Substitute teacher, 30, accused of raping student, 14, three times is found DEAD in St Louis Jail

An incarcerated substitute teacher in St. Louis, Mo., who was accused of raping his 14-year-old student multiple times, was found dead in his cell under mysterious circumstances.

Brandon Holbrook, 30, was found unresponsive in his prison cell on Monday sitting upright, prompting prison staff to enter the cell to perform CPR and administer Narcan for a possible overdose.

They have said it is unclear whether he actually died of a drug overdose and that there were no signs of trauma on his body.

Holbrook was released from St. Louis County Jail and pronounced dead at Barnes Jewish Hospital an hour later. The cause of his death is still under investigation as authorities have found no signs of drug use or trauma.

An autopsy report is pending.

Holbrook, a former high school teacher, was charged with raping a 14-year-old former student three times; since he was charged, two more accusers have come forward, according to police.

He is said to have groomed the girl online after meeting her on social media before visiting her house three times and raping her each time.

Holbrook died in St. Louis County Jail. No signs of drug use or self-harm were found immediately, although an investigation and autopsy are underway

Holbrook was charged with raping a former student at Bernard Middle School after meeting the student online and starting to nurse her before visiting her home

Prison officials are stunned at what happened to Holbrook, saying they checked the man at 3:15 p.m. Monday to make sure he was okay, but half an hour later found him unconscious with his headphones on.

Officials first performed CPR, but also administered Narcan, a drug that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

Doug Moore, spokesman for County Executive Sam Page, said Narcan is commonly administered to unresponsive inmates because “drug use is rife among those under our care.”

Holbrook was two weeks away from the preliminary hearing in his case and was charged with three counts of second-degree legal rape and six counts of second-degree legal sodomy.

According to Moore, Holbrook was in an eighth-floor quarantine cell while he waited for a second negative COVID test result before being moved back into the general prison population.

“Holbrook had met with a mental health professional earlier that day and he was fine,” Moore said. The case worker authorized Holbrook to return to the general population, but he died before the move was made.

There was “nothing in his cell to indicate he had injured himself,” Moore said, adding, “we just don’t know what happened.”

Holbrook’s attorney, Scott Rosenblum, said he was “certain” that his client was not suicidal and called his death “very unusual.”

“We had spoken to him and he was very logical and he was persuasive, coherent and participated in his defense,” Rosenblum said. “Under the circumstances, he was optimistic and optimistic. He still had very close family ties.’

Moore said prison officials are checking the tablet Holbrook used to see what phone calls or emails he sent before his death to give them an idea of ​​what happened.

Each inmate is given a tablet computer to interact with family and associates, Moore said.