EXCLUSIVEPictured: Texas new mom, 31, who drowned in a lake during 'drunken' 4th of July boat party - as her brother-in-law and friend are arrested
A young woman who drowned after she fell overboard during a Fourth of July boat party was a new mother to a baby girl.
Jerri MacMeekin was found floating in the waters of Lake Conroe, north of Houston, about 11.30pm on Thursday - two hours after she disappeared.
Her brother-in-law Kyle Dean MacMeekin, 29, and his friend Shane Everett Anniboli, 44, dived in to rescue her, along with another woman, but couldn't find her.
Both men, who were piloting two different boats next to each other, were later arrested and charged with boating while intoxicated.
Jerri MacMeekin (right) drowned after she fell 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 following many years together
She was a senior estimator and portfolio manager at Paragon Services & BKB Construction in Houston, where she worked since 2015.
Jerri married Brandon MacMeekin, 32, in January 2021 after they got engaged in December 2019 following many years together.
'Proud to have stood by my best friend and brother as he marries the woman of his dreams,' Kyle MacMeekin wrote on Facebook weeks later when the photos came out.
'Our momma finally got the daughter she has always wanted!' Jerri commented: 'The best! Such a sweet post!'
Baby girl Georgia Grace MacMeekin arrived at 8lbs 4oz on December 14, months after Jerri and Brandon excitedly posed with photos of the ultrasound.
'Our sweet rainbow baby is making its debut into the world December 2023! Truly the best Christmas gift I could ever ask for!' she wrote.
'Our hearts have never been more full, 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) dived in to rescue her, but couldn't 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 cradling the girl she always wanted in her arms.
'I am just a puddle, she is perfect. Thank you Brandon and Jerri MacMeekin for making me a Shannie. I finally got my little girl,' she wrote.
Shannon posted another photo of the whole 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 more happy 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 as they moved out of their first home into a bigger one, ready to start a family.
MacMeekin's mother Shannon posted a photo of the whole family at Christmas with Jerri and Brandon's new baby Grace (L to R: Kyle, his girlfriend Aubrie Kurlin, Jerri, Shannon, Brandon)
Brandon and Kyle's mother Sharon MacMeekin welcomed Georgia with a series of photos cradling the girl she always wanted in her arms
'Nothing makes my heart more happy than watching Brandon be the best daddy to sweet Georgia Grace. Happy First Father's Day!' she wrote when posting this photo
'I think just how lucky we are. We have been given some of the greatest opportunities and some of the greatest friends and family around,' she wrote.
'On our wedding day I felt like an absolute princess but one reason I absolutely love you is because you make me feel that way everyday.
'I am the luckiest girl in the world. I can't wait to see what we do with our future I know the greatest things have yet to come.'
Their dreams were shattered when Jerri fell overboard from the pontoon boat about 9pm on Thursday and never resurfaced.
Anniboli and MacMeekin jumped in to save her, but couldn't 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 his girlfriend Aubrie Kurlin) dived in to save their drowning sister-in-law
The MacMeekin brothers pictured with their parents, plus Jerri in the center
Brandon and Kyle MacMeekin are close and often hunting 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 swam about three-quarters of a mile.
Divers with North Montgomery County Fire Department later recovered Jerri's body about 11pm.
Game wardens with the Texas Parks and Wildlife began interviewing witnesses and arrested Anniboli and MacMeekin.
They were both charged with boating while intoxicated were held overnight without bail at the Montgomery County Jail.
MacMeekin was released on Friday night on $3,000 bail and Anniboli was given a $1,000 bond.
Family friend Shane Everett Anniboli, 44, was piloting the other boat and dived 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, from 2016 after starting it with his ex-wife Mary, until it closed about two years ago.
He is now a business development specialist at Dahill and formerly also ran Turfco Landscape Management.
MacMeekin is a former college football star at the University of Central Florida, and now a project manager at SRG Roofing in Spring, Texas.
Justice of the Peace Wayne Mack ordered an inquest and had Jerri's body sent for an autopsy.
Montgomery County Precinct 1 Constable's Office Captain Miguel Rosario advised anyone on a boat they should wear a life jacket to avoid 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,' said.
One of the boats believed to be involved in the drowning after it was towed to the dock
Game wardens with the Texas Parks and Wildlife began interviewing witnesses and arrested Anniboli
'All the divers I know, they've never pulled anybody out of the water that's been wearing a life jacket.'
Texas Parks and Wildlife game wardens arrested 172 people for boating while intoxicated in 2023, 56 of them over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
'A lot of people don't realize when they're too intoxicated to operate a vessel,' Rosario said.
'Drink responsibly. Be sensible. Be safe. Have a designated driver... If you're drinking, put on your lifejacket just in case you accidentally fall overboard.'
