A man from Drew died in a one-car accident between Itta Bena and Schlater on Wednesday morning.
Jeffrey Starks, 44, is believed to have died before daybreak, said Leflore County Ricky Banks.
"From what we can tell, it appears that he fell asleep driving," Banks said.
The accident occurred where County Road 515 meets County Road 516, making a T-intersection. Starks was heading north on CR 515.
There were no other passengers.
According to Banks, the scene where Starks left the road had signs of skid or swerve marks to indicate that the driver tried to stop.
Starks, an employee of the canine unit at the state penitentiary in Parchman, was apparently on his way to work when he fell asleep, said Banks. Starks, who was scheduled to be at work at 6:30 a.m., had spent the night in Itta Bena.
"We think he was taking that back road to work," added Banks.
Starks' 1998 Ford F-150 pickup truck went airborne as he failed to turn at the intersection, Banks said. The truck traveled about 60 yards from the road into a tree thicket. It stopped after hitting a cypress tree. Banks said Starks died on impact.
"The truck was so far up in the woods and off the road that the general public could not see it," the sheriff said.
The truck apparently sat in the thicket for more than two hours until a Leflore County road crew spotted it and called the Sheriff's Department.
According to Banks, tree limbs came through the truck's windshield. The airbags were deployed, and Starks was not thrown from the vehicle.
Banks said he did not know if Starks was wearing his seat belt.
Leflore County Coroner Debra Sanders has sent the body to Jackson for an autopsy.
"I believe they are trying to see if (Starks) had a heart attack or anything like that while driving," Banks added.
