DAVIE COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — The Davie County Sheriff illustrated a timeline of events that culminated in the murder-suicide of a family.
According to the Davie County Sheriff JD Hartman, they believe that Aschod Ewing-Meeks, 26, shot and killed his girlfriend Ashton Brown, 26, and their two children Bella, 4, and Brixx, 8 months, and then set their house on Junction Road in Davie County on fire and shot himself.
During a press conference on Wednesday night, Hartman went over the timeline of events leading up to the tragedy on April 18.
12:11 p.m.
Ewing-Meeks, Brown and the children came into the Davie County Sheriff’s Office. They were seen on a security camera speaking with the receptionist. According to the sheriff, they were vague about what they wanted but asked to see a deputy.
When the receptionist asked for information, they gave her an address on Gwen Street in Mocksville. This address belongs to Ashton Brown’s parents, according to the sheriff.
The receptionist gave them a phone number to call and they left Davie County Sheriff’s Office at 12:15 p.m.
12:35 p.m.
Brown called 911 and spoke with someone in Davie County telecommunication, saying they wanted to speak to a deputy, saying they had safety concerns. They didn’t specifically say what those concerns were.
12:46 p.m.
A deputy called Brown. Brown answered this initial call and said she was calling for her boyfriend. She turned over the phone to him. The call lasted about 30 seconds. It’s unclear if someone hung up or the call was dropped.
The deputy called back. This call lasted 55 seconds.
He called back again. This call lasted for two minutes.
The deputy called back at 12:54 p.m. This call lasted for more than six minutes.
Per the sheriff, all conversations were with Meeks after the initial call. They said they were driving around the area but would not give the deputy a specific location or return to the sheriff’s office. Meeks said he believed someone was following him.
The deputy called back at 1:06 p.m. and the call went to voicemail. He called back at 1:07 p.m. and the call went to voicemail. After that, they were unable to make contact with Brown or Ewing-Meeks again.
2:00 p.m.
A witness saw Brown and Ewing-Meeks arguing in the front yard of their Junction Road home. They went inside and the witness left.
A few minutes later, a passerby driving down Junction Road saw smoke coming out of the house and drove to Cooleemee Fire Department to report the house fire. They tell communications they’re responding at 2:14 p.m.
They were on scene at 2:17 p.m. As they worked the fire, they discovered the bodies.
Brown and Brixx Ewing-Meeks were found in the kitchen. Bella Ewing-Meeks was found in the doorway of a bedroom, and Aschod Ewing-Meeks was found at the end of the hallway leading to the kitchen. They had all been shot, and Meeks was still holding the gun.
2:30 p.m.
Detectives arrive on the scene around 2:30 p.m. They obtained a search warrant for the home from the SBI, who assisted in the investigation.
The fire was intentionally set, but where the fire originated or how it was started has not been released. The SBI has taken evidence from the home to continue the investigation.
“I’ve seen a lot in 30 years,” Sheriff Hartman said during the press conference, but he said that this case was “close to one of the worst if not the worst” he’d ever seen.
