Parenting influencer mourns the loss of his 2-year-old daughter

A parenting influencer based in Georgia said he is grieving the loss of his 2-year-old daughter.

Jamal Morton shared in a now-deleted GoFundMe post that his daughter Sadé Rose, 2, drowned.

“I lost my daughter,” he wrote. “She thought she was a big girl and could swim all by herself. She walked out of the house and got into the pool where she drowned.”

After his daughter’s death, Morton posted a video of her from her birthday party. The girl blew out candles on her Peppa Pig birthday cake, smiling.

Morton is based in Hall County, an outer suburb of Atlanta. When USA TODAY contacted the Hall County Sheriff’s Office on Friday, June 26, and asked about recent calls to a home believed to be Morton's, the agency said there had been a call to the address at 2:03 p.m. on Sunday, June 21, 2026, about an “unknown problem.”

“We can further confirm there was a death at the residence, which appears to be accidental in nature,” the sheriff's office wrote.

When pressed for details, the department said it does not release details on non-criminal deaths at private residences. 

Morton’s management team did not immediately respond to request for comment on June 26.

Father asks for privacy, condemns speculation

Since the news of his daughter’s death has gained more attention, he has since pleaded with the public to respect his family’s wishes for privacy.

This week, he appeared to address in multiple social media posts misinformation circulating about what happened to his daughter. According to Morton, comments have been made about how his daughter died and whether he is at fault.

"Let my family grieve in PEACE," he wrote in a June 26 Facebook post.

'God, if you’re real, please watch over my baby'

Morton frequently shares videos of himself in different parenting scenarios, like a YouTube short where he talked about a child about sneaking into the house at 2 a.m., or another video where he gives first date tips.

Morton has over a million followers on TikTok and over half a million followers on YouTube.

In a December 2025 Instagram post, Morton said he had nine children and was grateful he could support them. They were once unhoused and suffering financially, he said.

“Now I’m a millionaire and I’m blessed,” Morton said. “Everything I went through was worth it. I swear it was.”

In another post, he pointed out that some people have criticized him for having so many kids. 

"I'm leaving behind a legacy,” he said in the video. “At least when I go, I'm gon' be remembered. I'm breaking records, breaking generational curses."

Morton sent out a heartfelt wish for his late daughter in a post on Facebook.

“I hope heaven is real because I can’t imagine you being all alone by yourself,” he wrote. “So God, if you’re real, please watch over my baby. Rest in Peace, my sweet angel. Daddy loves you forever, Rose.”

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s trending team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at [email protected].