On December 15, 2024, deputies found 40-year-old Robert Brandon Barnes unresponsive in the 5000 block of Highway 74 West in Lumberton, North Carolina; Emergency Medical Services pronounced him dead at the scene. The Robeson County Sheriff’s Office opened a homicide investigation into his death.

By December 18, 2024, a warrant was issued for 32-year-old Tequentin Rashaud Mitchell of Rowland charging him with first-degree murder. Two suspects were in custody by December 19, 2024: Mitchell, arrested at a residence in the 4000 block of Highway 74 West in Lumberton, and 38-year-old Tommy Stewart McMillian of Rowland, who was charged with the same offenses while already detained on unrelated charges. Both face first-degree murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, and felony conspiracy charges and are being held without bond.

Barnes is remembered as a devoted family man who cherished his three children and two granddaughters and was known for his generosity. Does anyone have information about what happened on Highway 74 West that afternoon?