TWO 16-YEAR-OLDS VANISHED HOURS APART — THEN POLICE FOUND THEM TOGETHER IN THE WOODS

THEY LEFT THEIR HOMES ON THE SAME MORNING. BY THAT AFTERNOON, THEIR FAMILIES WERE FACING A HEARTBREAKING DISCOVERY.

Leotis Phillips and Zoey Clark were both 16 when they were reported missing in Juneau, Alaska, on August 31.

Leotis was reported missing from his home on Kanata Street at approximately 5:52 a.m.

Nearly three hours later, at about 8:49 a.m., Zoey was reported missing from her residence on Teal Street.

Police believed the two teenagers were together and warned the public that they might have access to a firearm, asking anyone who saw them not to approach and instead contact authorities.

Then, just hours later, the search took a devastating turn.

At approximately 2:25 p.m., authorities located the bodies of both teenagers in a wooded area above the 6800 block of Glacier Highway in Juneau.

A firearm was recovered at the scene.

According to the Juneau Police Department, preliminary information indicated that both teenagers had died from gunshot wounds. Their bodies were sent to the Alaska State Medical Examiner’s Office in Anchorage for autopsies.

THE QUESTIONS INVESTIGATORS STILL HAVE TO ANSWER

The discovery immediately raised questions about what happened during the hours between the teenagers leaving their homes and being found together.

Police have not publicly explained why Leotis and Zoey went to the wooded area, what happened after they left their homes, or how the firearm recovered at the scene came into their possession.

Authorities have also not publicly announced a final determination regarding the circumstances or manner of their deaths.

At this stage, investigators have released only limited information and have emphasized that the investigation remains ongoing.

Their families have been notified.

The tragedy has also affected the wider school community. The Juneau School District said counseling and support services would be made available to students and staff dealing with the loss.

A candlelight vigil was later held for the two teenagers, drawing members of the community who came together to remember them and support their grieving families.

But many questions remain.

Why did two teenagers disappear from their homes within hours of each other?

What happened between the time they left and the moment police found them?

And what will the autopsy and continuing investigation reveal?

For now, authorities have provided no definitive answers.

THE SEARCH ENDED WITH A HEARTBREAKING DISCOVERY — BUT THE FULL STORY OF WHAT HAPPENED TO LEOTIS AND ZOEY IS STILL WAITING TO BE TOLD.