A witness described fleeing to protect two children, while the accused man called dispatchers and acknowledged shooting his wife and daughter.

OXFORD, Ga. — Two emergency calls placed within the same unfolding crisis gave dispatchers separate accounts of a family confrontation that ended with a mother and daughter fatally shot outside a Walton County home and the family patriarch jailed on murder and firearm charges.

Ralph Edward Mincey is accused of killing his wife, Jennifer Lynn Mincey, and their adult daughter, Amanda Mincey McBrayer, during a dispute June 24 at a residence on Gauntt Road north of Oxford. McBrayer died at the scene, while Jennifer Mincey was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital and later died. Deputies arrested Ralph Mincey at the property. Court warrants cited by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution list two murder counts and two counts of possessing a firearm during the commission of a crime. The case remains an allegation, and the available records do not show that Mincey has been convicted.

The first public account of the violence came from McBrayer’s husband, whom Atlanta television station 11Alive identified as Adam McGrath. In a 911 recording released two days after the shooting, he told a dispatcher that he had seen his wife shot and had run from the property because two children needed his protection. His call captured the immediate fear of a witness who did not know whether it was safe to return. He said his wife had asked to be taken to her parents’ home while she was upset. Once there, he said, she began arguing with her father. According to his account, Ralph Mincey announced that he had a gun, threatened to pull the trigger and then opened fire.

McGrath also told the dispatcher that the violence did not stop after his wife was shot. He said Ralph Mincey grabbed Jennifer Mincey by the throat, forced her down and threatened to kill her. The call was a witness account made during an emergency, not a finding by a judge or jury. Still, it broadly matches a central allegation described in warrants obtained by the Atlanta newspaper: that Ralph Mincey left the immediate argument, went to his truck to get a gun and shot both women during what investigators called a domestic dispute. The warrant reportedly says one person witnessed the shootings.

While deputies were traveling to the home, dispatchers received another call from Ralph Mincey himself. He said his wife had told their daughter that he was not properly caring for his mother, an accusation he disputed. He then told the operator that he had shot his daughter and his wife of 38 years. When asked whether the women were breathing, he said it did not appear that they were. He also identified the weapon as a 9 mm firearm. His statements on the recording may become evidence, but their legal effect will depend on court rulings, the full recording and other evidence gathered by investigators.

Mincey sounded distraught during the call and said he had been unable to handle what he described as lying and screaming. He said he had “lost it” and apologized, according to recordings reviewed by several news organizations. His explanation should not be treated as an established motive. Investigators have not publicly released a full account of the dispute, and a defendant’s statement during a crisis may be incomplete, self-serving or contradicted by other evidence. The available reports do not say whether detectives have identified earlier threats, a history of domestic violence or another event that contributed to the confrontation.

Deputies were sent to the 4500 block of Gauntt Road at about 8:30 p.m. after reports that multiple people had been shot. The Sheriff’s Office said McBrayer was already dead when emergency workers arrived. Jennifer Mincey was still alive and was transported to the Atlanta trauma hospital, but she later died. Ralph Mincey was taken into custody without any publicly reported search or pursuit. The Sheriff’s Office described the deaths as a senseless loss of life and said its investigation was continuing.

The warrants add a step that is not clear from the emergency-call excerpts alone. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, investigators alleged that Mincey walked to his truck and retrieved a pistol during the dispute before shooting the two women. That allegation could be significant as prosecutors assess intent and the sequence of events. The reports reviewed for this article do not disclose how much time passed between the argument, the trip to the truck and the gunfire. They also do not say whether anyone tried to stop Mincey from obtaining the weapon or whether the gun was recovered from him, from the ground or elsewhere on the property.

Public reports contain a conflict about Ralph Mincey’s age. Court, jail and property records reviewed by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution list him as 57, and a booking report also lists him as 57. Several other outlets, including 11Alive and Law&Crime, reported that he was 63. Authorities have not publicly explained that difference. Jennifer Mincey was identified as 57 and McBrayer as 37 in multiple reports. The varying age assigned to the defendant does not alter the charges, but it illustrates why records and official filings remain important as an early account develops.

The two calls are likely to be examined alongside physical evidence, medical findings, photographs, witness interviews and Mincey’s recorded interview with investigators. The warrants reportedly say he told detectives that he used a 9 mm pistol. Prosecutors would still have to establish each element of the charged offenses beyond a reasonable doubt. The publicly available reporting does not identify a defense attorney, describe a plea or provide a date for a preliminary hearing. It also does not indicate whether a grand jury has considered the case.

Some early reports described a single weapons charge, while the warrants and booking information reviewed by other outlets list two firearm-possession counts, one connected to each alleged killing. The more detailed warrant account also identifies the women as Mincey’s wife and daughter, relationships that were not included in the earliest brief statement from authorities. Such differences are common during the first days of a major investigation, when agencies release limited facts and court documents become available at different times.

The recordings offer unusual detail about the moments surrounding the shooting, but they do not resolve every factual or legal question. McGrath’s call describes what he said he witnessed. Mincey’s call records what he chose to tell dispatchers after the gunfire. Neither recording substitutes for a full investigation or a trial. Authorities have not released the complete case file, autopsy findings or all witness statements. They also have not announced whether additional charges are being considered.

Ralph Mincey remained in the Walton County Jail in the most recent records located for this report. No later court ruling, indictment or trial date could be confirmed from the sources reviewed. The Sheriff’s Office has said the investigation remains active, leaving the next major developments to the local courts and prosecutors handling the case.

Author note: Last updated July 26, 2026.