Zachary Meadors, the DeKalb County School District teacher accused of having sex with one of his students, died from a gunshot wound to the head, according to an autopsy report.
Officials also found signs that Meadors, 28, may have been “cutting,” with superficial wounds found on his body that appeared to be recent.
According to the report, Meadors was found Oct. 17, 2018, in the back of his 2018 Honda Accord, parked in a movie theater parking lot in Gwinnett County. He was seated in the back seat. The doors were locked. He was found two days after he was reported missing by his family, and five days after being interviewed in connection with having an inappropriate relationship with a student.
Freedom Middle School students attending a sex-trafficking seminar on Oct. 12 were asked if they knew anyone engaged in an inappropriate relationship. A girl told staffers a 12-year-old boy was having an inappropriate relationship with a teacher.
That day, Meadors told investigators he had spent time with the 12-year-old boy outside of the school, at his home and in public parks. Officials also discovered explicit text messages and photos in a text string on Meadors’ and the boy’s cell phones, sent from Meadors to the boy.
But Meadors was never taken into custody. Officials said his parents reported him missing after Meadors dropped off the video, on an iPad, and letters addressed to his parents, siblings and two unidentified people, which offered apologies and instructions for dividing any money he left.
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