Mary Ann Holder was born in June 25, 1975. Her mother, Frances "Frankie" Holder, said that Mary Ann was born out of wedlock. Mary Ann's father was a man her mother turned to after her first marriage ended. Frankie reported that her first husband was unfaithful, which contributed to their divorce.

After that troubled marriage, Frankie met another man. He also mistreated her, leaving her with two sons from her first marriage and pregnant with Mary Ann. At this difficult time, James C. Holder, a former Guilford County resident, married Frankie. He adopted her three children and helped raise them. Mary Ann moved around often with her family but spent much of her childhood in and around McLeansville.

While at McLeansville Middle School, Mary Ann met Carrie Beth Hunt, who would become her closest friend. They connected during gym class and became very close, along with Carrie Beth's twin sister, Mary Leigh. The three girls would often spend time together, visiting each other and sharing family vacations.

As Mary Ann grew older, she became friends with Robert "Rocky" Smith Jr., who was two years older than her and had known her since elementary school. Their friendship developed into a romantic relationship, and at the age of 15, Mary Ann discovered she was pregnant. She eventually married Rocky, and they had their first child, Christina Nichole.

Mary Ann finished her GED and worked in various roles, including as a caregiver and a paralegal assistant. She and Rocky had two more children, Robert Dylan and Zachary Lee. However, their marriage ended around the time Zachary was born. Despite their divorce, they managed to remain friends and co-parents for their children.

On November 20, 2011, Mary Ann Holder was involved in a tragic series of events that took the lives of several children related to her. Early that morning, she shot her two sons, 17-year-old Dylan Smith and 14-year-old Zachary Smith. Dylan died at the scene. She also shot and killed her 8-year-old niece, Hannaleigh Suttles, and wounded her 17-year-old nephew, Richard Suttles. Additionally, 15-year-old Makayla Woods, who was visiting, was shot as well.

The events began when Holder met her ex-boyfriend, Randall Lamb, at a parking lot. Their relationship had soured after an affair that had ended bitterly. During this meeting, she shot Lamb in the shoulder, which was the only injury he survived. Following the shooting, she drove home, where she continued her actions against the children.

After the shootings, responders found Holder in her car. She had taken her own life with a gunshot wound to the head. Inside her home, law enforcement discovered the body of her son Dylan and learned that the children had likely been shot while they were inside. The incident shocked the local community, leaving many with questions about what drove Holder to commit these acts.