In the quiet town of Dawsonville, Georgia, a tragic series of events unfolded, forever altering the lives of one family. It was on an otherwise ordinary Thursday morning that 38-year-old Tracy Lynne Runnels, a mother of two, found her life abruptly and violently cut short. The day was April 5, 2018, a date that would become etched in the memory of the community as one of profound loss and senseless violence.
The architect of this devastation was Kelley James McDonald Jr., a 39-year-old man from Tampa, Florida, who was reportedly the ex-husband of Tracy's sister, Kelly Jean Garrison. McDonald had a history of domestic violence and was wanted on charges of domestic battery by strangulation and burglary with assault in his home state. In an attempt to flee this abusive situation, Kelly had sought refuge with her sister, Tracy, in the seeming safety of her Dawsonville home.
On that fateful morning, McDonald tracked them down. He arrived at the Bryn Drive residence, where a horrific scene of violence ensued. He first encountered Tracy and fatally shot her. In the midst of the chaos, Tracy's 16-year-old daughter was also shot in the face but miraculously survived. Her younger 13-year-old daughter managed to escape the home and summon help from a neighbor, a desperate plea in the face of unfolding terror.
After shooting Tracy and her niece, McDonald continued his rampage, finding his 35-year-old ex-wife, Kelly Jean Garrison, and shooting her to death as well. With the lives of the two sisters extinguished, Kelley James McDonald Jr. then turned the gun on himself, ending his own life and closing the chapter on his violent spree. The incident was ultimately ruled a murder-suicide by the Lumpkin County Sheriff's Office. There were no other suspects and no arrests to be made, as the perpetrator had died at the scene, leaving behind a trail of grief and unanswered questions for the surviving family members.
