Today Marks 16 Years Since Baby Jamaya and Karitha Carroll’s Unsolved Cary Murders

CARY, Miss. (VDN) — Today marks 16 years since the murder of 3-year-old Jamaya Carroll and her mother, Karitha Carroll. Both were stabbed to death in their home on Sept. 23, 2009, in the middle of the night in Cary.

That brutal night left more questions than answers as the family continues to search for justice. The unsolved murders shocked the small community, and the details remain devastating.

Karitha Carroll was stabbed 17 times, including two large slash wounds to the neck, two superficial cuts to the neck and 13 stab wounds to the chest. Jamaya Carroll suffered a large slash wound measuring 5½ inches by 1 inch across the front of her neck, cutting through the left carotid artery, trachea, esophagus and right jugular vein. Investigators also found three knife marks on her spine at the C3-C4 level. Blood was discovered in her lungs, indicating aspiration.

Additionally, Jamaya sustained two shallow cuts on her right upper arm — measuring ¾ inch and 1½ inches — and a small ¼-inch cut on the back of her right hand.

Three people were initially arrested in the case but were released due to lack of evidence. The Sharkey County Sheriff’s Office and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation both handled the investigation. At one point, authorities examined the deaths as a possible murder-suicide — a theory that drew questions from the family.

How can a woman stab her child, then physically stab herself 17 times? The theory never made sense.

The Vicksburg Daily News has been in contact with Karitha Carroll’s family, including her two surviving children and her mother, who say they have never forgotten that day.

Click the link to learn more about the case. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation.