On March 19, 2024, Ashley Nicole Smylie, a 40-year-old teacher in Brandon, Mississippi, was shot and killed at her home following an argument with her 14-year-old daughter, Carly Madison Gregg, over vape pens and alleged marijuana use. Security camera footage from the kitchen captured the moments before the shooting, showing the teen walking with a hand concealed behind her back; three gunshots and screaming were then heard. Ashley Smylie sustained fatal gunshot wounds to her head and was found in her daughter’s bedroom.

After the shooting, Carly texted a friend to come over and asked if the friend had ever seen a dead body before showing the victim’s body. When stepfather Heath Smylie arrived home later that day, Carly shot him in the shoulder; he survived, disarmed her, and called 911. Carly fled but was arrested nearby. She was charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder and tampering with evidence and tried as an adult. The defense argued insanity related to mental illness and medication changes; the prosecution said the acts were deliberate.

Did anyone in Brandon know Ashley, Carly or the family’s routine and movements that morning?