On the morning of October 17, 2024, 34-year-old Kimberly Guess was ambushed and shot multiple times in the front yard of her Ware Street home in Blackshear, Georgia, as she walked to her car to go to work at Clayton Homes. One of her daughters, 11-year-old Bailey Warren, heard the shots and her mother’s cries and placed the 911 call, later witnessing the aftermath. The killing was the first murder in the town in over five years.

Family members said Kimberly, a mother and cabinet maker described as having a heart of gold, had been stalked for weeks by a former supervisor at Clayton Homes after ending a romantic relationship and asking him to leave her alone. In the weeks after the shooting, the family offered a $10,000 reward for information as investigators continued without an arrest.

In December 2024 authorities arrested a father and son from Waycross, 53-year-old Tracy Lee Bryant Sr. and 30-year-old Tracy Lee Bryant Jr., who were taken into custody on drug charges that emerged during the investigation; warrants alleged Bryant Sr. shot Kimberly and Bryant Jr. aided him. Both men were charged with malice murder and felony murder, with additional charges noted later in the case file.

If anyone in Blackshear or the surrounding area has information about Kimberly’s killing, please share what is known with investigators.