A Florida man accused of several crimes against a toddler, which included shooting her with a BB gun while wearing a werewolf mask and torturing her with a dog shock collar, was found dead in his cell of an apparent suicide according to a report:
The suspect in a high-profile child abuse case in Florida has died.
Andrew Ross Celaius, 37, was found hanging in his jail cell on the night of Wednesday, May 1, and transported to a hospital.
The Pensacola News Journal reports Celaius’ family members decided to terminate his life support after nearly a week. He was pronounced dead Tuesday afternoon, Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said Wednesday.
Morgan said preliminary findings indicate Celaius’ injuries were self-inflicted, the newspaper reports.
Celaius was facing multiple charges linked to the torture of his girlfriend’s 2-year-old daughter.
Authorities said Celaius filmed the abuse over a two-month period. They said the abuse included throwing bottles at the girl while she was sleeping, burning her with a blowtorch, shooting her with an airsoft gun and shocking her with a dog collar.
Celaius allegedly wore a werewolf mask during the abuse, WKRG reports.
As for the child, authorities said she is now in the custody of her biological father.
Prosecutors said Celaius was also accused in the homicide of a young child in 2006, but that he was found not guilty. (source, source)