After facing charges of two dozens of crimes which stemmed from allegations of emotionally, physically, and sexually abused gymnasts under his guidance, John Geddert, a former USA Olympic gymnastics coach, died by suicide on Thursday.
According to ESPN, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has confirmed that the former USA Olympic gymnastics coach took his own life on Thursday. Nessel called the death of Geddert a tragic end to a tragic story for everyone involved.
Based on the Michigan state police report, they have confirmed that the body of Geddert was found at an interstate highway rest stop at 3:24 p.m. ET.
The 63-year-old former USA Olympic gymnastics coach had a scheduled arraignment in Eaton County, Michigan, at 2:15 p.m. on Thursday.
The Michigan Attorney General's spokeswoman Kelly Rossman-McKinney shared that they had no indication that Geddert intended to flee or even hurt himself or others. She also added that they had been in contact with the attorney of Geddert, and they were assured of the former USA Olympic gymnastics coach's cooperation.
State officials of Michigan charged USA Olympic gymnastics coach Geddert with 24 felonies: 20 counts of human trafficking and forced labor, racketeering and lying to a police officer, and one count of second-degree sexual assault.
A lawyer from the Michigan attorney general's office also stated on Thursday that Geddert also knew that disgraced Team USA Doctor Larry Nassar was sexually abusing patients at the gym where both of them were working and lied to the police about it during the investigation into Nassar in 2016.
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The remaining charges against the former gymnast coach were connected to his own behavior with gymnasts he coached at gyms that he owns in Michigan. In February of 2018, the law enforcement started their investigation of Geddert in the wake of complaints raised regarding his abusive coaching style during the sentencing hearing of Nassar, CNN reported.
On Thursday, the court documents alleged that Geddert in January of 2012 digitally penetrated a girl who was between the ages of 13 and 16.
Twistars USA Gymnastics in Dimondale, Michigan, which is just outside of Lansing, was previously owned by Geddert. But dozens of women who had been there confessed that Nassar sexually assaulted them under the guise of medical treatment. The former USA Olympic gymnastics coach, Geddert, and Nassar worked side by side for more than two decades, and both of them rose to the pinnacle of elite gymnastics.
Geddert has been viewed as one of the major enablers of Nassar within the gymnastic community. According to the accounts of numerous women, back in the late 80s, at Great Lakes Gymnastics Club in Lansing, before acquiring his license as a physician, Nassar started sexually assaulting minor gymnasts at his training table, NBC News reported.
On the other hand, the USA Gymnastics mentioned in a statement late Thursday that the charges filed against Geddert will lead to justice through the legal process.
They also added that with the news of his death by suicide, they shared feelings of shock, and their thoughts are with the community of gymnastics as they are currently grappling with the complexity of emotions of today's events.
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