Jerrylea Williams Vaughn, 77, was killed on April 6, 2026, inside her longtime family home on County Road 116 in Wildwood, Florida. A retired Sumter County School District teacher, grandmother and great-grandmother, and active member of Encounter Church, she was described by family and church members as warm, giving, and deeply family-centered. She loved gardening, Daytona Beach sunrises, and time with her grandchildren.

Authorities say the emergency began when Vaughn called 911 Monday night saying her son had stabbed her and was coming to kill her; screaming was reportedly audible on the call. Officers found her son, 51-year-old Derek DeWayne Vaughn, outside the home and detained him. Investigators reported Vaughn had been stabbed and then shot in the head. Family members said Derek, his wife, and his two sons had been living with her and that the grandchildren witnessed the alleged attack.

Derek Vaughn was arrested and charged in connection with his mother’s death; at his first court appearance he was appointed a public defender and ordered held without bond. The State Attorney’s Office said it was too early to say whether charges could be upgraded. Those who knew Jerrylea remember her life of teaching, church service, and family devotion rather than the violence of her final moments.

If anyone knew Jerrylea or was in that neighborhood the night of April 6, please share information that might clarify what happened.