Man’s death ruled a drowning

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November 19, 2009

By Brian Livingston The Meridian Star Thu Nov 19, 2009, 11:51 PM CST

A man whose body was found by children in Gallagher's Creek in the 4400 block of Terry Street late Wednesday afternoon drowned according to a preliminary autopsy report from the state medical examiner's office.

Meridian Police Department Capt. James Sharpe, commander of the department's investigative division, said Thursday afternoon in a press release 44-year-old Shawn L. Rackley has been identified as the victim. Sharpe said a possible contributing factor to Rackley's accidental death may have resulted from the victim's health problems.

"Rackley had an extensive history of seizures due to epilepsy," Sharpe said in the release. "During our investigation we discovered he had a similar accident last week where he fell off a bridge near a body of water at Highland Park."

Sharpe went on to say Rackley required medical attention for a head wound as a result of that earlier fall.

At 4:48 p.m. Wednesday, Central Dispatch operators received a call from residents in the area of Terry Street that several children playing near the creek had come upon Rackley's body as it lay in about two feet of water. Authorities at the time said they were launching a death investigation to try and determine the exact cause of death. Rackley's body had reportedly been in the water between 12 and 24 hours before it was discovered. The body was sent Wednesday night to the Mississippi State Crime Lab for an autopsy that was conducted Thursday morning.

Because the death is ruled a fresh water drowning, authorities with the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks have been contacted.

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