Alleged Child Molester Commits Suicide While in Custody

2-22-17 California:

Big Bear, California – San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department has released a statement stating that Richard Harold Todd, a 60 years old resident of Big Bear City, was taken into custody on suspicion of child molestation.

Todd was apprehended on Tuesday, February 21, 2017 at 1:20 p.m, without incident, when a search warrant was served on a residence located in the 300 block of East Country Club Blvd. He was then booked at Big Bear jail for Sexual Molestation of a Minor, Possession of Child Pornography and Possession of an Illegal Assault Rifle.

The jail deputy discovered Todd hanging in his cell on Wednesday, February 22, 2017 at 4:20 a.m. The deputy promptly cut the shoelaces, from which he was hanging, then proceeded to call for medical aid. The medical responders pronounced him dead on scene, Todd was housed alone in his cell at the time of the incident.

Sheriff’s Homicide Detail responded and are conducting the investigation. Riverside County Coroner will conduct the autopsy to determine the cause of death. ..Source.. by Ty Steel

Child porn suspect found dead at home

2-21-17 Michigan:

Arrested last week, Fenton Township man on sex offender registry faced federal charges

A Fenton Township man arrested last week for allegedly having hundreds of child pornography images on his work computer was found dead at his home Monday afternoon.

According to 911 dispatch, emergency responders were sent to Steven Dale Brown’s home at 1:45 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 20. Responders were advised that a 60-year-old male in the garage was in full arrest, possible suicide.

Brown, 60, of Fenton Township was arrested last week and charged in federal court on child pornography charges. His arrest came, according to court records, after a federal search warrant was executed at the home during the early morning hours of Thursday, Feb. 16.

Sex Offender Commits ‘Suicide By Semi Truck’ Days Before Starting Jail Sentence

Dec 2016 New York:

He was set to begin a six-month jail sentence.

The identity of a man who killed himself by walking in front of a moving tractor trailer has been revealed as 25-year-old ___ III, a convicted level 2 sex offender.

The incident happened back on November 29th, when ___ of Clay, New York exited his vehicle and jumped in front of a semi truck on an Interstate 90 off-ramp in Salina, New York.

Back in 2015, ___ was arrested for possession of child pornography when investigators discovered more than 2,000 illegal images on his computer and phone.

___ initially turned down a plea bargain for 1-3 years in prison. He was later found guilty of 82 counts of child pornography possession and one count of child pornography promotion.

Four Under Investigation for Child Pornography Found Dead with Suicide Notes Claiming They are Innocent

This documents the death of Kevin Carey: One of "Four Under Investigation for Child Pornography..."

10-3-2013 Alabama:

Four bodies found inside a car near Double Springs, Alabama last week have been identified by police.

Kristie Hunt Campbell Hamrick, Robert Samuel Hamrick, Andy Keith Hunt, and Kevin Carey, all of Savannah, Tennessee, were found dead last Wednesday night. Winston County Sheriff Rick Harris confirms that the four were under investigation for child pornography inn Tennessee. However, only Kristie Hamrick and her ex-husband Robert Hamrick had been charged with having child pornography on a computer at their Tennessee home.

Trial for the Hamricks was set to begin on Wednesday, the same day they were found dead. Along with the bodies were notes from all four people, declaring their innocence in the alleged crimes. The notes also detailed their requested funeral arrangements.

Forensic evidence showed that Andy Keith Hunt shot the others with a Mossberg 500 A 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, which was the only weapon found at the scene. He is then believed to have gotten into the car and killed himself.

Four Under Investigation for Child Pornography Found Dead with Suicide Notes Claiming They are Innocent

This documents the death of Andy Keith Hunt: Two of "Four Under Investigation for Child Pornography..."

10-3-2013 Alabama:

Four bodies found inside a car near Double Springs, Alabama last week have been identified by police.

Kristie Hunt Campbell Hamrick, Robert Samuel Hamrick, Andy Keith Hunt, and Kevin Carey, all of Savannah, Tennessee, were found dead last Wednesday night. Winston County Sheriff Rick Harris confirms that the four were under investigation for child pornography inn Tennessee. However, only Kristie Hamrick and her ex-husband Robert Hamrick had been charged with having child pornography on a computer at their Tennessee home.

Trial for the Hamricks was set to begin on Wednesday, the same day they were found dead. Along with the bodies were notes from all four people, declaring their innocence in the alleged crimes. The notes also detailed their requested funeral arrangements.

