From staff reports
A St. Helena Island woman remains in the Beaufort County Detention Center after the drowning death of her 6-year-old daughter in the early morning hours of Friday, May 19.
At approximately 1:25 a.m., the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office responded to an address on Sam Doyle Drive, Saint Helena Island after receiving a 911 emergency call where it was reported that there was a woman who was trying to drown her child.
Deputies arrived and immediately detained 37-year-old Jamie Bradley Brun based on information received by the emergency services dispatcher. Deputies discovered 6-year-old Mackaya Bradley-Brun, who was deceased.
The early morning investigation revealed that Jamie Michele Bradley Brun most likely drowned the 6-year-old. Following that Bradley-Brun then attempted to drown an 8-year-old child.
Cries from the 8-year-old woke her 16-year-old sister, who freed her from her mother, escaped from the home and called 911 for help. According to Sheriff P.J. Tanner, the girls were likely unaware of the death of their 6-year-old sister.
Beaufort County Coroner David Ott performed an autopsy and confirmed Mackaya’s cause of death was drowning.
Jamie Bradley-Brun was arrested, and at this time she is charged with murder and attempted murder.
The investigation is ongoing. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division’s Special Victim’s Unit-Department of Child Fatalities is working alongside the Sheriff’s Office in this investigation.
Tanner said some details of the crime were being withheld for the time being, including a possible motive. He confirmed Bradley Brun did speak to investigators after being taken into custody.
