Jamie Michele Bradley-Brun (Beaufort County Detention Center).

According to a press release from the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, Deputy Solicitor Mary Jones detailed the harrowing events of May 19, 2023. Bradley-Brun instructed her 6-year-old daughter, Mackay, to undress, wearing what authorities termed a “funeral dress,” and enter a bathtub filled with water. She then forced the child into a submissive position, and as Mackay struggled, Bradley-Brun held her under the water until she drowned.

After drowning Mackay, Bradley-Brun attempted to perform the same act on her 8-year-old daughter. However, the older girl resisted her mother’s attack. Fortunately, the commotion alerted Bradley-Brun’s oldest daughter, who intervened, potentially saving her sister’s life.

Authorities were alerted immediately after midnight on May 19, 2023, with a 911 call reporting the horrific incident. Upon arrival, deputies discovered Mackay had tragically passed away, clad in the “funeral dress” as described by Jones in the press release.

Deputies responded to a 911 call after midnight on May 19, 2023, reporting a woman trying to drown her children about a woman trying to drown her children. When deputies arrived, they found Mackay deceased, wearing what Jones described in her press release as a “funeral dress.”

Jones said, “This wasn’t an accident or a mental health crisis,” and that Bradley-Brun “planned it.” According to Jones, Bradley-Brun was “competent” despite claiming her alcoholism and other people were responsible for her actions. Jones added, “She held her daughter under the water and tried to do the same to her middle daughter. There is no excuse.”

Bradley-Brun pleaded guilty to both murder and attempted murder charges. She received 50 years in prison for the murder charge and 30 years for the attempted murder charge, to be served concurrently.