LANSING, Michigan (AP) – A former U.S. Olympics gymnast related to dishonored sports doctor Larry Nassar committed suicide Thursday, hours after he was accused of turning his Michigan gym into a fitness center. human trafficking, forcing girls to train and then abusing them. .
John Geddert faced 24 charges that could have led to years in prison if convicted. He was supposed to appear in a court in Eaton County, near Lansing, but his body was found in a rest area along Interstate 96, according to state police.
“This is a tragic end to a tragic story for everyone involved,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said.
Nessel previously announced that Geddert was charged with a box of crimes, including sexual assault, human trafficking and running a criminal enterprise. The charges were the last consequences of the sexual abuse scandal involving Nassar, a Michigan State University sports physician who is now in prison.
Geddert, 63, was not arrested and taken to court. Rather, Nessel’s office allowed him to appear alone.
“We had no indication that Geddert intended to flee or injure himself or others. We had been in contact with his lawyer and they had assured us of his collaboration, “Nessel spokeswoman Kelly Rossman-McKinney said.
Calls seeking comments from attorney Chris Bergstrom were not immediately returned.
Geddert coached the 2012 women’s Olympic gymnastics women’s team, which won a gold medal. He was long associated with Nassar, who was the doctor on the Olympic team and also treated injured gymnasts at the Twistars, the gym in Geddert’s Ledding area.
Among the charges, Geddert was accused of lying to investigators in 2016 when he denied ever hearing complaints about Nassar. But most of the case against him was related to his gym in Dimondale and how he treated the young athletes whose families paid to train them under him.
The charges against Geddert had “very little to do” with Nassar, said Deputy Attorney General Danielle Hagaman-Clark.
Geddert was accused of using his strong reputation in gymnastics to commit a form of human trafficking by making money through the forced labor of young athletes.
“Victims suffer from disorderly eating,” Nessel said, “including bulimia and anorexia, suicide and self-harm attempts, excessive fitness, repeated obligation even when injured, extreme emotional abuse, and physical abuse, including sexual assaults “.
“Many of these victims still carry these scars from this behavior to the present day,” the attorney general said.
Nessel acknowledged that the case might not fit the common knowledge of human trafficking.
“We believe it mainly affects people of color or those who don’t have the means to protect themselves … but honestly, it can happen to anyone and anywhere,” he said. “Impressive young women can sometimes be vulnerable and open to trafficking offenses, regardless of their height in the community or the financial well-being of their families.”
Geddert was suspended by Indianapolis-based American Gymnastics during the Nassar scandal. He told families in 2018 that he was retiring.
On his LinkedIn page, Geddert described himself as “the most decorated female gymnastics coach in the history of Michigan gymnastics.” He said his Twistars teams won 130 club championships.
But Geddert was often portrayed unflatteringly when Nassar’s victims spoke during court hearings in 2018. Some insisted he was aware of the doctor’s abuse.
Sarah Klein, a gymnast who trained under Geddert for more than ten years and was assaulted by Nassar, said the coach’s death was a “flight from justice” and “traumatic beyond words.”
“His suicide is a guilty plea that everyone can now see,” Klein, a lawyer, said.
Rachael Denhollander, the first gymnast to publicly accuse Nassar of sexual abuse in 2016, said she was proud of the women who advanced against Geddert.
“So much pain and sorrow for everyone,” he said on Twitter after his death. “To the survivors, you have been heard and believed, and we will accompany you.”
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White reported from Detroit.
Nichols is a member of the body of the Associated Press / Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a national non-profit services program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on covert issues.