A small Georgia town is reeling after a heartbreaking discovery was made at Brooklet City Park earlier this week. A 9-year-old girl and her father were both found dead inside a car in what authorities believe was a murder-suicide.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation confirmed the victims were 9-year-old Emily Grace Mayo and her 37-year-old father, James Lee Mayo. Their bodies were discovered after someone called police about an unresponsive child locked inside a vehicle, reported Live 5 News.
When officers arrived at the park, they forced their way into the car and found Emily in the backseat with a gunshot wound. She was already gone by the time help arrived.
Her father James, was found in the front seat, also dead from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The GBI said a handgun was resting on his lap.
Authorities haven’t confirmed whether the same weapon or bullets were involved in both deaths. The investigation is ongoing, and autopsies are currently being conducted to determine the full details of what happened.
The news has left family, friends, and neighbors stunned. Emily’s family has started a GoFundMe campaign to help with funeral and burial expenses. Her aunt Amber Healy shared an emotional tribute to the little girl, painting a picture of a bright, loving child whose presence lit up any room she entered.
“Emily had the most joyful smile and the biggest heart. She loved to laugh, dance, and sing,” Healy wrote on the fundraiser page. “She loved her family, and we loved her more than we could put into words. The world lost a huge light.”
The family is leaning on each other and their community for support as they process this devastating loss. Healy asked for prayers, especially for Emily’s mother, who is left to grieve the unimaginable.
“Please keep us all in your prayers as we navigate through this nightmare we cannot wake up from,” she wrote, adding, “No parent should have to make these decisions.” As of Thursday morning, the GoFundMe had raised more than $25,000.
Investigators haven’t released any possible motives yet and haven’t said what may have led up to the tragic events that unfolded in the quiet Brooklet park. For now, a small town mourns a little girl taken far too soon and struggles to make sense of a tragedy that no one saw coming.