New mother Jerri MacMeekin drowns in boating accident in Texas

A young mother was killed in a tragic boating accident in Texas on July 4 – and both her brother-in-law and another boater are facing drunk driving charges.

Authorities in Willis, Texas, said 31-year-old Jerri MacMeekin fell from the stern of a boat piloted by Kyle MacMeekin and drowned in Lake Conroe around 9 p.m. on Thursday after it collided with a second boat.

The second boat was piloted by Shane Anniboli, 44.

Both MacMeekin and Anniboli were charged with drunken driving. Neither could be reached for comment Saturday.

According to police, Jerri MacMeekin was not wearing a life jacket at the time of the accident.

Her body was found more than two hours after she fell overboard.

Three people followed her into the water but were unable to rescue Jerrie, authorities said.

Jerri and Brandon MacMeeken were married in Dallas in March 2021. In June, Jerri shared on Facebook her joy at being pregnant with a “rainbow baby” – a child born after a miscarriage or the loss of a newborn.

She gave birth to her daughter in December – that is, her little girl was only a few months old when her mother died.

“It’s never fun for us to pull people out of the water, especially on a holiday weekend when you should be having fun and enjoying time with your family,” Captain Miguel Rosario of the Montgomery County 1st District Sheriff’s Office told local reporters.