Cop's Wife Dies Less Than 2 Weeks After Welcoming Daughter: 'No Replacing Her,' Says Husband

Brianna Lee, 25, was able to spend a week with her newborn daughter before her unexpected death, something her husband is “thankful” for

Jesse Lee, Brianna Lee
Jesse Lee, Brianna Lee and son. Photo: GoFundMe

A Georgia community is coming together following the tragic death of a beloved mother of two and wife of a Canton police officer.

Brianna Lee, 25, died on Sunday, less than two weeks after welcoming the couple's second child, a daughter named Amelia, according to Atlanta-based NBC affiliate WXIA-TV.

"Brianna Lee leaves behind her husband and their two beautiful children. William Lee is their first born," reads a message on a GoFundMe page that was set up on behalf of their family. "[He] is the cutest kid you'll ever meet."

Her death came after she suffered a brain injury, reported WXIA-TV.

"I don't know what happened to her," her husband Jesse, 26, told the outlet, saying that she was "perfectly fine an hour before that happened."

"What happened was catastrophic," added Domenick Marotta, a police department colleague. "It was completely unexpected."

Married for five years, Brianna and Jesse's love story spanned almost a decade.

Sparks flew during their senior year of high school after Jesse spotted Brianna crying outside of a classroom one day, according to WXIA-TV.

"Later on that evening I sent her a message saying I'm here if you need anything. The rest is history," he recalled.

After high school, the couple also made multiple moves across the world together as Jesse served in the Marine Corps.

"There's no replacing her," Jesse told the outlet. "She was it. Everybody says they have a one and only. She was mine. She was, she still is, she'll always be."

"I don't know what I'm going to do without her," he added.

Jesse Lee, Brianna Lee
Jesse Lee and Brianna Lee. Facebook

One source of comfort for Jesse is that his wife was able to spend time with their daughter before her death.

"When we found out we were having a girl, she was over the moon," Jesse told WXIA-TV. "There's no words to describe how excited she was about that."

"I'm just thankful that she was able to spend at least a week with her. She was the happiest that I'd ever seen her, at least in a long time," he added.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.

As of Tuesday, the GoFundMe campaign has raised over $32,000 for Jesse, their 3-year-old son Will and newborn daughter.

"During these trying times, we know it takes a village to raise a family," reads a message on the fundraising page. "We need all the support and prayers for his family as they continue their journey trying to learn this new environment."

"There is no doubt the struggle will not end with just raising money," the message continued, "but it's a kick start to one thing this family would not have to worry about at the moment."

Related Articles