Savannah mother honors daughter killed in 2022, continues push for answers and gun violence awareness with annual event

by Madalyn Bierster

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Four years after 15-year-old Desaray Gilliard was shot and killed inside Yamacraw Village, her mother is still seeking justice and working to ensure her daughter’s memory remains at the center of the community.

Community members gathered Thursday for the second annual “May Day for Desaray,” held at the same apartment complex where Gilliard was killed in 2022. Her case remains unsolved to this day.

The memorial event was organized by Desaray’s mother, Detraya Gilliard, who used the gathering to honor her daughter’s life while also calling attention to gun violence in Savannah. The program included speeches, performances, food, face painting, and community reflection.

During emotional remarks, Detraya spoke about the final moments she shared with her daughter and the lasting trauma of her loss, including not being present in Desaray’s final hours and the difficult process that followed her death.

Detraya said Desaray was a bright teenager who loved helping others and was deeply involved in her community and faith.

“We were discussing her working soon, her driving a car. I never knew that would be the last time I would see my beautiful daughter. I never knew that the final time I would see her would be in a casket. I cannot hug my daughter, I cannot kiss my daughter. I will never get to be a grandmother through Desaray,” she said.

She also described the pain of the autopsy process and identifying her daughter afterward, saying, “My daughter deserved better than that.”

Detraya said Desaray was a bright teenager who loved helping others and was deeply involved in her community and faith.

She also emphasized that her daughter’s death is part of a broader pattern of violence in Yamacraw Village that has impacted many families.

Local gun violence advocate Eli West also spoke at the event, urging continued action to address violence in the community.

“But the gun violence has to stop. And if it doesn’t, then we’re gonna just keep burying loved ones to gun violence,” West said.

The event also featured performances and tributes honoring Desaray’s life. Speakers called for greater accountability from community leaders and urged residents to take an active role in preventing future tragedies.

Detraya Gilliard said she plans to continue holding the memorial each year until her daughter’s case is solved, and until no other family in Savannah experiences the same loss.

The event wrapped up with a walk down to Desaray’s memorial site, where she was killed in Yamacraw. Detraya has set up stuffed animals, lighting, and a sign honoring her daughter.

Anyone who passes through can see it, and she hopes to have a permanent marker there for Desaray, and other victims who died of gun violence in Yamacraw.

Desaray Gilliard’s homicide remains under investigation.