In his prison cell, a man was found dead after he was charged with statutory rape against a student aged 14 whom he had met as a substitute teacher.
Brandon Holbrook, 30, was accused of having sex in public with a student at Bernard Middle School in St. Louis.
His arrest was announced by the St. Louis County Police Department on September 19.
Police said that Holbrook had sex with the victim and threatened the victim if she revealed the details.
According to court documents Holbrook was accused, among other things, of having sex at her house three times and grooming her via social media.
Holbrook was in St. Louis County Justice Center awaiting trial when he was discovered unresponsive in his cell by a corrections officer on Monday at 4:45 p.m. He was taken to the hospital and declared dead.
He was facing six counts of statutory sodomy second degree and three counts of statutory rape second degree.
Doug Moore, chief communications officer of St. Louis County said there were no signs of drug abuse or suicide in his cell. The cause of death was not yet known.
Holbrook died alone in his cell, under quarantine.
Moore said that Holbrook had seen a mental health worker earlier in the day and was doing fine.
Police believe he may have been the victim of other crimes because he was a substitute teacher at another school in St. Louis.
According to the St. Louis Dispatch, Holbrook was the third death at the St. Louis County Jail in this year’s prison.
Here’s a local report on the incident:
