A young woman who drowned after falling overboard during a Fourth of July boat party had just given birth to a baby girl.
Jerri MacMeekin was found floating in Lake Conroe, north of Houston, around 11:30 p.m. Thursday, two hours after she disappeared.
Her brother-in-law Kyle Dean MacMeekin, 29, and his friend Shane Everett Anniboli, 44, jumped into the water to rescue her, along with another woman, but were unable to find her.
Both men, who were operating two separate boats side by side, were later arrested and charged with operating under the influence.
Jerri MacMeekin (right) drowned after falling overboard during a Fourth of July boat party she attended with her husband Brandon MacMeekin (left)
Jerri married Brandon MacMeekin, 32, in January 2021 after they got engaged in December 2019 after dating for many years
She was a senior estimator and portfolio manager at Paragon Services & BKB Construction in Houston, where she had worked since 2015.
Jerri married Brandon MacMeekin, 32, in January 2021, after they got engaged in December 2019 after dating for many years.
“Proud to have been there to support my best friend and brother as he married the woman of his dreams,” Kyle MacMeekin wrote on Facebook weeks later when the photos emerged.
“Our mom finally had the daughter she always wanted!” Jerri commented, “The best! What a sweet message!”
Baby girl Georgia Grace MacMeekin was born on December 14, weighing 8 pounds, months after Jerri and Brandon excitedly snapped ultrasound photos.
“Our sweet rainbow baby is making her world debut in December 2023! Truly the best Christmas present I could ever ask for!” she wrote.
‘Our hearts have never been fuller, our smiles never bigger, we couldn’t be more grateful for this precious gift!’
Jerri’s brother-in-law Kyle Dean MacMeekin, 29, (pictured together at a family party) dove into the water to save her, but couldn’t find her
MacMeekin was later charged with drunk driving and was held overnight without bail
Brandon and Kyle’s mother Sharon MacMeekin welcomed Georgia with a series of photos of herself holding the girl she always wanted in her arms.
“I’m just a puddle, she’s perfect. Thank you Brandon and Jerri MacMeekin for making me a Shannie. I finally have my baby girl,” she wrote.
Shannon posted another photo of the entire family, excluding her husband who had passed away a few years earlier, at Christmas, and then another photo with her son on Father’s Day.
“Nothing makes my heart happier than seeing Brandon be the best dad to sweet Georgia Grace. Happy First Father’s Day!” she wrote.
Jerri wrote a tribute to Brandon in another post as they moved from their first home to a bigger house, ready to start a family.
MacMeekin’s mother Shannon posted a photo of the entire family at Christmas with Jerri and Brandon’s new baby Grace (left to right: Kyle, his girlfriend Aubrie Kurlin, Jerri, Shannon, Brandon)
Brandon and Kyle’s mother Sharon MacMeekin welcomed Georgia with a series of photos of herself holding the baby girl she’s always wanted in her arms
“Nothing makes my heart happier than seeing Brandon be the best dad to sweet Georgia Grace. Happy First Father’s Day!” she wrote when she posted this photo
“I think we’re just lucky. We’ve been given some of the best opportunities and some of the best friends and family there is,” she wrote.
‘On our wedding day I felt like a real princess, but one of the reasons I love you so much is because you make me feel that way every day.
“I’m the happiest girl in the world. I can’t wait to see what we do with our future. I know the best things are yet to come.”
Their dreams were shattered when Jerri fell overboard from the pontoon boat around 9 p.m. Thursday night and never surfaced.
Anniboli and MacMeekin jumped in to save her, but could not find her in the water and darkness. They soon lost sight of another woman who had also dived to help.
Kyle Dean MacMeekin, 29, (pictured with girlfriend Aubrie Kurlin) dove into the water to save their drowning sister-in-law
The MacMeekin brothers pictured with their parents, plus Jerri in the middle
Brandon and Kyle MacMeekin are close and often go hunting together
Montgomery County Marine Police arrived, pulled MacMeekin and Anniboli from the water, and continued the search.
Police used sonar to scan the lake and found the other woman safely on a jetty an hour later after swimming about a kilometre.
Divers from the North Montgomery County Fire Department found Jerri’s body around 11 p.m.
Texas Parks and Wildlife rangers began interviewing witnesses and arrested Anniboli and MacMeekin.
They were both charged with driving under the influence and held overnight without bail in the Montgomery County Jail.
MacMeekin was released Friday evening on $3,000 bail and Anniboli was given $1,000 bail.
Family friend Shane Everett Anniboli, 44, was driving the other boat and dove in with MacMeekin after Jerri fell overboard
Anniboli was also charged with driving under the influence after police found Jerri’s body
Anniboli owned and operated Funky Flamingo Shaved Ice in Magnolia, Texas, where he still lives. He started the business in 2016 with his ex-wife Mary, but closed the business about two years ago.
He is now a Business Development Specialist at Dahill and previously also led Turfco Landscape Management.
MacMeekin is a former football star at the University of Central Florida and is now a project manager at SRG Roofing in Spring, Texas.
Justice of the Peace Wayne Mack ordered an inquest and had Jerri’s body submitted for an autopsy.
Montgomery County Precinct 1 Police Department Captain Miguel Rosario advised anyone on a boat to wear a life jacket to help prevent a tragedy.
“We never like to pull people out of the water, especially on a long weekend when you should be having fun and spending time with your family,” he said.
One of the boats believed to be involved in the drowning, after being towed to the dock
Texas Parks and Wildlife rangers began interviewing witnesses and arrested Anniboli
“All the divers I know have never pulled anyone out of the water who was wearing a life jacket.”
In 2023, Texas Parks and Wildlife rangers arrested 172 people for boating under the influence, 56 of them over the Fourth of July weekend.
“A lot of people don’t realize they’re too drunk to operate a watercraft,” Rosario said.
‘Drink responsibly. Be sensible. Be safe. Have a designated driver… If you drink, put on your life jacket in case you accidentally fall overboard.’