Brandi Howell Whitt, 45, and her 9-year-old son Brantley Alan Whitt were fatally shot at their Gadsden, Alabama, home on Tuesday, January 2, 2024, in what authorities described as a domestic-related incident. Brandi, an Etowah High School graduate from the class of 1995, enjoyed hobbies, crafts, and floral design, and was a devoted mother and stepmother to three other children. Responding officers found both Brandi and Brantley deceased at the residence.

Investigators identified Brandi’s older son and Brantley’s half-brother, 25-year-old Brandon Wagnon, as a suspect; he was arrested and charged with their murders and held without bond in the Etowah County Jail under Aniah’s Law. Friends organized a GoFundMe to help cover funeral expenses because neither victim had life insurance. The investigation and legal proceedings remain ongoing.

If anyone in Gadsden had contact with the family around January 2, 2024, or has information about the shootings, please come forward.