A Franklin woman has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder in connection with the discovery of two bodies in a home on Mack Branch Road on Oct. 10.
Divinity Aleza Guest, 22, is charged with the murders of her mother, Levia Lee Guest, 42, and her friend, Brandon John Thomas Ownby, 31.
Jackson County Sheriff’s Office contacted the Macon County Sheriff’s Office about 10 p.m. on Oct. 10 to request a welfare check at the residence where the three lived. The request came after Jackson County law enforcement had responded to a call from a couple who had seen a woman walking at the Willets Community Building in Sylva. “The deputy’s field interview with Divinity Guest led our deputy to request for a health and welfare check at a residence in Macon County,” said JCSO Chief Deputy Matthew D. Wike.
After arriving at the Mack Branch residence, MCSO deputies saw a body on the floor; they then entered the house and discovered two bodies, located in different rooms of the house. Macon County Sheriff Robert Holland said autopsy results showed they died as a result of gunshot wounds.
Holland said Guest was brought to Macon County for questioning and over the course of several interviews with detectives, she told them where she had driven her mother’s truck over an embankment. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and State Bureau of Investigation assisted Macon County investigators in searching another location in Jackson County where a firearm was recovered.
Holland said because the investigation is continuing, they are not releasing the type of firearm used or motive.
“It’s an ongoing investigation and we are trying to hold back as much information as possible while at the same time be transparent,” the sheriff said. “We are following up on leads of persons of interest who may have knowledge about what happened.”
Guest remains in the Macon County Detention Center under a $1 million bond.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact MCSO Criminal Investigations Unit Capt. Dani Burrows 828-371-1201 or Det. Matt Breedlove at 828-349-2573. You can also call into our CrimeStoppers tip line or send tips by downloading the sheriff’s office’s app.
Beth Lawrence from The Sylva Herald contributed to this report.