Former US Olympic gymnastics coach commits suicide on Thursday after being killed accused of physically abusing dozens of his young athletes and committing at least one sexual assault, the Michigan attorney general said. John Geddert, 63, was expected to turn up on Thursday afternoon.
“My office has been notified that John Geddert’s body was found late this afternoon after he retired,” 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 in front of a Clinton County interstate at 3:24 p.m.
When asked why Geddert was allowed to surrender himself instead of being arrested, a representative of Nessel’s office said it was a “standard procedure” and that they had “no indication that Geddert he intended to flee or injure himself or others. ”
“We had been in contact with his lawyer and they assured us of his collaboration,” the representative said.
Geddert coached the 2012 Olympic team with a gold medal and previously owned a U.S. gymnastics club in Michigan.
Prosecutors on Thursday filed 24 criminal charges against Geddert: 14 human trafficking offenses, forced labor causing injuries; six offenses of trafficking in minors for forced labor; a count of ongoing criminal ventures; a count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct; a second-degree count of criminal sexual conduct; and a charge of lying to a peace officer during an investigation into violent crime.
In the court documents accompanying the announcement, prosecutors allege that Geddert participated in a “sexual penetration” of a minor between the ages of 13 and 16 in January 2012. He is also accused of maintaining “sexual contact.” with a minor of the same age range. during the same period of time.
Kathy Willens / AP
Explaining the charges of human trafficking, the Attorney General’s Office alleged that “Geddert’s treatment of young gymnasts constitutes human trafficking because, according to reports, he subjected his athletes to forced labor or services under conditions. extremes that contributed to their injuries and damage. “
“Geddert then neglected the injuries reported to him by the victims and used coercion, intimidation, threats and physical force to get them to work to the standard he expected,” the office said.
The office also alleged that Geddert made “false or misleading” statements to authorities investigating Larry Nassar, who worked as a doctor on Geddert’s team for about 20 years. Nassar, who was convicted of abusing women at Geddert’s facilities, is serving decades behind bars for child pornography offenses and abusing young athletes. The office said Geddert’s charges are unrelated to his broader investigation at Michigan State University.
USA Gymnastics said in a statement that “we had hoped that news of the criminal charges against John Geddert would be brought to justice through the legal process,” adding, “With the news of his death by suicide, we share feelings. of shock, and our thoughts are on the gymnastics community as they face the complex emotions of today’s events. ”
Sarah Klein, a gymnast who said she trained with Geddert for more than ten years, said: “John Geddert’s escape from justice by suicide is traumatic beyond words. He tortured and abused little girls. , including me, for over 30 years and was able to deceive justice. “
Klein said in a statement that Geddert was “a narcissistic aggressor” and said “his suicide is a guilty plea that the whole world can now see.”
“As a survivor and mother of two young people, my only comfort is knowing that I can rest 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 communication.