Three days ago, in broad daylight on Chicago’s South Side, Gabryel Ayers was killed in a way that investigators are now calling “deliberate, sustained, and targeted.” She was 26 years old — a hairstylist, a young mother, and by all accounts, someone who never saw what was coming.

Her 1-year-old daughter was strapped into a car seat in the back.

According to police, Ayers had just entered her vehicle when three masked gunmen approached. Within seconds, the suspects opened fire with long guns, unloading more than 50 rounds into the car. Surveillance footage shows the attackers circling the vehicle, continuing to fire even after Ayers was already incapacitated.

Then came the detail that stopped seasoned investigators cold.

Shell casings were found inside the baby’s car seat.

Not nearby.
Not on the pavement.
Inside.

That single discovery has changed how police are interpreting the entire shooting.

Authorities say the volume of gunfire suggests far more than a robbery or spontaneous act of violence. This was not a warning. This was not a message. This was an execution carried out with overwhelming force — and investigators now believe the shooters either knew a child was inside the vehicle or did not care.

The baby survived without a single physical injury.

Her mother did not.

Video footage shows the gunmen firing until their magazines were empty. Witnesses say the sound was deafening — rapid bursts that echoed through the block. After the initial barrage, the suspects ran back to a red Alfa Romeo parked nearby. As they fled, they fired additional shots from inside the vehicle before speeding away.

Police have confirmed the car was stolen.

Despite the brutality of the attack — and despite clear surveillance footage — no arrests have been made.

Investigators are now working backward, piecing together Ayers’ final days, her relationships, and any possible motive that could explain such extreme violence. Friends and family describe her as hardworking and devoted to her daughter. There is, so far, no public indication that she was involved in criminal activity.

That absence of an obvious motive is troubling.

“This level of violence usually signals something very specific,” one former detective said. “Either the shooters believed they had no margin for error — or they were sending a message meant to erase someone completely.”

The presence of shell casings in the child’s seat adds a darker layer. It suggests proximity. It suggests chaos. And it raises a terrifying question investigators are now forced to confront: was the child intentionally spared — or was her survival simply chance?

Police are also examining whether the attackers had prior knowledge of Ayers’ movements. The speed of the ambush, the positioning of the shooters, and the choice of long guns all point toward planning rather than impulse.

Yet despite all this, the case has received little national attention.

In a city accustomed to gun violence, even horrific cases can disappear from headlines within hours. But detectives insist this one is different — not only because of the child, but because of how methodical the attack appears to have been.

Community members have begun holding informal vigils, leaving flowers and stuffed animals near the scene. Many are asking the same question: how can three people carry out an attack like this, in daylight, on camera — and still be free days later?

The twist in this case isn’t just the evidence.

It’s the silence.

No public suspects.
No announced motive.
No explanation that makes sense.

And a baby who will grow up with no memory of the moment that took her mother — only the knowledge that she survived something investigators say she never should have.

For police, the shell casings in the car seat are more than evidence. They are a reminder of how close this case came to becoming even worse — and a sign that whoever carried out this attack may be far more dangerous than initially believed.

The investigation is ongoing.

But one thing is already clear:
This was not random.
And the truth, when it comes, is likely to be devastating.