A young woman who drowned after falling overboard during a Fourth of July boat party was a first-time mother of a baby girl.
Jerri MacMeekin was found floating in the waters of 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, rushed to her rescue, along with another woman, but were unable to find her.
Both men, who were piloting two different boats side by side, were later arrested and charged with boating while intoxicated.
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 getting engaged in December 2019 after many years together.
She was a senior evaluator and portfolio manager at Paragon Services & BKB Construction in Houston, where she worked since 2015.
Jerri married Brandon MacMeekin, 32, in January 2021 after getting engaged in December 2019 following many years together.
“I’m proud to have supported my best friend and brother as he marries the woman of his dreams,” Kyle MacMeekin wrote on Facebook weeks later, when the photos surfaced.
“Our mom finally had the daughter she always wanted!” Jerri commented. “The best! What a sweet post!”
Baby girl Georgia Grace MacMeekin arrived at 8 pounds, 4 ounces on Dec. 14, months after Jerri and Brandon excitedly posed with ultrasound photos.
“Our sweet rainbow baby will be coming into the world in December 2023! He is truly the best Christmas gift I could ask for!” she wrote.
‘Our hearts have never been fuller, our smiles have never been 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 event), jumped in to rescue her but was unable to find her.
MacMeekin was later charged with boating while intoxicated and held overnight without bail.
Brandon and Kyle’s mother, Sharon MacMeekin, welcomed Georgia with a series of photos holding the little 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 little girl,” she wrote.
Shannon posted another photo of the entire family, minus her husband who died a few years earlier, at Christmas, and then one with her son on Father’s Day.
“Nothing makes my heart happier than watching Brandon be the best daddy to sweet Georgia Grace. Happy first Father’s Day!” she wrote.
Jerri in another post wrote a tribute to Brandon when they moved from their first home to a bigger one, ready to start a family.
MacMeekin’s mother, Shannon, posted a photo of the entire family on Christmas with Grace, Jerri and Brandon’s new baby (from left: Kyle, his girlfriend Aubrie Kurlin, Jerri, Shannon, Brandon)
Brandon and Kyle’s mother, Sharon MacMeekin, welcomed Georgia with a series of photos cradling the little girl she always wanted in her arms.
“Nothing makes my heart happier than watching Brandon be the best daddy to sweet Georgia Grace. Happy first Father’s Day!” she wrote while posting this photo.
“I think we are very lucky. We have been given some of the best opportunities and some of the best friends and family we have,” she wrote.
‘On our wedding day I felt like a princess, but one of the reasons I love you so much is because you make me feel that way every day.
“I’m the luckiest 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.”
Her dreams were shattered when Jerri fell overboard from the pontoon boat at around 9pm on Thursday and never resurfaced.
Anniboli and MacMeekin jumped in to save her, but were unable to find her in the water and darkness, and soon lost sight of another woman who also dived in to help.
Kyle Dean MacMeekin, 29 (pictured with girlfriend Aubrie Kurlin) dove in to save his drowning sister-in-law.
The MacMeekin brothers pictured with their parents, with Jerri in the center.
Brandon and Kyle MacMeekin are close and often hunt together.
Montgomery County Marine Police arrived and pulled MacMeekin and Anniboli from the water and continued the search.
Police used side-scan sonar to search the lake and found the other woman safe on a dock an hour later, after she had swum about three-quarters of a mile.
Divers from the North Montgomery County Fire Department later recovered Jerri’s body around 11 p.m.
Texas Parks and Wildlife rangers began interviewing witnesses and arrested Anniboli and MacMeekin.
Both were charged with boating while intoxicated and were held overnight without bail at the Montgomery County Jail.
MacMeekin was released Friday night on $3,000 bail and Anniboli was held on $1,000 bail.
Family friend Shane Everett Anniboli, 44, was at the helm of the other boat and dove in with MacMeekin after Jerri fell overboard.
Anniboli was also charged with boating while intoxicated after police found Jerri’s body.
Anniboli ran Funky Flamingo Shaved Ice in Magnolia, Texas, where he still lives, since 2016, after starting it with his ex-wife Mary, until it closed about two years ago.
He is currently a business development specialist at Dahill and previously also managed Turfco Landscape Management.
MacMeekin is a former college 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 sent Jerri’s body for an autopsy.
Capt. Miguel Rosario of the Montgomery County Precinct 1 Sheriff’s Office advised anyone on a boat to wear a life jacket to avoid a tragedy.
“We never enjoy pulling people out of the water, especially on a holiday weekend when you’re supposed to be having fun, enjoying time with your family,” he said.
One of the vessels believed to have been involved in the drowning after being towed into 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 wearing a life jacket.’
Texas Parks and Wildlife rangers arrested 172 people for boating while intoxicated in 2023, 56 of them during the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
“A lot of people don’t realize when they’re too intoxicated to operate a boat,” Rosario said.
‘Drink responsibly. Be sensible. Be safe. Designate a driver… If you drink, wear a life jacket in case you accidentally fall overboard.’