A Florida woman thought she lost it all after her fiancé was killed while at work, but she's found hope again after extracting his sperm to create their own family.
Dylan Lyons, a Spectrum News reporter, was covering a murder scene in Pine Hills, Florida, on February 22, 2023, when he suddenly became one of the victims.
He was shot and killed by a gunman who had come back to the area where Nathacha Augustin, 38, was murdered earlier that day.
The suspected shooter, Melvin Moses, then stormed into a nearby house and shot a mother and her nine-year-old daughter, T'Yonna Major. The girl died as well.
At the time of his death, Dylan, 24, was in the prime of his life - engaged to his fiancé Casey Lyons, doing what he loved as a journalist, and thrilled to raise children of their own one day.
Casey, 29, made his dreams come true three years later after he took his last breath by using posthumous sperm retrieval (PSR), or postmortem sperm collection, on Dylan so they could have a child together.
'We were at that point in our relationship where that’s what we wanted. So it’s not like we just took his sperm, not knowing if he wanted to have a child with me. He absolutely did, it’s all we ever talked about,' Casey told the Daily Mail.
'Time was not on our side, and he was taken from me before we could really try.'
Casey Lyons decided to extract her dead fiancé's sperm just after he died while reporting on a murder on February 22, 2023, in Pine Hills, Florida
On March 19, their son, whom she named after his father, entered the world
After successfully extracting Dylan's sperm, Casey, who legally changed her last name to his in 2023, had it transferred to an in vitro fertilization clinic.
She soon found out that she would struggle to carry their child, but after enduring five egg retrievals, and two failed transfers, Casey got the news that her surrogate, who is also her friend, was pregnant with her and Dylan's child on July 18, 2025.
On March 19, their son, whom she named after his father, entered the world.
The decision to keep his memory alive was not an easy one, but it had to be done as soon as possible in order for them to have a child together, Casey explained.
In order to retrieve viable sperm, the extraction has to be done within 24 to 63 hours of Dylan's death.
The suspected shooter, Melvin Moses, being escorted by police after being arrested in connection to the fatal shootings
'I was in shock about what happened to him, and it was very back and forth about are we allowed to do this, are we not allowed to do this,' the first-time mom stated.
Casey and Dylan's family, whom she lives with, spoke to the medical examiner handling his body, who told them a urologist would have to do the procedure, but not at his lab.
After waiting for Dylan's autopsy to be completed, Casey and her family faced the 'incredibly stressful' task of finding a top doctor to properly extract Dylan's sperm.
After waiting for Dylan's autopsy to be completed, Casey and her family were tasked with the 'incredibly stressful' part of finding a top doctor to properly extract Dylan's sperm
Casey is seen standing alongside her late husband
'We can’t find anyone, but then his dad’s urologist, who (Dylan) also went to, was told a colleague of his had done it before. We got his contact information, and he was the one that did it,' she recalled.
The procedure went well, with the doctor able to extract 'so much of his sperm,' Casey said.
'The night before he was murdered, we did not have sexual relations, and sperm regenerates every 24 hours,' she stated.
The large amount of sperm extracted meant Casey was able to produce multiple embryos, meaning she could have more children with her late husband.
But, for right now, Casey said she is beyond happy with their 'special boy.'
She said: 'But now that he’s here, I’m not sure (about more children) because it’s like I want to give him everything. I just feel like he’s my special boy and I want to give him everything.'
If her son asks for a sibling in the future, Casey said she would be more than happy to explore that option, but if not, she is also content.
'I’m completely fine just having him because he’s my special boy and I want to give him the world,' she stated.
Frozen sperm and embryos remain viable for decades, with successful human births occurring after being stored for 40 years, according to PubMed Central.
For now, Casey is focused on giving their son the best life she can while hoping that Dylan is watching over them every step of the way
Before Dylan died, Casey was in the process of converting to Judaism, the faith her late fiancé followed.
Though it was hard for her to continue with the process, Casey, who was not religious before, has fully converted in honor of Dylan.
For now, Casey is focused on giving their son the best life she can while hoping that Dylan is watching over them every step of the way.
'When he dreams, he smiles, and I always hope he sees Dylan in his dreams,' she said of their son.
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