In the fall of 2016, the community of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, was unsettled by the death of 27-year-old Jared Matthew Mothershed. A former standout athlete in both baseball and football at Deshler High School, Mothershed had gone on to play college baseball and eventually returned to the area as a teacher and coach at Sheffield High School. He was married and a new father to a son.
On October 29, 2016, Mothershed was found dead in his Muscle Shoals home.
His death came just one day after he was placed on leave by the Sheffield School Board. The suspension was enacted after a female student and her parents filed a complaint with the police alleging sexual misconduct. The day before his body was discovered, the city had begun an investigation into the accusations.
While the coroner did not immediately release details from his investigation, sources close to the case reported that his death was a suicide. Other reports would later state his death was ruled an accident. In the wake of his death, the investigation into the alleged misconduct continued, involving the Colbert County Department of Human Resources. No arrests were made in connection with his death.
