A former U.S. Army soldier who previously served prison time for killing a fellow troop in Alaska and was recently arrested in a child exploitation investigation has been found dead inside a Florida jail.
According to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, 36-year-old Marshall Derrill Drake was discovered unresponsive in his cell Thursday at the John E. Polk Correctional Facility in Sanford.
Jail staff reportedly found Drake hanging from a bedsheet tied around his neck during routine inmate checks.
Correctional staff attempted CPR, but Drake was pronounced dead shortly afterward.
Authorities say the investigation into the death remains ongoing, but preliminary findings indicate the incident appears to be a suicide.
Arrested Earlier This Month in Child Exploitation Investigation
Drake had been booked into the Seminole County jail on March 5 after investigators in Oviedo arrested him following a cyber tip involving suspected child sexual abuse material.
According to his arrest report, a messaging platform submitted a tip in November 2025 to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children indicating that a file suspected to contain child pornography had been shared through the service.
Investigators determined the file allegedly contained a video depicting two girls believed to be between 11 and 13 years old.
Authorities traced the digital activity to an IP address in the Oviedo area and later obtained subscriber information from AT&T linking the account to Drake.
When Oviedo police executed a search warrant at Drake’s residence, investigators said he confessed to possessing and transmitting child sexual abuse material.
According to the arrest report, Drake also lived in the home with his wife and her 14-year-old daughter, and investigators allegedly discovered Kik messages in which Drake discussed sexually assaulting the teenager.
He also faced additional felony charges after police said firearms and ammunition were found inside the home, which is illegal for Drake to possess due to his prior felony conviction.
Prior Court-Martial for Christmas Day Barracks Shooting
Drake had previously served about a decade in confinement after a 2013 Army court-martial for the death of another soldier at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska.
At the time, Drake was a Specialist assigned to the 4th Airborne Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division.
According to court records, Drake and fellow soldier Pfc. Grant W. Wise had been drinking in the barracks during the early hours of Christmas Day 2012.
During what investigators described as horseplay, Drake fired a .45-caliber handgun, striking Wise in the head and killing him.
Drake was convicted of involuntary manslaughter by culpable negligence and sentenced to 11 years and nine months in confinement, along with a dishonorable discharge from the Army.
The sentence was later reduced to 10 years of confinement by the convening authority.
Investigation Into Jail Death Ongoing
The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office says the investigation into Drake’s death remains active.
Deaths that occur inside correctional facilities are typically reviewed by multiple agencies, including internal investigators and the medical examiner’s office, to determine the official cause and manner of death.
Drake had been awaiting court proceedings related to the child exploitation charges at the time of his death.
Authorities have not yet released additional details.
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