A 25-year-old woman was allegedly shot and killed by her girlfriend in Nashville on Saturday, Jan. 3, according to police.
That morning, Gracey Adams was found dead in a bedroom of a home on Kingview Drive, the Nashville Police Department said in a Jan. 3 news release. Investigators initially identified Adams’ girlfriend, 29-year-old Sarah Stacey, as a person of interest in the shooting.
After a brief period during which she could not be located, Stacey later “implicated herself in the case during an interview with lead detective Cooper Gauldin,” police said in an updated statement.
Stacey was found on Port Anadarko Trail and taken into custody on Sunday, Jan. 4. She has been charged with criminal homicide in connection with Adams’ death.
On Monday, Jan. 5, Adams’ mother, Amy McClure, described the moment her family learned of the tragedy.
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“A chaplain called her father, and then he called me and told me. And I knew immediately who did it. My heart shattered,” McClure told local outlet WSMV.
McClure said her daughter had struggled with substance abuse but had been sober on Christmas following a relapse earlier in 2025. Just days before her death, Adams had spent time with her family, a moment McClure described as especially meaningful.
“She got to see her nieces and nephews. Her father came to town. We all had pictures together. We all played games and spent time together,” she said. “That’s what makes this so hard — that was just last week.”
Still, McClure said she is grateful for the memories they shared. “I’m just so glad that we got those happy memories. I’m so glad that we had that.”
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Adams’ stepfather, Chip McClure, remembered her as a source of light for many people. “She touched so many people that her legacy and that light are going to burn forever,” he said. “I just know it in my heart.”
Her sister, Kathryn Nichole Adams, also paid tribute in a Facebook post, writing, “I love you more than words could ever express. The depth of love you carried — for everyone, and especially for your nieces and nephews — is something that will be felt through the test of time.”
Adams’ family plans to establish a foundation in her name, Gracey Kayla Hope, to support other families affected by substance abuse.
