Autopsy results have been released for the 6-year-old found dead in Saucier.
Harrison County Sheriff Matt Haley said during a press conference Thursday afternoon that Gracelynn Vick died from a combination of heat stress and limited oxygen supply after getting stuck inside a plastic farm barrel on her family’s property.
“This has been a hard week for my family and my team,” Haley said. “We ask that you remember her family.”
Vick went outside to play at her family’s home on F. Taylor Road on April 13 before disappearing. After being reported missing by her parents, deputies discovered her body around 6 p.m. the same day.
Haley said Thursday while sharing the preliminary report that investigators used video surveillance from the residence and scene recreation to discover that Vick went inside the barrel before closing the lid herself. She then got stuck and suffocated to death as temperatures that day were in the lower 80s. The situation was compared to a child being stuck in a hot car during the summer.
During review of the video, investigators verified nobody else walked to the area Vick was located until after the family began searching for the child. Additionally, Haley said footage showed Vick’s mother go outside, notice her child was missing, and call law enforcement within minutes.
Haley noted there is no evidence of foul play, and the situation looks to be a “tragic accident.” The state medical examiner’s office noted in the autopsy report that there were no signs of trauma, sexual abuse, or neglect.
The investigation will remain open for the time being, with a full report being filed in the coming months.
