Mississippi state lawmaker found dead in apparent suicide at home of ex-lawmaker

Published March 25, 2013

FoxNews.com

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  Feb. 20, 2008: Rep. Jessica Upshaw, R-Diamondhead, at the Capitol in Jackson, Miss.AP/ROGELIO V. SOLIS

A Mississippi state lawmaker was found dead in an apparent suicide Sunday at the home of a former state legislator, authorities say. 

Simpson County Sheriff Kenneth Lewis tells MSNewsNow.com Rep. Jessica Upshaw appears to have shot herself in the head at a home in Mendenhall on Sunday. The lawmaker was 53.

Sources tell MSNewsNow.com Upshaw's body was found at the home of former state Rep. Clint Rotenberry. He has not been arrested in the case.

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant released a statement on Upshaw's death late Sunday, saying he and his wife Deborah were saddened by the news.

"I have known Jessica for many years as an unselfish and dedicated public servant. This is a tragic loss for her family and all Mississippians, and our thoughts and prayers go out to her family during this difficult time," Bryant said.

Upshaw was an attorney who had been a lawmaker since 2004. She was a Republican from Diamondhead along the state's coast. Mendenhall is about 110 miles away from her hometown.

Upshaw served District 95, in the Mississippi House of Representatives, which covers Hancock and Harrison Counties.

Lewis says authorities are waiting for an autopsy to confirm Upshaw's official cause of death.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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