An eight-year-old girl, Sharia Lynch, died on October 17, 2015, at her home on Fairview Drive in Dallas, Georgia, after a single gunshot wound to the head. The initial account from her mother, Marsha Lynch, said a semi-automatic handgun had fallen from a table, striking Marsha in the leg and then fatally wounding Sharia. Forensic findings contradicted that version: the autopsy showed the bullet struck Sharia first and then lodged in Marsha’s leg, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation reported the firearm was in working order and would not have fired merely from being dropped.

Two family members were arrested as the probe progressed. Sharia’s 23-year-old brother, Quincy Lynch, was charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct on the theory he was holding the gun when it discharged; Marsha Lynch, 45, was charged with obstruction for allegedly providing a false report that initially impeded investigators. The shooting was later characterized by authorities as an accidental death involving significant negligence, and the matter was referred to the Paulding County District Attorney’s Office.

Did anyone in the Dallas area know Sharia or have information about events that night?