A former Olympic gymnastics coach from the USA died on Thursday after he was accused he physically abused dozens of young sportswomen and committed at least one sexual assault, the Michigan attorney general said. John Geddert, 63, was expected to return on Thursday afternoon.
“My office was informed that John Geddert’s body was found late this afternoon after he took his own life,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement. “This is a tragic end to a tragic story for all involved.”
Michigan State Police said Geddert’s body was found in the rest area on a Clinton County highway at 3:24 p.m. His death is under investigation.
When asked why Geddert was allowed to surrender instead of being arrested, a representative for Nessel’s office said it was a “standard procedure” and that they had “no indication that Geddert intended to flee or injure himself. himself or others ”.
“We were in contact with his lawyer and we were assured of his cooperation,” the representative said.
Geddert coached the 2012 Olympic team for a gold medal and previously owned a US gymnastics club in Michigan.
Prosecutors filed 24 criminal charges against Geddert on Thursday: 14 counts of human trafficking, forced labor that caused injuries; six allegations of trafficking in minors for forced labor; a number of ongoing criminal enterprises; a number of first-degree criminal sexual conduct; a number of second-degree criminal sexual conduct; and a number of lies to a peace officer during a violent crime investigation
In court documents accompanying the announcement, prosecutors allege that Geddert engaged in “sexual penetration” of a minor between the ages of 13 and 16 in January 2012. He is also accused of having “sexual contact” with a minor from same age category. in the same period of time.
Kathy Willens / AP
In explaining the allegations of human trafficking, the Attorney General’s Office argued that “Geddert’s treatment of young gymnasts is human trafficking, as he allegedly subjected his athletes to forced labor or services in extreme conditions that contributed to their injuries. and injuries.
“Geddert then neglected those injuries reported to him by the victims and used coercion, intimidation, threats and physical force to get them to comply with the standard he expected,” the office said.
The office also claimed that Geddert made “false or misleading” statements to authorities investigating Larry Nassar, who worked as a doctor for Geddert’s team for about 20 years. Nassar, who was convicted of molesting women at Geddert’s headquarters, serves decades behind bars for child pornography and harassment of young athletes. The bureau said Geddert’s allegations were unrelated to his larger investigation at Michigan State University.
USA Gymnastics said in a statement that “we hoped that the news of John Geddert’s criminal charges would lead to legal action,” adding: “With the news of his death by suicide, we share feelings of shock and our thoughts are with the gymnastics community as they struggle with the complex emotions of today’s events. “
Sarah Klein, a gymnast who said she trained with Geddert for more than 10 years, said: “John Geddert’s escape from justice by suicide is traumatic beyond words. He has been torturing and abusing little girls, including me, for more than 30 years and has been able to deceive justice. “
Klein said in a statement that Geddert was “a narcissistic aggressor” and said “his suicide is a recognition of the guilt that the whole world can see now.”
“As a survivor and mother of two young girls, my only comfort is to know that I can put my head on the pillow every night knowing that John Geddert will never terrorize and abuse another child,” she added.
Costanza Maio and Erica Scott contributed to the reporting.