It was the worst mass killing in Catawba County history. Four victims -- a mother, her two daughters and her son -- were found dead in their home in a quiet neighborhood in Conover.
The hunt for their killer led investigators on a trail from North Carolina to Wisconsin before it came to a deadly end in the Utah desert as law enforcement gave chase. The suspect, Chiew Chan Saevang, shot his girlfriend and then himself.
The killings left friends, families and investigators asking the same question: Why did it happen?
The case is still under investigation, and many questions remain unanswered.
Monte Mitchell: The Opium Murders
Audio and Video
 |
Monte Mitchell: The Opium Murders |
 |
A frantic teen's 911 call |
 |
Dash cam: Chasing Chiew Chan Saevang |
Articles
May 18, 2008
End of the Road: After Utah officer cuts on his flashing lights, Saevang shoots his girlfriend, then himself
Lisa Phan, 40, is the wife of Brian Tzeo. They are separated, pending divorce, but still live together. She dies March 12, 2009, at the family's home on Gristmill Drive, Conover. She is the mother of Melanie Moung Saephan, Pauline Chao and Cody Briant Tzeo.
Melanie Mouang Saephan, 20, is the daughter of Brian Tzeo and Lisa Phan. She dies March 12, 2009, in the family's home on Gristmill Drive, Conover. She was a student at Catawba Valley Community College.
Pauline Chao, 18, is the daughter of Brian Tzeo and Lisa Phan. She dies March 12, 2009 at the family's home on Gristmill Drive, Conover. She was a senior at Bunker Hill High School.
Cody Briant Tzeo, 4, is the son of Brian Tzeo and Lisa Phan. He dies March 12, 2009 at the family's home on Gristmill Drive, Conover. Emergency workers found him dead on the living room floor, his fingers still in the bowl of dry cereal he'd been eating.
Brian Tzeo, 44, is the husband of Lisa Phan. He is at work on March 12, 2009, at his job at International Paper in Statesville when Lisa Phan and the couple's three children are killed in their home on Gristmill Drive, Conover.
Chiew Chan Saevang, 37, is the person authorities say shot and killed Lisa Phan and her three children on March 12, 2009. He is a family friend who served federal prison time for a 2004 conviction related to opium trafficking. He commits suicide on March 17 in Utah as authorities tried to stop his BMW and arrest him.
Yer Yang, 40, is the girlfriend of Chiew Chan Saevang. She dies with Saevang in the Utah desert on March 17, 2009. Authorities say Saevang killed her and then himself. She was not at the home when Brian Tzeo's family was killed and authorities say she didn't play a role in the killings, but was helping Saevang afterward.
