Funeral arrangements have been made for two sisters killed Saturday in a head-on collision between the car of a man fleeing a Franklinton police officer and the sister's car.

Linsay Lunsford, 18, and her sister Maggie, were both killed on US 15 in Granville County when a vehicle being driven by Guy Ayscue, crossed the center line and hit them, authorities said. Ayscue was also killed.
Ayscue was being chased by Franklinton Police Officer Mike Dunlap. He started pursuing Ayscue in downtown Franklinton, police said, after Ayscue was seen speeding erratically and driving the wrong way. Franklinton Town Attorney Mitch Styers said Monday the chase appears to have last 16.5 miles over a span of 13 minutes. Styers said witnesses report that Dunlap was a considerable distance perhaps a quarter-mile behind Ayscue. He also said he is hearing from witnesses the chase may have been at speeds of about 75 miles per hour.

The Lunsford family expressed anger and frustration over Dunlap's decision to chase. "Obviously, after 5 miles the guy's not going to stop. They continued to pursue into another county. Ultimately their choices led to the deaths of my sisters," said Liz Lunsford Lee, an older sister of Linsay and Maggie.

"We feel like the Franklinton Police Department put more people in danger by chasing this man than if they had backed off the chase when they knew he wasn't going to stop.. We have lost our sisters as a result of something that could've been prevented," Lee said.

For now, Franklinton Police Chief Ray Gilliam appears to be defending Dunlap's decision to chase. Without fully spelling out the department's chase protocol, Gilliam said it is often left up to the responding officer to decide whether to pursue a suspect.

"Our chase policy, basically it's gonna be a lotta discretion on the officer," Gilliam said. "As of now we haven't found anything that we consider an infraction or a violation of the policy as it stands now."

Town Attorney Styers said Officer Dunlap is "very distraught" over what has happened. "He is a young man with a lot on him," Styers said of Dunlap. "You can see every bit of it on his face."

That is little comfort, at this point, for the Lunsford family. "This leaves a very big hole, as you might, could imagine," said Mary Ann Lunsford, the girls' mother. "And you never expect to bury your children."


Ayscue's criminal record spans at least 20 years, including more than a half-dozen DWIs. Investigators are awaiting a toxicology report to see whether drugs or alcohol were factors in the case.

Linsay Lunsford was a student at UNC-Greensboro. School official there released this statement Monday evening: " Everyone at UNCG who knew Linsay Lunsford is upset and deeply saddened by her death, and especially by the circumstances under which she lost her life. She was a freshman in the honors program here who showed great promise as a student, and her friends and classmates will miss her terribly." Steve Gilliam, assistant vice chancellor for University Relations adds, "Our hearts go out to her family, and we would ask that everyone keep her family in their prayers. "