[EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A Clay County family has more questions than answers after a fatal hit and run on Sunday.
Bradley Brown says his granddaughter, Rebecca McCarley, was killed after being hit on the Wonderwood Expressway near the intersection of A1A (Jimmy Buffet Memorial Highway) in Jacksonville around 7:00pm on Sunday, October 5, 2025.
He says it happened near the Park and Ride, closer to the Mayport side of the road.
JSO has confirmed the incident but has not yet provided additional information as the investigation is still active.
Brown raised Rebecca from the time that she was eight or nine until she was 14 or 15. He received a call from Rebecca’s mom around 8:00pm on Sunday night, and said police told her that Rebecca had been taken to Memorial Hospital for treatment after being involved in a hit and run.
Bradley Brown’s daughter, Rebecca “Becke” Brown Kilgore, was Rebecca’s aunt. Of Rebecca McCarley, Kilgore says, “She was the closest thing I ever had to a sister in my home.”
Brown spoke with Rebecca about a week before she was hit. He says, “she had, by choice, been homeless probably for the last 15 years.”
He says that, according to his conversation with an investigator, Rebecca and a friend had been gathering things along the road. She was riding a bicycle in front of the friend when some things shifted in the cart on his bicycle. The friend had stopped to fix things while they were in the bike lane. She had stopped as well. It is not yet known if she was on her bike, or beside it, when a driver hit her.
The friend, who was able to talk with police, stated that the driver of the vehicle went down the road and then turned around. The driver then stopped to “ask if she was ok and drove off” before police arrived.
Rebecca was taken to Memorial Hospital with injuries considered to be life threatening. He says that Rebecca was immediately put on life support with “major and massive injuries” to her pelvis and hips, head trauma, and a brain bleed.
After being told that Rebecca would not recover from her injuries, the family made the decision to pull Rebecca from life support at approximately 5:00pm on Monday, October 6th. She passed away at approximately 2:00am on Tuesday, October 7, 2025.
Rebecca is survived by a son, Brown’s great grandson, who is 18 years old. Brown says that her son is doing “ok.”
Photo Credit: Rebecca “Becke” Brown Kilgore The photo above (of Rebecca McCarley’s arm) was taken by her aunt, Rebecca “Becke” Brown Kilgore. She says family often referred to Rebecca by her nickname, “Bear.” Hospice attendants recorded McCarley’s heartbeat in the bear so that McCarley’s son would always have it.
McCarley had been in jail for about three weeks on a robbery-related charge and was released ten days prior to the incident. Brown says that the charges related to that incident “were dropped.”
Brown says that Rebecca had some difficulties, but says, “You know, I told somebody the other day, just all this...not a lifestyle we agree with doesn’t change that fact that she was still a good kid.” Brown says they are planning a memorial service and he is going with McCarley’s son today to meet with the funeral director.
Kilgore says the family acknowledged McCarley’s decisions, but says, “Somebody made a statement to me at the hospital which really kind of has stuck with me. She said, ‘You know this lady looks like a young lady that maybe has made a lot of wrong turns in her life but has (an) amazing, loving family that loves her regardless.’”
She says that her family always hoped that there would be a turnaround, and want now to concentrate on taking care of McCarley’s son. “Now, ” Kilgore says, “our focus is on supporting and protecting...her son.”
Kilgore says she understands that “JSO is trying their best...but the more eyes, the more ears” that are on this case will help the family get the answers they need.
Police are researching available cameras in the area.
Anyone who has a camera that may have recorded the incident, or with information that may be helpful to police, is asked to call police or leave an anonymous tip with First Coast Crime Stoppers at: (866) 845.TIPS.
[EDITOR’S NOTE: As of this initial posting, JSO has confirmed the incident but has not yet responded to additional requests for information.]
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