St. Helena mom accused of drowning 6-year-old daughter in bathtub appears for first hearing
St. Helena mother Jamie Bradley-Brun, accused in May of drowning her 6-year-old daughter before attempting to drown her 8-year-old, made her first appearance before a judge Friday morning, during which a number of new details were revealed about the child’s death and the mother’s arrest.
Beaufort County investigator Todd Duncan testified at Friday’s preliminary hearing that the May 19 drowning of 6-year-old Mackaya Bradley-Brun and attempted drowning of the 8-year-old were both done in the home’s bathtub. Police had not previously disclosed specifics.
Sheriff’s Office investigators obtained warrants for Bradley-Brun’s mental health records from Beaufort Memorial Hospital and Beaufort’s Coastal Empire Mental Health Center, Duncan said, suggesting the murder may be approached in court as an act of insanity. The 1 a.m. call to deputies May 19 was originally characterized as a woman “having a mental health episode,” Duncan said, but police have not commented on Bradley-Brun’s mental state or the motive behind the early morning attack.
Duncan, who responded to Beaufort Memorial Hospital the morning of the incident and interviewed Bradley-Brun, said the mother appeared to be sober and alert in the hours following the alleged murder, “coherently” answering police’s questions in detail. Duncan also said Bradley-Brun confessed to “purposefully” drowning the 6-year-old girl during a one-on-one interview at the hospital.
“Obviously it was a traumatic situation, but she was aware of what she did,” Duncan testified.
37-year-old Bradley-Brun waived her right to a bond hearing June 15, according to reporting from WSAV. Charged with murder and attempted murder, she has been in custody at the Beaufort County Detention Center since her May 19 arrest.
Beaufort County investigators interviewed all other occupants of the home on Sam Doyle Drive following the incident, including Bradley-Brun’s mother and two surviving daughters. Police also conducted a background interview with Bradley-Brun’s husband, the father of her two youngest children, Duncan said.
Circuit Court Judge Robert E. Ferguson Jr. transferred the case to general sessions court. A trial date for Bradley-Brun has not been scheduled, according to 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office spokesperson Jeff Kidd.
Family and friends of Bradley-Brun who attended the bond hearing declined to comment on the case.
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident alongside the Department of Child Fatalities within SLED’s Special Victims Unit.
This story was originally published June 30, 2023 at 12:37 PM.
