KOKOMO, Ind. — The Howard County coroner determined a 17-year-old killed herself after her body was found near a trail in March.
Around 4:15 p.m. on March 15, Kokomo Police Department officers were sent to a bike trail in the 3000 block of North Washington Street on a report of a body discovered. Responding officers found a teenager's body in the brush near the bike trail.
Investigators from the Kokomo Police Department and representatives from the Howard County Coroner's Office arrived to investigate. The body was identified as 17-year-old Mea L. Rayls. She was reported as a runaway to the Kokomo Police Department on Feb. 8, 2022. She had last been seen Feb. 6, 2022.
An autopsy found no evidence of trauma.
The Howard County coroner ruled Rayls' death a suicide as the result of an intentional overdose of the prescription medication Methylphenidate, combined with cold exposure, where temperatures at the time were between 21 and 34 degrees.
If you or anyone you know needs help, the Nation Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7 by calling 1-800-273-8255 (TALK) or texting Text IN to 741-741 for free for crisis counseling. YouthLine is also available at 877-968-8491.