In a Statesboro, Georgia, apartment on the morning of January 27, 2025, the lives of two young people were tragically cut short. Responding to a call at approximately 8:00 a.m., officers from the Statesboro Police Department arrived at an apartment complex in the 300 block of South Zetterower Avenue to a grim discovery. Inside, they found the bodies of 17-year-old Maneia Stephens, a female originally from Goodwater, Alabama, and 22-year-old Dacaris Carr of Statesboro. Both had sustained fatal gunshot wounds.
As detectives began their investigation, the scene was secured and processed for evidence throughout the day. Interviews with individuals who knew the deceased revealed that Stephens and Carr had a preexisting relationship. The nature of their relationship was a key focus for investigators trying to piece together the events that led to the shooting. The bodies of both Maneia Stephens and Dacaris Carr were transported to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's Coastal Regional Crime Lab for autopsies to officially determine the cause and manner of their deaths.
In the days following the discovery, law enforcement officials continued to analyze the evidence collected from the apartment. While the investigation was ongoing, the Statesboro Police Department indicated that the initial evidence suggested no other individuals were involved in the incident. Consequently, they announced that there were no outstanding suspects being sought in connection with the deaths of Maneia Stephens and Dacaris Carr. The case, while deeply unsettling to the community, appeared to be an isolated incident with no ongoing threat to the public. The final determination of the circumstances surrounding the tragic event awaited the conclusive findings from the medical examiner.
