BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. (Story courtesy of WVLT / FOX Carolina) – The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office said three people were found dead inside a home, leading to their 16-year-old daughter and another man being charged with murder.
Devan Oneal Loving, 28, and Star Grant, 16, are both facing three counts of first degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Grant is being charged as an adult, deputies said.
Deputies report being called for a welfare check on Ashworth Drive in Fairview on Thursday, May 7. This was the third welfare check conducted on the home since Monday. Three people were found dead and had been deceased for a few days before they were found.
As a result of the investigation, detectives determined the 16-year-old daughter of Travis and Kimberly, who lives at the home, was missing. On the morning of Friday, May 8, the girl was located in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, accompanied by Loving after 6 a.m. They may have been in the state longer than a few days, deputies said.
The Gatlinburg Police Department reports the pair were taken into custody at a hotel on Ownby Street and questioned regarding the Buncombe County incident.
Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office deputies traveled to Gatlinburg to interview the suspects. The interviews led to them being charged with murder, according to officials.
This is an active and ongoing investigation, and there is no threat to the public, according to deputies.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Gatlinburg Police Department are assisting with the investigation.
Neighbors shocked
Saylor Tagner grew up next door to 16-year-old Star Grant and her parents, 41-year-old Travis Grant and 42-year-old Kimberly Grant.
“They treated me like I was their own. And it felt awesome,” Tagner said.
She said she met Star Grant in their neighborhood when they were both in elementary school, and the two quickly became friends.
“She would take care of me at school. If, like, someone was bullying me or something, she would stand up for me. It’s so weird to expect my neighbor to do all that. And it’s the one I grew up with. I was at their house constantly,” Tagner said.
Saylor’s father, Keith, said Star was a familiar face around the neighborhood.
“Everybody that would drive by would wave to Star, because they just knew her,” Keith said. “I didn’t believe it. Because if you knew Star, she was a good kid. She’d come over here. She always had a dog with her.”
Keith and Saylor said they never witnessed tension within the family and are still trying to process what happened, describing Star and her parents as good people.
“I didn’t know how to feel. So, I just felt kind of scared, honestly,” Saylor said.
