan Oneal Loving with triple murder
• Suspects were located in Gatlinburg, Tennessee after a multi-agency search
Sheriff Says Investigators Worked Without Sleep
Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller praised deputies, detectives and crime scene investigators who worked through the night following the killings.
“Most of them have not slept because they have focused on nothing but arriving at this outcome that will hopefully bring closure to those impacted by this tragedy,” Miller said in a statement released Friday.
The sheriff also expressed condolences to the victims’ relatives and loved ones.
Authorities have not released additional details about a possible motive or the relationship between Loving and the victims.
The killings stunned the Fairview community, a largely residential mountain area known for its quiet neighborhoods outside Asheville.
Extradition Proceedings Expected in Tennessee
Both suspects remain in Tennessee and are expected to face extradition hearings before being transported back to Buncombe County to face the charges.
Investigators have not disclosed what evidence connected the pair to the shootings or whether additional arrests are possible.
The case remains under active investigation as detectives continue processing evidence from the home and reviewing the timeline leading up to the deaths.
Anyone with additional information connected to the case is urged to contact the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office.