JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — People who knew 19-year-old Iyana McGraw said she was excited to be a mother. She was due to give birth in a matter of days before she was gunned down in 2019.
It's been two years since the Jacksonville woman was shot and killed. In Decemember 2021, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office arrested Gerod Fields, 28, and George Prince Jr., 29, for the murder of McGraw and her child Milan. To Iyana's aunt, Gloria McGraw, this is justice.
"I trust in the Lord, I have faith, I believe in Him," Gloria said. "And He knows that Iyana was innocent."
Not a day goes by Gloria doesn't think about her beloved niece, her 'NaNa.' Gloria smiled at the memory of her niece reacting to her nickname.
"When I call her NaNa as an adult, she said, 'Auntie, you're still calling me NaNa?'" Gloria chuckled. "She was a special little girl. She was so special."
Iyana's family said she had a bright future as a mother and as a college student. Her aunt said she was accepted Spellman College, an HBCU in Atlanta. Gloria bragged how her niece was always on the dean's list. Her future, unfortunately, was cut short.
The 19-year-old was killed inside an apartment complex in the Arlington area. Police said she was found with multiple gunshot wounds. Her daughter, Milan, was delivered. However, she died just three months later of breathing complications. Gloria said her lungs didn't have enough oxygen.
"I just wish a thousand times, maybe I could've saved her," Gloria said.
While an arrest is justice, to Gloria, a conviction would be closure after so many years.