Vance County deputies responded to a late-night call on Torri Drive and said the case remains under investigation.
HENDERSON, NC — Two teenagers, ages 13 and 17, were found dead Monday night inside a home in Henderson, and sheriff’s officials said Tuesday that the deaths are under active investigation with few details released.
The Vance County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were called to a residence on Torri Drive off Hicksboro Road at about 9:40 p.m. Monday. Both teens were pronounced dead at the scene, officials said. Authorities have not released the teens’ names, said how they died or indicated whether anyone is in custody.
Neighbors in the area said a heavy emergency response arrived quickly and remained for hours. Jennifer Brust, who lives nearby, said she noticed two fire trucks, several ambulances and multiple law enforcement vehicles outside the home. “It’s terrible,” Brust said. “We’re shaken.” She said she did not hear anything unusual earlier in the evening and only learned something was wrong when she saw the flashing lights and the growing line of vehicles.
Brust said deputies and other responders stayed in the neighborhood through the night. By midmorning Tuesday, she said, the scene had quieted as most vehicles left. Investigators did not describe what prompted the initial call for service or what they found inside the home beyond confirming two deaths. Officials also did not say whether the deaths were being treated as a homicide investigation, an accident, a medical emergency or something else.
In a brief public update, Sheriff Curtis Brame said the sheriff’s office was still gathering information and could not provide additional details. The department did not release information about possible injuries, a weapon, signs of forced entry or any other evidence that would point to a cause. As of Tuesday, authorities had not announced an autopsy schedule or said when a medical examiner’s determination of cause and manner of death might be available.
The lack of information left residents on the street searching for answers and trying to make sense of a scene many said was out of character for the neighborhood. Brust said the teens kept mostly to themselves and were not often seen socializing outside. She said the last time she noticed them was Saturday, when they were outdoors during winter weather. She recalled seeing the teens walking around, playing in the snow and riding bikes, the kind of normal weekend activity that made the sudden police presence feel even more jarring.
The deaths come during a period when Henderson officials have faced heightened concern about public safety in the city. In late January, city leaders declared a state of emergency and imposed a temporary curfew after multiple shootings in a short span of days, including incidents in which children were injured. Police and city officials at the time said the curfew was aimed at reducing violence and helping investigators manage a fast-moving set of cases. The curfew was lifted after several days.
Authorities have not suggested any connection between those shootings and the deaths on Torri Drive. Still, the recent violence has shaped how some residents view any serious police response. Neighbors said the sight of multiple ambulances and a long line of vehicles immediately raised fears that something tragic had happened. Several residents described the street as typically quiet and said the overnight presence of deputies and emergency crews was unusual.
Investigations into sudden deaths often begin with basic steps that can take time, including identifying the dead, notifying relatives, documenting the scene and reviewing calls for service and other records. Authorities can also interview neighbors and possible witnesses to establish a timeline of who was at the home and when. As of Tuesday, the sheriff’s office had not said what steps investigators were taking in this case or whether they were seeking to speak with specific people.
Law enforcement agencies sometimes hold information in the early stages of an investigation to avoid compromising interviews or evidence collection. Officials did not say Tuesday whether they believe there is any ongoing threat to the public, and they did not issue safety alerts for the neighborhood. The sheriff’s office also did not say whether anyone else was inside the home when deputies arrived or whether the teens lived at the residence.
The sheriff’s office asked anyone with information related to the case to contact investigators or submit a tip through local crime-stoppers channels. Authorities did not describe the type of information they were seeking, such as sightings, video, recent disputes or other activity that could help explain the deaths. For neighbors, the request underscored how early the investigation appears to be and how many key facts remain unknown.
As the investigation continues, residents said they are focused on the family at the center of the case and the reality that two young people are gone. Brust said the situation has been “very traumatic” for the area and that neighbors have been talking quietly among themselves as they try to process what happened. Some residents said they expect the street to remain tense until officials provide clearer answers about what led deputies to the home and what the investigation has found.
Authorities said Tuesday afternoon that the case remains active and that no additional information was being released. The next milestone is expected to be the identification of the teens and the release of findings that clarify how they died.
Author note: Last updated 2026-02-11.