A somber trip to DeLand, Florida, to scatter the ashes of a beloved pet turned tragic when two childhood friends, Dustin Rose, 19, and Samson Campbell, 18, were found shot to death in a vacant lot. Police discovered the bodies late Wednesday night after the young men failed to answer calls for hours.
Rose was a member of the South Carolina Army National Guard and a cadet at The Citadel Military College of South Carolina. Campbell had been living in the Chicago area. The pair had traveled to DeLand, their hometown, to spread the ashes of Campbell’s dog, Hinata, who had recently passed away.
"He was willing to go to the front line and fight for our freedom, including the freedom of the one who took him from us," said Jaimie Scarola, Rose's aunt, in a statement to Fox 35. "You took him away from not only his family, but you robbed an entire country of a future soldier who didn’t get to answer that call."
Relatives may have been among those who discovered the victims. Police are investigating the double-homicide but have not yet announced a motive or identified any suspects.
"These were very, very good boys that could have done really good in the world," Karen Chobin, Campbell's aunt, told WESH 2. "It was a traumatic loss [of Hinata]. It wasn’t a passing of old age. It was awful. And then for this to be what he’s welcomed with when he goes down there to mourn his loss is devastating."
Campbell was scheduled to return to Chicago that weekend, and Rose was expected to go back to The Citadel on Tuesday. Instead, their families are now planning funerals.
Surveillance video showed the pair walking together on Tuesday evening, according to DeLand police. The South Carolina National Guard issued a statement expressing condolences for the loss of Private First Class Rose, extending "heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and fellow service members during this difficult time."
DeLand Police Chief Jason Umberger stated, "This is a tragic situation for all involved, and my department is working to find the answers as to what happened." Police are asking anyone with information to contact the DeLand Police Department or Crime Stoppers.