Forensic evidence showed that Andy Keith Hunt shot the others with a Mossberg 500 A 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, which was the only weapon found at the scene. He is then believed to have gotten into the car and killed himself.

Four Under Investigation for Child Pornography Found Dead with Suicide Notes Claiming They are Innocent

This documents the death of Robert Samuel Hamrick: Three of "Four Under Investigation for Child Pornography..."

10-3-2013 Alabama:

Four bodies found inside a car near Double Springs, Alabama last week have been identified by police.

Kristie Hunt Campbell Hamrick, Robert Samuel Hamrick, Andy Keith Hunt, and Kevin Carey, all of Savannah, Tennessee, were found dead last Wednesday night. Winston County Sheriff Rick Harris confirms that the four were under investigation for child pornography inn Tennessee. However, only Kristie Hamrick and her ex-husband Robert Hamrick had been charged with having child pornography on a computer at their Tennessee home.

Trial for the Hamricks was set to begin on Wednesday, the same day they were found dead. Along with the bodies were notes from all four people, declaring their innocence in the alleged crimes. The notes also detailed their requested funeral arrangements.

Forensic evidence showed that Andy Keith Hunt shot the others with a Mossberg 500 A 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, which was the only weapon found at the scene. He is then believed to have gotten into the car and killed himself.

Four Under Investigation for Child Pornography Found Dead with Suicide Notes Claiming They are Innocent

This documents the death of Kristie Hunt Campbell Hamrick: Four of "Four Under Investigation for Child Pornography..."

10-3-2013 Alabama:

Four bodies found inside a car near Double Springs, Alabama last week have been identified by police.

Kristie Hunt Campbell Hamrick, Robert Samuel Hamrick, Andy Keith Hunt, and Kevin Carey, all of Savannah, Tennessee, were found dead last Wednesday night. Winston County Sheriff Rick Harris confirms that the four were under investigation for child pornography inn Tennessee. However, only Kristie Hamrick and her ex-husband Robert Hamrick had been charged with having child pornography on a computer at their Tennessee home.

Trial for the Hamricks was set to begin on Wednesday, the same day they were found dead. Along with the bodies were notes from all four people, declaring their innocence in the alleged crimes. The notes also detailed their requested funeral arrangements.

Forensic evidence showed that Andy Keith Hunt shot the others with a Mossberg 500 A 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, which was the only weapon found at the scene. He is then believed to have gotten into the car and killed himself.

Inmate, accused of sex crimes, dies in the Harnett County jail

12-21-16 North Carolina:

LILLINGTON A Harnett County inmate awaiting trial on felony sex charges was found dead in his cell on Tuesday morning.

Charles Robert Johnson, 53, was discovered unresponsive during Harnett County Detention Center cell checks at about 6:07 a.m., according to a sheriff’s office release. EMS units were summoned to treat Johnson at the detention center, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officials did not observe any obvious signs that pointed to a cause of Johnson’s death, the release said.

The State Bureau of Investigation was notified of Johnson’s death and is now in charge of the investigation, the release said. An autopsy has been ordered to determine the cause of death.

Johnson had been confined to the jail since Aug. 16, and was awaiting a Jan. 24 trial on several felony sex charges involving possession of child pornography and a statutory sexual offense with a child. ..Source.. by Chris Cioffi

Police: Hummelstown man kills self one day after being charged with child porn

2-10-2016 Pennsylvania:

HUMMELSTOWN, Pa.–Police said a Hummelstown man committed suicide a day after he was charged by the state Attorney General’s office with possessing child pornography.

Dion Jeremy Rider, 41, died Feb. 4 after his body was found in the westbound lanes of Route 322 in Hummelstown just before 8 p.m. Investigators believe Rider walked off a bridge that crosses over Route 322. His vehicle was found on Hanover Street near the overpass.

Rider had been charged on Feb. 3 with 15 counts of child pornography, 2 counts of disseminating photos/film of child sex acts and two counts of criminal use of a communication facility, according to online court documents.

A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Feb. 18.

The case was closed following Rider’s death, according to online court documents. ..Source.. by Valerie Waltz,

Casa Grande sex offender commits suicide as police question him

3-18-16 Florida:

CASA GRANDE -- A man wanted in Pinal County for possessing thousands of files of child pornography committed suicide Thursday as police questioned him in Florida, authorities said.

