Authorities said two suspects were arrested the next morning at a Gatlinburg hotel.
FAIRVIEW, N.C. — Three welfare checks in one week led Buncombe County deputies to a Fairview home where three people were found shot to death, and two suspects were later arrested in Tennessee, authorities said.
The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office identified the victims as Travis Eugene Grant, 41, Kimberly Michelle Grant, 42, and Sharon Harwood Grant, 66. Investigators said 16-year-old Star Grant, the daughter of Travis and Kimberly Grant and granddaughter of Sharon Grant, has been charged as an adult. Devan Oneal Loving, 28, also has been charged in the case.
Deputies responded to 18 Ashworth Drive about 7:15 p.m. Thursday, May 7, for a welfare check. The call came after friends and family had not heard from the people inside the home, officials said. Deputies had conducted two earlier welfare checks at the same address, one Monday and one Wednesday, but officials said they did not have a legal basis at that time to force entry. On Thursday, deputies entered the home and found the three victims dead from gunshot wounds.
The discovery started a search for Star Grant, who investigators said lived at the home and was missing after the bodies were found. Authorities said information developed during the investigation pointed them toward Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Early Friday, officers found a vehicle connected to the teen outside a Motel 6 on Ownby Street. Gatlinburg police and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agents later entered a hotel room and took Grant and Loving into custody without incident. They were brought in for questioning while Buncombe County detectives traveled to Tennessee.
By Friday, May 8, both suspects had been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony conspiracy to commit murder. Major John Ledford of the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office said the charges carry severe possible penalties under North Carolina law. “They’re charged with a Class A felony,” Ledford said, adding that such charges can carry life imprisonment or the death penalty. Officials have not said what evidence was found inside the home or at the hotel.
Authorities said Travis and Kimberly Grant were married and that Sharon Grant was Travis Grant’s mother. The sheriff’s office has not released a motive. Investigators also have not said when the three victims were shot, though officials said they may have been dead for several days before deputies discovered them. The case drew attention in western North Carolina because it began as a missing teen and welfare check investigation before authorities announced murder charges against the teen and the man found with her.
Law enforcement agencies in two states assisted in the investigation. The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office worked with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and Gatlinburg police. Officials said there was no continuing threat to the public. They also said the case remains open, meaning more details could emerge through court filings, autopsy findings or future briefings.
People who knew the family told local reporters they were stunned by the charges. A neighbor said Star Grant was known in the area and often greeted people near the home. Another person who grew up nearby said the Grants had been kind to her family. Those accounts added to the shock around the case, but investigators have not tied any public statements from neighbors to a possible motive.
Grant and Loving remained in Tennessee after their arrests. Their next expected step is an extradition hearing Monday, May 11, before they are returned to Buncombe County for court proceedings in North Carolina.
Author note: Last updated May 9, 2026.