What was meant to be a joyful birthday celebration turned into an unimaginable tragedy for a Georgia family, when a 9-year-old girl never made it to her grandfather’s party. Instead, she was found dead—her life taken by the very man who was supposed to protect her—leaving her loved ones shattered and searching for meaning in the aftermath of heartbreak.
On May 28, 2025, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced it had joined the Brooklet Police Department in probing a devastating double fatality in Bulloch County. The tragedy unfolded the night before, casting a dark cloud over what should have been a day of joy and togetherness.
At approximately 7:45 p.m. on May 27, a chilling 911 call reported an unresponsive child locked inside a vehicle at Brooklet City Park. Officers from the Brooklet Police Department and the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office rushed to the scene. What they discovered was every parent’s worst nightmare—a heartbreaking scene that would soon rock the community to its core.
Inside the vehicle, officers were met with a harrowing scene. In the backseat lay the lifeless body of a young girl, a gunshot wound marking the tragic end of her short life. In the front seat sat a man, also deceased, with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A handgun rested on his lap—a grim testament to the violence that had unfolded.
Authorities later identified the victims as 37-year-old James Lee Mayo and his nine-year-old daughter, Emily Grace Mayo
he bodies were transported to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Medical Examiner’s Office in Pooler for autopsies, but the sorrow couldn’t be contained by forensic reports. The tragedy rippled through the community, unleashing a tidal wave of grief, disbelief, and collective mourning.
In the wake of the devastating loss, Emily’s aunt, Amber Healy, created a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the cost of memorial services. What began as a modest goal of $10,000 quickly grew into a powerful expression of communal support—surpassing $29,000 within just a few days.
In her heartfelt tribute on the fundraiser page, Amber painted a portrait of a radiant little girl whose joy touched everyone around her. Emily, she wrote, had a smile that could brighten any room and a heart overflowing with love. She loved to dance, sing, and play outside. She cherished animals, adored her cousins, spent hours on Roblox, and found joy simply being with her friends.
“We loved her more than we could put into words,” Amber wrote. “The world lost a huge light.”
Emily had been eagerly anticipating the start of fourth grade. She was full of dreams, brimming with energy, and carried the bold, sassy spark of a child meant to lead and inspire. But those dreams were violently stolen—not by chance, but by someone she should have been able to trust without question.
In a deeply personal and raw update, Amber later expressed both gratitude for the overwhelming support and a need to clarify a painful truth. As media outlets continued to refer to the family by James Mayo’s surname, Amber reminded the world that Emily’s identity was not tied to the man who took her life.
“He didn’t deserve her,” she wrote. “He was supposed to bring her home to celebrate my dad’s birthday. Instead, he pulled into that park and took her from us.”
