‘This can’t be happening’: Father and son murdered years apart have eerie similarities

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - When Dana Corley’s aunts talk about him, they constantly bring up his infectious smile. A smile that they say reminds them of his dad, Dana Mayo.

“That smile, if you see him, look at his daddy. That’s the same smile. He got that same smile. He looked identical to his daddy,” Dericka Mayo said.

But it’s not just the smile that’s similar. Corley’s aunts say there are striking similarities to the way his dad died.

“It’s the same exact type of situation, this can’t be happening,” Dericka said.

Corley was found shot to death in a car on Wedgewood Avenue in the early morning hours of May 14. Police say the motive may have been robbery, as he was found without his wallet.

In 2014, Corley’s dad, Dana Mayo, was also killed. He was found shot to death in his car in Bordeaux on December 17 two days after he left his house. Police have never made any arrests in his death.

“We still don’t know who did it to my brother. I’m not waiting another 10 years to find out what happened to my nephew,” Shauntaye Mayo said.

Here are instructions on how to watch WSMV4 live on various platforms.

Only 26 years old, his aunts told WSMV4 Corley had already been through a lot. He was born to two incarcerated parents, and he himself spent eight years in jail for robbery. After he got out in 2020, he had turned his life around. He was working two jobs and loved spending times with his younger cousins. They say he was so beloved.

“He was like, ‘I can’t wait to see them graduate Tuesday,’ and now he’s not even here to see that. And that hurt, because he wasn’t able to see the other two graduate, but he was coming to theirs,” Dericka said.

The hardest part, they said, was telling their mom that in addition to her only son, her grandson was now dead too.

“His mama didn’t deserve to go through this again. We didn’t deserve to go through this again. His siblings don’t deserve to go through this again,” Dericka said, “We just want answers.”

Unlike their brother’s case, the family says they refuse to let this one go cold. They believe someday people will be brought to justice for both of these murders.

“When we find the suspect or suspects, because we are, they won’t bring my nephew back. But I’m not going another 10 years without knowing, without a shadow of a doubt, who took my nephew. And I’m going to keep fighting to find out who took my brother as well,” Shauntaye said.