A 15-year-old girl from Brandon, Mississippi, will spend life in prison after ruthlessly killing her mother in a shocking family nightmare. Photo of murder victim Ashley Smylie courtesy Northwest Rankin High School.

Baby-Faced Teen Actually a Ruthless Killer: Mississippi Girl Murders Her Mother in Cold Blood

A 15-year-old girl from Brandon, Mississippi, will spend life in prison after ruthlessly killing her mother in a shocking family nightmare. 🌐 #News #BrandonMS #Mississippi #Crime

BRANDON, MS – In a case that has shaken the small community of Brandon, Mississippi, 15-year-old Carly Gregg will spend the rest of her life behind bars for the horrifying, cold-blooded murder of her own mother. The chilling details of this gruesome crime continue to leave people in shock and fear, raising unsettling questions about what could drive a child to such an unthinkable act.

The Unimaginable Crime

It began with a normal day—until it turned into a living nightmare. Carly, just 14 years old at the time, was caught on surveillance video lurking around her family’s home, a gun held tightly behind her back. The footage, described as haunting, shows the ruthless teen moments before she carried out the brutal execution of her mother, Ashley Smylie, a 40-year-old high school math teacher.

What happened next is almost too terrifying to imagine. Carly entered her mother’s bedroom, and seconds later, gunshots rang out—shots that would end her mother’s life. As Ashley’s terrified screams filled the house, Carly emerged from the room, the weapon still in hand, her face devoid of any emotion. She then calmly sat at the kitchen counter, sending a text message to her stepfather to lure him home.

A Family Torn Apart by Secrets

How could this seemingly innocent girl commit such a heinous act? The horror unfolded just hours after Carly’s mother discovered her secret life—her drug use, her hidden stash of vape pens, and burner phones. The confrontation that followed turned deadly, and Carly’s chilling response has left many wondering if they ever truly know what’s going on inside their own homes.

The details only get darker. Prosecutors revealed that Carly had asked a friend to come over, teasing her with a horrifying question: “Have you ever seen a dead body?” When her friend arrived, Carly pointed her to her mother’s lifeless body.

The Frightening Calmness After the Slaughter

It’s what Carly did after the killings that has many shivering. Despite the chaos, she sat calmly, firing off casual texts. Her stepfather, Heath Smylie, rushed home, unaware that his own stepdaughter had planned to kill him too. When he arrived, Carly shot him in the shoulder. Had he not been able to wrestle the gun from her, he would have likely become her second victim.

As this chilling story unraveled in court, a sobbing Carly Gregg sat quietly, no longer the “sweet little girl” her stepfather described, but a remorseless killer. A mental health expert claimed she was battling dissociative episodes and hearing voices—but for her mother and stepfather, those claims did nothing to change the horrifying reality of what happened.

Jack and Kitty Norton from JackAndKitty.com on YouTube

A Lifetime Behind Bars

Now, Carly Gregg will never walk free again. Found guilty on all charges, including first-degree murder and attempted murder, she will spend her entire life in prison. The story leaves parents and families across the country wondering: could this nightmare happen to them? What if someone they love harbors a secret so dangerous that it could end in tragedy?

This case is a brutal reminder that sometimes the greatest dangers aren’t lurking outside our doors, but within our own homes. And the worst part? We might never see it coming.

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4 Comments

  1. Susan Chrislip says:

    There was one error in the story. Carley’s mother, Ashley, was murdered in Carley’s room. Carley retrieved the gun from her mother’s room and went into her bedroom and shot her mother 3 times in the head and then, after texting her stepfather from her mother’s phone, went back into her room and placed her mother’s hands across her dead body and placed a towel over her face.

    Resident of Brandon, Mississippi

  2. Hi Susan! Thanks for the additional info. It’s such a heartbreaking story. I’m praying for everyone involved! – Kitty (and Jack)

  3. This girls granparents and stepfather are still very much alive and are still living this horror with out the Ugly headline of your Article.
    Yes it is News and yes everyone is aware of what happened. Just be a little kinder to the innocent ones that have been scared by this. You not writing a Script for a movie

  4. Hi Dee – I know, right? Such a tragic event! The whole family and community is in our prayers.