Incident
Deputy Jailer Michaela Smith succumbed to injuries sustained during defensive tactics training in Whitfield County.
Deputy Jailer Smith was completing her jailer certification requirements which involved defensive tactics and being pepper sprayed. She suffered a strike to the head during the defensive tactics training. She returned home following the pepper-spraying practical and then went to the hospital when she began to show symptoms of a head injury. She was treated and released but readmitted to the hospital in the morning when her condition worsened.
She became unresponsive after returning to the hospital and she passed away on July 3rd, 2019.
Deputy Jailer Smith had served with the Murray County Sheriff's Office for only six months.
Survivors
She is survived by her parents.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-GA-C13F8230- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Deputy Jailer Smith served with the Murray County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Chatsworth community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Jailer Smith.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Jailer Michaela Elizabeth Smith is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In GA, 263 of 903 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 29.1% of this state's fallen. That is 1.9 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Murray County Sheriff's Office, 1 of 2 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Michaela Elizabeth Smith's cause is highlighted.
How Michaela Elizabeth Smith Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Michaela Elizabeth Smith is highlighted in Jul.
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Murray County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
