Haunting surveillance video footage captured the moments before and after 14-year-old Carly Madison Gregg fatally shot her mother Ashley Smylie in their family home.
Northwest Rankin High SchoolAshley Smylie was a math teacher at Northwest Rankin High School in Mississippi.
On March 19, 2024, math teacher Ashley Smylie drove home from her job at Northwest Rankin High School with her 14-year-old daughter, Carly Madison Gregg, who attended the same school. At one point, Ashley texted her husband, Heath Smylie, about plans to go grocery shopping later.
Nothing in her messages hinted at the horror that awaited. That same day, Ashley Smylie would be shot to death in her Brandon, Mississippi home. And shockingly, the killer was her own teenage daughter.
Inside Ashley Smylie’s Tragically Short Life
Personal PhotoCarly Madison Gregg, pictured with her mother Ashley Smylie and her stepfather Heath Smylie.
Ashley Nicole Smylie was born on April 11, 1983, in Stuart, Florida. She would eventually make her home in Mississippi with her husband Heath, a physical therapist, and she built a life centered on family and community.
Ashley’s life was not without challenges — her first husband, Kevin Gregg, suffered from mental illness and used drugs, and the pair divorced amidst the strife. And one of Ashley’s daughters had died tragically young due to health issues. Still, Ashley found love again with Heath, who seemed to be a better influence on her surviving daughter, Carly Madison Gregg.
Work was also incredibly important to Ashley Smylie. Teaching wasn’t just a job for her — it was a calling. She spent her days guiding teenagers through the challenges of high school mathematics, patient and steady, earning the respect of students and her fellow colleagues alike.
At home, she was said to be a devoted wife and mother. Ashley loved reading, playing video games, and walking the family’s Golden Retrievers.
But tension in the family had been building. Carly was smoking marijuana, vaping, and using burner phones, all while trying to hide these activities from her mother and stepfather. At one point, she was briefly sent to an alternative school after bringing a Swiss Army Knife to class. As Carly’s behavior became more concerning, fights at home became more frequent.
Meanwhile, Carly kept a private journal that was filled with troubling entries, including statements like, “It’s okay to be evil,” and “You don’t need family.” Carly’s legal team later claimed that she was struggling with dissociation, periods of “blacking out,” and voices in her head.
One of Carly’s friends became concerned about her drug use and burner phones, leading him to tell her mother. Then, after Ashley Smylie reportedly confronted her daughter about her vape pens, the situation turned deadly.
The Horrific Murder Of Ashley Smylie
Around 4 p.m. on March 19, 2024, Carly Madison Gregg entered her parents’ bedroom and retrieved a .357 Magnum pistol from underneath the bed. Concealing it as she moved through the house, she eventually confronted her mother and fatally shot her three times in the head.
Haunting surveillance video footage from inside the home captured Carly’s movements before and after the shooting. The video footage also captured the sound of gunshots — and Ashley Smylie’s screams as she was shot.
Following the shooting, Carly texted her stepfather from her mother’s phone, saying, “Are you almost home, honey?” She also invited a friend over to the house, claiming that there was an emergency.
Law & Crime Trials/YouTubeCarly Madison Gregg was captured on surveillance video footage before and after killing her mother Ashley Smylie.
The friend later testified that after she arrived at the house, Carly said, “Have you ever seen a dead body? My mom is in there.” According to the friend, Carly added that she had three more gunshots waiting for her stepfather.
At 5:03 p.m., Heath Smylie arrived home, unaware of the trap that had been set. As he walked in the front door, Carly opened fire. NBC15 reports that one bullet struck his shoulder. Despite his injury, he wrestled the gun away from Carly. At this point, Carly’s friend was outside in the backyard.
Heath later testified that he initially believed that there was an intruder in his home and recalled that Carly “was screaming out of her mind, scared. It was like she had seen a demon or something.” Carly soon fled the scene, and Heath searched the house for the “intruder.”
Instead, Heath only found his wife, dead. Emergency services were called, and police arrived shortly afterward. As for Carly, she was later found about a half mile away from her house and was quickly taken into custody.
Why Did Carly Madison Gregg Kill Her Mother?
Personal Photo/TwitterAshley Smylie was 40 years old when her daughter murdered her.
Carly Madison Gregg was initially taken to the Rankin County Juvenile Detention Center, charged with the murder of her mother and the attempted murder of her stepfather. Given the severity of the crimes, the case raised immediate questions about whether she would be tried as an adult.
A judge in juvenile court did later approve a request to charge her as an adult, leading to her being transferred to the Rankin County Adult Detention Center ahead of her trial. Carly pleaded not guilty.
During the trial, which took place in September 2024, prosecutors argued that Carly killed Ashley Smylie and tried to kill Heath Smylie because she was about to be punished for having a vape pen, using marijuana, and possessing a burner phone. They believed that the evidence showed planning and intent. State Attorney Michael Smith also argued that Carly “knew the difference between right and wrong” during the shooting.
Meanwhile, Carly’s attorneys insisted that she was having a mental health crisis, and a psychiatrist claimed that Carly didn’t remember committing the murder at all. Her defense team pointed to her history of mental illness, including depression, and her behavioral issues. The teen had also allegedly been prescribed a medication that made her feel “numb.” They asked the jury to find her not guilty by reason of insanity.
At one point, Heath Smylie took the stand and also claimed his stepdaughter did not remember the shooting. “She was not herself and I do not believe she even recognized me,” he testified. Despite everything, he also said that he remained in contact with her after the shooting.
The jury deliberated for two hours before finding Carly guilty of murder and attempted murder. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, marking a rare occasion that a young teenager would face a lifetime behind bars. Rankin County District Attorney Bubba Bramlett said, “Carly Gregg is evil and that’s not easy to say, but the truth of the matter is that sometimes evil comes in young packages.”
While Carly’s team has attempted to reverse the conviction, Ashley Smylie’s friends and colleagues have been mourning her deeply. After her death, Northwest Rankin High School grappled with the loss of a beloved educator and the unsettling reality that the person responsible had been one of their own students. And Ashley had gone home one day, not knowing she was about to die at the hands of her own child.
The motive for her murder may never be fully understood, but what she left behind is the memory of a teacher, a wife, and a mother whose life touched everyone around her and who was gone too soon.
After reading about the murder of Ashley Smylie, go inside the disturbing case of Isabella Guzman, the teen who stabbed her mom 79 times and later went viral on TikTok. Then, learn about the horrific story of Zachary Davis, the 15-year-old who bludgeoned his mother and tried to burn his brother alive.
