Discovery of dead body at Mississippi school’s football field house prompts investigation
Published 5:24 pm Thursday, September 16, 2021
A dead body found inside a high school football field house shocked school officials and prompted a criminal investigation Thursday in a Mississippi town.
Natchez Police Chief Joseph Daughtry said it seems as if someone attempted to break into the Field House near the stadium and fell through the roof to their death after striking their head.
Officials are waiting for the Adams County Coroner to perform an autopsy and identify the body, Daughtry said.
The body was discovered at approximately 10 a.m. Thursday and Natchez Police Department officers and Adams County Sheriff’s Office deputies were called immediately to the scene.
Jessica Carter, lead administrator at Cathedral, said because the situation occurred away from the school buildings, no students were exposed to or made aware of what happened and an email was sent to alert parents of students regarding the situation.
School continued as normal and students are being kept clear of the football stadium.
Carter emphasized that, “Everyone is safe.”
“No students were in contact with the situation since it did happen at the Field House away from all campuses. They were not aware of the situation as we found it and then as the investigation continues. Students, faculty and staff are safe with the Field House being further away from campus,” she said.
Carter said she and other school personnel are concerned about crimes that have occurred at the school and in the surrounding area.
“We have had break-ins and some recently, too. We are concerned with keeping all of our school protected, all of our belongings and our Field House, especially when we are not on campus to monitor them,” she said.
“We would like to put more video cameras up so we can closely monitor if we notice things are out of the usual when we arrive on campus. On the school, we have cameras surrounding the buildings and some cameras around the fields but more cameras would help us monitor the situation if something were to happen again.”