16-year-old to be questioned after 3 bodies found in her home, NC sheriff says

A 16-year-old girl found in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, has been linked to a triple homicide investigation in western North Carolina, according to the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office.

The bodies were discovered Thursday at 18 Ashworth Drive in the Fairview area, about a 120-mile drive northwest from uptown Charlotte.

The three victims have been identified as: 41-year-old Travis Eugene Grant; his wife 42-year-old Kimberly Michelle Grant, and Travis Grant’s mother, 66-year-old Sharon Harwood Grant, officials said.

“Around 7:15 p.m., Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office patrol deputies responded to a call for a welfare check on Ashworth Drive. ... When deputies entered the home, three people were found deceased.” the sheriff’s office said in a May 8 news release.

“Detectives determined a 16-year-old female who resides at the residence was missing and unaccounted for. Deputies initiated an investigation, and early this morning the female was located in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, accompanied by a male.”

The two were “taken into custody at a hotel on Ownby Street” in Gatlinburg, WHNS reports.

Investigators “are in route” to Gatlinburg to interview the teen and her companion, officials said. Gatlinburg is a gateway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and is about a 95-mile drive northwest from Fairview.

The N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and Gatlinburg Police Department are assisting in the investigation, officials said.

This story was originally published May 8, 2026 at 1:35 PM with the headline "16-year-old to be questioned after 3 bodies found in her home, NC sheriff says."