Police Investigating Double Homicide of Northwest High School Graduates

Ntombo Joel Bianda, 21, and Ayanna Munne                              Maertens Griffin, 19.

Two recent Northwest High School graduates were found dead on Feb. 8 in Virginia. 

According to a statement from Virginia State Police (VSP), at 2:51 a.m. officers were called to the scene of a single-vehicle crash in Halifax County near the Virginia-North Carolina border. VSP found the bodies of Ayanna Munne Maertens Griffin, 19, and Ntombo Joel Bianda, 21, near Bianda’s car, which had run off the road and into the median. 

VSP is investigating the deaths as homicides rather than the result of a car accident, but have not said how the two were killed. In another statement, VSP said they are considering the possibility that a second car was involved. 

Bianda and Maertens Griffin had been dating for about one year and were living in Alexandria, Virginia, according to Fox 5 DC. They met at Northwest High School in Germantown. Maertens Griffin’s father said the two had no connections to the area where they were found, and does not know why they were there. 

I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Joel Bianda (Class of 2017) and Ayanna Maertens-Griffin (Class of 2019) this weekend. Please keep their families and friends in your thoughts during this incredibly difficult time. pic.twitter.com/ZHGdTjObUO

— Jimmy D'Andrea (@CheltenhamPrin) February 10, 2020

About Maryam Shahzad

Maryam is a reporter with Montgomery Community Media. She graduated from the University of Maryland in 2019 with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism. Previously, she was an intern with MCM. She can be reached at mshahzad@mymcmedia.org or on Twitter @maryam_mcm.

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