In February, the Casa Grande Police Department assisted the Pinal County Adult Probation search the residence of 45-yar-old Albert Thomas Shade, a registered sex offender living in Casa Grande. During the search, probation officers seized numerous items of Shade’s property, including a computer, Casa Grande police said.

Shade absconded to Florida and Pinal County Adult Probation issued a warrant for his arrest, police said.

The computer was turned over to the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office Forensics Analysis Unit where over 800,000 files of child pornography were discovered, according to police. Casa Grande Police Detectives contacted the City of Sebastian Police Department in Florida and requested their assistance in locating Shade.

Gymnastics coach accused of child molestation found dead

9-20-15 Indiana:

An Indianapolis gymnastics coach who trained two members of the 2008 U.S. women's Olympics team was found dead of an apparent suicide in his jail cell, where he was being held on charges of child pornography and molestation, authorities said Sunday.

Marvin Sharp, 49, was found unresponsive at 8:17 p.m. Saturday in his cell at the Marion County Jail, sheriff's spokeswoman Katie Carlson said in a statement. She said foul play isn't suspected, but that she couldn't provide further information.

"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," Carlson said.

Sharp, who was the USA Gymnastics 2010 Coach of the Year, was arrested Aug. 24 on four local counts of child molestation and three counts of sexual misconduct with a minor.

Federal prosecutors, in a superseding indictment filed Sept. 14, also charged Sharp with nine counts of producing child pornography since 2002 involving six female students as young as 6 or 7 years old.

Sex offender dies after taking pills

March 2009 Minnesota:

RED WING - A Red Wing sex offender charged with possessing child pornography died Wednesday of an apparent suicide.

Red Wing police Chief Tim Sletten said officers were called at 7:09 p.m. Monday to 425 22nd St., where a man was reportedly unresponsive after taking a large amount of pills.
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Officers found Bobby Varnado at the residence and he was transported to a medical facility. The 39-year-old died Wednesday at St. Marys Hospital in Rochester.

"It is unfortunate any time a person takes their own life," said Assistant Goodhue County Attorney Erin Kuester. "We will focus on offering counseling and mental health services for the victims and their family members."

Death investigation at home of man arrested for child porn

6-9-15 Florida:

NORTH NAPLES, Fla. – A death investigation is underway at the home of a retired doctor who was arrested on child porn charges last week.

Deputies and crime scene were coming in and out of the Village Walk community Tuesday afternoon.

WINK News confirmed the death investigation is at the home of 69-year-old Freddy Koenig. Neighbors say he is the only one who lived in the home.

Koenig was arrested after reports show he tried to print out inappropriate pictures at a kiosk in a North Naples Costco. An employee took a look at the pictures and called deputies.

Reports show the pictures were of what looked to be a 13-year-old girl having sex with a man. Koenig prepaid for the pictures and was arrested in the Costco parking lot.

Koenig bonded out of jail around 2 a.m. Saturday; he had to hand over his passport as ordered by the judge.

Monday his attorney filed a not guilty plea and requested a trial. About 24 hours later, Koenig’s home was roped off with crime scene tape. ..Source.. by WINK News

Man Accused of Raping and Filming Son Found Hanged in His Jail Cell

11-30-2014 Alabama:

A man who was accused of imprisoning, raping and filming sex acts with his young son was reportedly found dead on Monday night.

Carl Philip Herold was facing some 18 child sex counts in Alabama. He was found hanged in his cell as he was headed to face federal charges in New York.

Herold's attorney, Adam Bollaert, said that Herold likely committed suicide as he prepared to face the charges on Nov. 21 in a Syracuse federal court.

Bollaert said that when he last saw Herold last week, “he had great spirits, he seemed up and was ready to continue fighting this case. So, we don’t understand what happened.”

Herold was arrested in Alabama in November 2013. The 33-year-old man had a computer programming background and ran a popular YouTube channel where he livestreamed programming lessons.

Carl Philip Herold found hanged in Alabama jail, faced multiple child sex charges in Huntsville

11-4-2014 Alabama:

Carl Philip Herold, charged with multiple counts of sodomy and child sex abuse along with his domestic partner, was found dead of an apparent suicide in a Clay County jail last night.

Herold, 33, was being transported by U.S. Marshals from the Madison County Jail to New York last week to face federal child pornography charges.

He was found dead last night, hanged in his cell, his attorney Adam Bollaert said this afternoon. Herold was scheduled to appear in federal court in Syracuse on Nov. 21.

