Marvin Sharp, gymnastics coach and alleged child molester, has been found dead in his Marion County jail cell in Indianapolis on Sept. 19, National Gymnastics Day. Due to no signs of foul play, his death has been ruled a suicide.
The Marion county facility has not disclosed the method Sharp used to take his own life. "A follow-up investigation is being conducted by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, the Marion County Sheriff's Office and the Marion County coroner's office," Katie Carlson, spokesperson for Marion County Sherrif's Office said in a statement, according to Indy Star.
Marvin Sharp's legal problems began when he was accused of inappropriate photo shoots with his students. He was later arrested following reports of Sharp fondling a 14-year-old girl, one of his students, during photo shoots and therapy sessions. The victim in question also said that Sharp did this with other students besides her.
Some do not feel that Marvin Sharp was guilty of these crimes of which he was accused. "I stand by Marvin. I have never seen him behave in any way whatsoever other than respectfully toward any gymnast. Gymnastics is a sport where its very nature puts male coaches at risk of false accusations," Michele Callahan, a Sharp's Gymnastics Academy coach, wrote in a statement, according to People. Another woman who has known Sharp for a long time claims that these accusations are out of the ordinary for his character."He's probably, of all the coaches I have ever come across, the least likely I would ever think to do something like he's being accused of," the unidentified woman said, according to CBS.
