The family of a little girl in Georgia had a horrible birthday when she disappeared and was never found. Instead, it was her murder by her guardian that ended her life which meant her loved ones had to cope with the deepest kind of grief without words.
On May 28, 2025, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation issued a notice confirming that it was collaborating with the Brooklet Police Department in looking into a heartbreaking double death in Bulloch County. The incident took place the day before.
Here’s our statement on the death of an adult and a child in Brooklet, GA.
— GA Bureau of Investigation (@GBI_GA) May 28, 2025
🔗: https://t.co/83Nefyiojy pic.twitter.com/Dyj6DvD9ZN
At 7:45 p.m. on May 27, someone called 911 about a child who was unresponsive and locked inside a vehicle at Brooklet City Park. Both the Brooklet Police Department and the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office sent officers right away. They discovered things that were shattering.
In the car, police found a child in the back, not breathing and obviously suffering from a gunshot injury. A man was found in the front seat and judging by his injuries, he had killed himself with a gun. He had a handgun laying in his lap. The authorities found out that the man killed was 37-year-old James Lee Mayo and the child was his nine-year-old daughter, Emily Grace Mayo.
The bodies were taken to the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office in Pooler for autopsies. Yet, the discovery from the forensic evidence led to widespread feelings of grief, shock and public grieving.
Initially, Emily’s aunt, Amber Healy, started a GoFundMe hoping to collect 10,000 dollars to cover the memorial costs. The contributions rose above $29,000 within just a few days. In the email announcing the fundraiser, Amber talked about Emily as someone with a cheerful personality, a smile that brightens the room and a big heart. Enjoying dance, singing and spending time outside was something she loved. Animals, her cousins, playing Roblox and spending time with friends were things she liked. Amber expressed how very much her sisters and her adored their mother, even though she could not explain it fully. We lost someone who gave a lot of light to the world.
The GBI is investigating a tragic incident after 9-year-old Emily Grace Mayo and her father, James Lee Mayo, were found dead from gunshot wounds. Authorities believe it was a murder-suicide. The family is grieving an unimaginable loss.
— Everything Georgia (@GAFollowers) May 29, 2025
📸- Amber Healy/GoFundMe pic.twitter.com/c7bMR8gwBi
She was excited to begin her fourth grade year. She was bubbling with dreams, excitement and a natural leadership streak in her. Still, those hopes ended when her life was taken by the hands of someone whom she depended on.
After that, Amber expressed thankfulness for the love she received and tried to clear up the confusion people had about what happened. She insisted that even though news outlets mentioned the family using James Mayo’s name, Emily was not connected to that reputation. “I guess he wasn’t meant for her,” were her words. He was ready to bring her home to be with us when my dad turned 60. Not long after, his vehicle pulled into that park and he took her with him.
Amber posted many photos of Emily on Facebook, from her earliest years to now and discussed how quickly things turned into the tragedy they are today. She remembered speaking with her sister Courtney—who was the baby’s mother—while she discovered the car, the scene and realized what had happened.
“I spent the whole night holding my crying 12-year-old daughter, who kept asking for her cousin,” Amber explained. “No matter how far apart they were, they were each other’s closest friends.”
Amber did not grieve over James’s death. That was clear as day. “She wrote that he was selfish and evil.” We do not prepare for his absence. People are glad he is gone. He is the one who must accept the responsibility. She explained that the family is now struggling with grief, in disbelief and absolutely nothing can make up for the loss of the girl who always brought joy to their lives.
Emily’s death had consequences for people outside her family too. Tasheina Canty-White, Emily’s music teacher, published pictures and stories about Emily from her classroom. She felt shattered by this incident, wrote Tasheina. Emily made a necklace for her mother and seeing the child’s happiness helped her feel better about taking a picture for the first time. That necklace took on extra meaning—it became something from a child whose life was now over. Only a few days passed since Tasheina saw Emily singing “Party in the USA” during school karaoke and she had no idea it would be their last encounter.
“She was such a sweet angel,” Tasheina wrote. “She shaped me and I will never forget her.”
It was stated in the obituary written by her aunt that Emily was born on October 20, 2015, in Statesboro. She was a student at Brooklet Elementary School and remembered for how kind, funny and joyful she was. Everyone felt at ease whenever they were with her and she could lift any mood. She graduated with honors and was also given the “Future Influencer” Award for being so positive and full of determination. Her favorite color was blue. Her most used word was “slay.”
Her death has left her mother, Courtney Badgett, her younger sister, Addilyn Williams, her grandparents, Frank and Pam Badgett and Wayne and Carrie Mayo, her great-grandmother, Joby Snelling, her beloved aunts and uncles Amber and Matthew Healy and a lengthy list of cousins, relatives and friends in great sorrow. Tank and Ozzie are also part of her family.
Emily’s great-grandfather Ron Snelling and cousins Grayson Mayo and Gabriel Mayo died before her.
Funeral service is being taken care of by Joiner-Anderson Funeral Home & Crematory in Statesboro. A candlelight vigil is being planned for Brooklet Park to pay respects to her.
The investigation about the tragedy is still open.
Help is accessible if you or someone you know experiences a crisis. To speak to someone or get help, you can dial 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “help” to Crisis Text Line or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
