PETAL, Miss. (WHLT) – A former Petal teacher, who was charged with sex crimes, was found deceased at a home.

Petal police said they received a call from a neighbor on Dove Hollow just before 12:30 p.m. on August 12, 2025. They caller stated that he observed a man lying on the back porch after hearing a gunshot.

When officers arrived, they found the man, who was identified as Tyler Shows, deceased from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Shows, who received a $25,000 Milken Educator Award in 2022, was previously charged with child exploitation, two counts of touching a child for lustful purposes and dissemination of sexually oriented material to a minor. He pled not guilty, and his bond was set at $90,000 in July 2025.

A motion was filed recently to revoke his bond. According to court documents, Shows violated the terms and conditions of his bond by having contact with a victim’s parent through text messaging. Prosecutors said the final text was “hostile in nature.” The State requested Shows’ bond be revoked and for him to be held at the Forrest County Adult Detention Center.

During his previous court appearance, the court determined that Shows was considered a flight risk due to the search history on his phone. He was ordered to wear an ankle monitor and have no contact with minors or the alleged victims.

Petal police arrested Shows on July 22, 2025. According to a new indictment, Shows was in possession of pictures or videos that showed children engaged in sexual acts as of April 16, 2024. The new charges stemmed from the new evidence found during a Petal police investigation.

Shows was out on a $125,000 bond on previous charges. In May 2024, Shows was arrested on sex crimes charges. Petal police said they received a report in February 2024 from the Petal School District. In the course of an internal investigation for misconduct, Petal School District officials said they discovered several instances of criminal conduct had occurred between a teacher and several minors.

Petal police said Shows had been engaged in several questionable activities that involved at least a dozen minor students. Investigators said they executed several search warrants.

On May 2, 2024, Petal police served Shows with three warrants for his arrest. He was charged with distribution of sexual materials to a minor and two counts of touching a child for lustful purposes.

Police said victim statements also suggest that Shows gave alcohol and vapes to the children.

When Shows received the Milken Educator Award two years ago, he was a fifth-grade math teacher Petal Upper Elementary School. He was place on administrative leave and later resigned.

Shows’ trial had been set for November 10, 2025.