LANSING, Mich. 鈥� A former U.S. Olympics gymnastics coach with ties to disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar killed himself Thursday, hours after being charged with turning his Michigan gym into a hub of human trafficking by coercing girls to train and then abusing them.
John Geddert faced 24 charges that could have carried years in prison had he been convicted. He was supposed to appear in an Eaton County court, near Lansing, but his body was found at 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 earlier announced that Geddert was charged with a bushel of crimes, including sexual assault, human trafficking and running a criminal enterprise. The charges were the latest fallout from the sexual abuse scandal involving Nassar, a former Michigan State University sports doctor now in prison.
Geddert, 63, wasn't arrested and transported to court. Rather, Nessel's office allowed him to show up on his own.
鈥淲e had no indication that Geddert intended to flee or hurt himself or others. We had been in contact with his attorney and were assured of his
Calls seeking comment from attorney Chris Bergstrom weren't immediately returned.
Geddert was head coach of the 2012 U.S. women鈥檚 Olympic gymnastics team, which won a gold medal. He was long associated with Nassar, who was the Olympic team鈥檚 doctor and also treated injured gymnasts at Twistars, Geddert鈥檚 Lansing-area gym.
Among the charges, Geddert was accused of lying to investigators in 2016 when he denied ever hearing complaints about Nassar. But the bulk of the case against him involved his gym in Dimondale and how he treated the young athletes whose families paid to have them train under him.
The charges against Geddert had 鈥渧ery little to do鈥� with Nassar, said Assistant Attorney General Danielle Hagaman-Clark.
Geddert was charged with using his strong reputation in gymnastics to commit a form of human trafficking by making money through the forced
鈥淭he victims suffer from disordered eating,鈥� Nessel said, 鈥渋ncluding bulimia and anorexia, suicide attempts and attempts at self harm, excessive physical conditioning, repeatedly being forced to perform even when injured, extreme emotional abuse and physical abuse, including sexual assault.
鈥淢any of these victims still carry these scars from this
Nessel acknowledged that the case might not fit the common understanding of human trafficking.
鈥淲e think of it predominantly as affecting people of
Geddert was suspended by Indianapolis-based USA Gymnastics during the Nassar scandal. He told families in 2018 that he was retiring.
USA Gymnastics said in a statement late Thursday that news about the charges against Geddert would 鈥渓ead to justice through the legal process.鈥�
鈥淲ith the news of his death by suicide, we share the feelings of shock, and our thoughts are with the gymnastics community as they grapple with the complex emotions of today鈥檚 events,鈥� the organization said.
On his LinkedIn page, Geddert described himself as the 鈥渕ost decorated women鈥檚 gymnastics coach in Michigan gymnastics history.鈥� He said his Twistars teams won 130 club championships.
But Geddert was often portrayed in unflattering ways when Nassar鈥檚 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 10 years and was assaulted by Nassar, said the coach's death was an 鈥渆scape from justice鈥� and 鈥渢raumatizing beyond words.鈥�
鈥淗is suicide is an admission of guilt that the entire world can now see,鈥� said Klein, a lawyer.
Rachael Denhollander, the first gymnast to publicly accuse Nassar of sexual abuse in 2016, said she was proud of the women who stepped forward against Geddert.
鈥淪o much pain and grief for everyone," she said on Twitter after his death. 鈥淭o the survivors, you have been heard and believed, and we stand with you.鈥�
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White reported from Detroit.
Nichols is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a
Anna Liz Nichols And Ed White, The Associated Press