Bollaert said today that Herold had been transferred by the U.S. Marshals from the Madison County Jail last week. Herold was taken to a federal holding facility in Cullman and transferred with Clay County, which also houses federal prisoners, sometime over the weekend.

Inmate suicide reported at MANCI

10-29-2014 Ohio:

MANSFIELD – The investigation into the apparent suicide of Mansfield Correctional Institution inmate Evan A. Donoho is still active, according to JoEllen Smith, spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.

The Findlay man, imprisoned for killing his wife three years ago, died Oct. 21.

Donoho, 29, was pronounced dead Oct. 21 at OhioHealth MedCentral Mansfield Hospital. His body was taken to the Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office, according to Richland County Coroner’s Office investigator Tom Stortz.

Donoho was a U.S. Army veteran who served a tour of duty in Afghanistan. He was not eligible for parole until 2040, according to news reports.

In 2012 Hancock County Common Pleas Judge Joseph Niemeyer sentenced Donoho to at least 29 years in prison for killing his 29-year-old wife in their home, leaving her body in a field south of Findlay, getting rid of the hammer he used in the murder and for the incident in which he downloaded child pornography, according to The Toledo Blade. The judge sentenced him to 15 years to life for the murder, then ordered he serve the maximum prison terms on the other charges consecutively. ..Source.. by Lou Whitmire

2nd Putnam jail inmate in less than three weeks found dead in cell of apparent suicide

10-2-2014 Florida:

A second inmate has died of an apparent suicide at the Putnam County jail in less than three weeks, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

About 1 a.m. Friday, deputies found Dennis Rudy King, 66, unresponsive in his cell. They said King used a rope fashioned from a bedsheet to strangle himself. King was jailed Sept. 30 and was distraught over several child-pornography charges filed after a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

King apparently waited until lights were turned out for the night and investigators said no one in surrounding cells heard or knew anything about what happened. He did not have a cell mate.

The case is similar to the Sept. 17 death of Timothy Lawrence Walrath, 39, who also was found asphyxiated by a bed sheet in his cell. Walrath was upset about a possible prison sentence and also waited until lights were doused that night.

Inmate found dead in Adams County hanged himself

8-15-2014 Nebraska:

An inmate found dead in the Adams County jail hanged himself, according to the County Attorney.

County Attorney Donna Fegler Daiss investigated the death of inmate Matthew Arterbrun in her role as county coroner. Arterbrun was found dead in his fail cell this past weekend. He was 39.

Arterburn was being held at the jail in Hastings, awaiting transfer to state prison.

Adams County Sheriff Gregg Magee says the county had been waiting on paperwork to make the transfer. Arterburn had been convicted on child pornography charges. ..Source.. by Brent Martin

Death of suspected Georgia child molester ruled a suicide

8-15-2014 Georgia:

ATLANTA — Investigators say the death of a man accused of repeatedly raping and molesting unconscious girls appears to have been a suicide.

Documents released this week under Georgia's open records law show the Georgia Bureau of Investigation determined that Matthew Coniglio died of asphyxiation in an apparent suicide inside a Savannah jail. The agency found no evidence of foul play.

Law enforcement officials accused Coniglio of recording himself raping and molesting girls who appear to be unconscious. Authorities found 56 cassette tapes in his Pooler home.

Charged with possessing child pornography, the 46-year-old suspect apparently hanged himself inside a cell on April 20. He died without giving investigators information that might help them identify the victims.

SLED: Charleston County inmate charged with assisted suicide in another inmate's death

5-8-2014 South Carolina:

State agents are investigating the strangling death of an inmate in what sheriff's deputies said is the Cannon Detention Center's first reported case of assisted suicide at the jail.

Matthew Lee Glidden, 29, of Ladson was found dead in his cell around 6:45 a.m. March 24 while officers prepared the other inmates in his unit for breakfast, investigators said.

The State Law Enforcement Division announced on Thursday that Glidden had been strangled at the hand of fellow inmate, 30-year-old Michael Robert Bixby. Agents charged Bixby with assisted suicide, according to SLED spokesman Thom Berry. He could face up to 15 years in prison or a $100,000 fine if convicted on the felony charge, Berry said.

An arrest affidavit stated Bixby confessed to investigators that he helped Glidden die.

Berry would not elaborate on how investigators confirmed that Glidden had been suicidal.