On a journey to celebrate a birthday family member, a woman and her children never reached her grandfather’s home and the trip ended in great sadness for them. Sadly, she was murdered by the man she trusted to keep her safe which meant her family was left with grief that could not be fully expressed.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation made a statement on May 28, 2025, saying it had assisted the Brooklet Police Department in investigating a sad double death in Bulloch County. The problem began the evening before.
Here’s our statement on the death of an adult and a child in Brooklet, GA.
🔗: https://t.co/83Nefyiojy pic.twitter.com/Dyj6DvD9ZN
— GA Bureau of Investigation (@GBI_GA) May 28, 2025
Around 7:45 p.m. on May 27, someone called to say a child was unresponsive inside a car parked at Brooklet City Park. Cops from both places got there fast to help. The results they received were heartbreaking.
When police got into the car, they saw a child in the back who had died, apparently hit by a bullet. The driver, who passed away instantly from what seemed to be a gunshot self-inflicted wound, was sitting in the front seat. He had a handgun sitting on his lap when the police arrived. James Lee Mayo was later confirmed as the man and his missing daughter, Emily Grace Mayo, was identified as nine years old when she went missing.
Each body was sent to the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office in Pooler for examination. Even though the forensics were finished, the event brought about turmoil, dismay and many people gathered in sadness.
Amber Healy, Emily’s aunt, set up a GoFundMe online fundraiser to assist with paying for Emily’s memorial, initially looking for $10,000. In just a few days, word of the fund spread and $29,000 was already raised. Amber said in the fundraiser message that Emily was cheerful, had a happy spirit and eagerly gave love to everyone. She spent many hours dancing, singing and playing in the open air. Animals, her cousins, Roblox and being with her friends made her very happy. “We loved her so much, it was hard to say how much,” Amber wrote. A star has gone out in 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.
📸- Amber Healy/GoFundMe pic.twitter.com/c7bMR8gwBi
— Everything Georgia (@GAFollowers) May 29, 2025
Emily was excited to start the fourth grade. She had many dreams, lots of energy and a strong, childish spirit meant to take charge. Still, those dreams didn’t come true, not because of an accident, but because of an act by someone she relied on.
Amber eventually posted an update that showed how thankful she was for the support she received as she explained some public confusion. She pointed out that media often called her Emily Mayo, but that her identity was not tied to James Mayo’s. “She never deserved the way he treated her,” wrote her friend. It was his job to take her home to help us celebrate my dad’s birthday. He stopped at the park next to it and grabbed her from us.
Using Facebook, Amber shared numerous pictures of Emily, both from babyhood and recently and remember what happened as if it was occurring live. When Diane learned the car and the situation, it was on the phone with her sister Courtney that she realized how terrible it was.
“I spent all night holding my 12-year-old daughter while she screamed for her cousin,” Amber noted. “They felt closest even when they were far away from each other.”
She did not feel any pain over James. She let me know that very clearly. “He was very selfish and cruel,” she said about him. Let us not allow ourselves to be sad. He is not really missed by most of society. Everyone says: “It’s his responsibility.” She pointed out that the family had to deal with sadness, shock and the fact that the girl they loved is no longer with them.
The effects of Emily’s death could be seen outside of the family. Her teacher, Tasheina Canty-White, wrote a message on Facebook and included pictures of her with Emily in class. “I was broken by this moment,” said Tasheina. Emily made a necklace for her and having seen her young friend’s excitement, she agreed to the photo, even when she didn’t feel like putting on a smile for the camera. What looked like a simple necklace was now a present from a child whose spirit is now gone. Emily sang “Party in the USA” at school during a karaoke session which was the last time Tasheina would see her.
Tasheina wrote that her mother was like an angel. “She made an impression on me and I will never forget her.”
Emily’s aunt wrote in her obituary that Emily was born on October 20, 2015, in Statesboro. She studied at Brooklet Elementary and those who knew her said she was cheerful, gentle and full of energy. She made sure people always felt at home in any room that she entered. She received many academic recognitions and was also presented with the “Future Influencer” Award for always looking at things positively. Blue was the favorite color of the woman. She loved to say the word “slay.”
Because of her loss, her family is deeply broken, including her mother, Courtney Badgett; her sister, Addilyn Williams; her grandparents, Frank and Pam Badgett and Wayne and Carrie Mayo; her great-grandmother, Joby Snelling; her aunts and uncles, Amber and Matthew Healy; as well as a number of cousins, extended family and dear friends. Tank and Ozzie are also part of her loved ones.
Ahead of Emily, her great-grandfather, Ron Snelling and her cousins Grayson and Gabriel Mayo passed away.
The funeral care arrangement is handled by Joiner-Anderson Funeral Home & Crematory. A candlelight vigil will be put on in Brooklet Park to pay tribute to the victim.
Investigations by the GBI into the case have not finished yet.
If you or someone you know is having a crisis, there is help for you to reach out to. In emergency cases, try calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), texting “help” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or visiting suicidepreventionlifeline.org.