Former Teacher Accused Of Raping 14-Year-Old Student Found Dead Inside Jail Cell

A 30-year-old former substitute teacher in Missouri was found dead in his jail cell Monday, a week after being charged with raping a 14-year-old student, according to officials.

Brandon Holbrook, of St. Louis, Missouri, was charged with three counts of statutory rape and six counts of statutory sodomy, KMOV reported. The St. Louis County Police Department announced his arrest on Sept. 19.

He was found unresponsive in his cell at the St. Louis County Justice Center Monday afternoon.

Holbrook was in the jail cell by himself and sitting upright in bed with his earphones in when jailers realized something was off, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

When Holbrook reportedly did not respond to a command to stand up, a jailer went into his cell and discovered the defendant was unconscious.

Holbrook's lawyer Scott Rosenblum is demanding an investigation.

"I know for a fact he was not suicidal," the lawyer reportedly said.

A cause of death has not been determined, but jail officials reportedly did not see any sign of drug use or indications of suicide in his cell.

Police said Holbrook was a former substitute teacher in the Mehlville School District in St. Louis County, Missouri. He initially encountered the 14-year-old victim at Bernard Middle School, one of the schools where he was subbing, according to the department.

Holbrook allegedly started grooming the victim through social media platforms and exchanging messages and pictures in May, according to authorities.

Police alleged that Holbrook visited the victim's house on three separate occasions and raped her each time.

Holbrook allegedly threatened the young girl not to tell anyone about what happened.

A friend of the victim later brought concerns to a Mehlville School District counselor on Sept. 12.

District administrators filed a report with the Division of Children's Services in compliance with Missouri law and contacted St. Louis County Police.

Holbrook was soon arrested and booked into the St. Louis County Justice Center.

When police announced his arrest, officers believed there were additional victims.

The Mehlville School District said in a letter to parents that Holbrook had not worked in Mehlville schools during the 2022-2023 school year. He reportedly worked in the district's middle and high schools, Forder Elementary School and At Home (virtual program) between February 2021 and May this year.