A North Carolina couple was found dead with their children in an apparent murder-suicide on Monday hours after visiting the local sheriff's office.
Inside the residence, Ashton Brown, 26, Aschod Meeks-Ewing, 26, and their children Bella Meeks-Ewing, 4, and 8-month-old Brixx Meeks-Ewing, were discovered dead. Aschod, according to investigators, committed suicide after killing his family members.
'You Guys Have People Working Here Today?'
"You guys have people working here today?" Aschod asked in surveillance footage from the Davie County Sheriff's Office lobby in North Carolina, according to authorities in a WGHP report.
The footage, captured at about 12:11 p.m. on Monday, shows Meeks-Ewing's girlfriend, Brown, holding Brixx while Bella placed something on a chair, standing between her parents.
Aschod Shot Ashton, Brixx and Bella, Set Fire to the House Before Killing Self
About two hours later, at about 2:17 p.m., firefighters said they found the family shot to death at their home after a passerby reported seeing smoke from the residence. Deputies said first responders found Ewing-Meeks dead with a gun in hand.
Authorities say they believe he fatally shot Ashton, Brixx and Bella, then set fire to the home before killing himself. "It's definitely been an impact on the community, on the neighborhood," Davie County Sheriff JD Hartman said in a press conference Wednesday, according to WCBD. "It's not an area where we have a lot of calls or issues. The neighbors said they were good neighbors."
Aschod Told Cops Someone was Following Him
Hartmann reportedly said the family was vague about why they wanted to speak to a deputy during that Monday visit. Aschod during the visit reportedly asked about getting a concealed carry permit.
Brown called authorities minutes later on Monday at 12:35 p.m., asking to speak to a deputy in what WFMY described as a non-emergency call. A deputy called her back at 12:46, when Brown said she was calling on behalf of her boyfriend and gave him the phone. However, the call lasted only 30 seconds. It is not yet known whether they hung up or the call dropped.
The deputy called again. The second call lasted 55 seconds. A third and fourth call was made, lasting two minutes and more than six minutes respectively. Aschod allegedly said he thought someone was following him. The deputy called at 1:06 p.m. and 1:07 p.m., but both went to voicemail. Authorities could not contact the couple again after that, they said.
At about 2 pm, a witness claimed to see Ewing-Meeks and Brown argue in front of the couple's home, but they went inside, authorities said. Minutes later, another witness claimed to see smoke from the home.
First responders said they found the mother and her infant son in the kitchen, with the daughter in a bedroom doorway. Ewing-Meeks, gun in hand, was at the end of the hallway leading to the kitchen, authorities said.
