DeKalb teacher accused of sexually abusing sixth-grader found dead

Zachary Meadors

A DeKalb County School District teacher accused of sexually abusing a middle-school student was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound Wednesday afternoon, police said.

Zachary Meadors, 28, of Lawrenceville, was found dead in a vehicle in the 1200 block of Scenic Highway about 5:15 p.m., Gwinnett County police said in a news release.

He was accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a sixth-grade male student at Freedom Middle School in Stone Mountain, according to an arrest warrant by DeKalb County police. He faced charges of child molestation, computer pornography and child exploitation, Channel 2 Action News reported.

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He was a sixth-grade English teacher at the school, and he had worked there for two years, Channel 2 reported. He was placed on unpaid administrative leave on Friday.

His parents filed a missing persons report Monday with police after Meadors left letters and an iPad at his parents’ front door. He was last seen Saturday.

The missing persons report said Meadors apologized for his relationship with the student and asked his parents to divide his money among family members, Channel 2 Action reported.