A former swimming coach from Santa Clarita who fled the U.S. after being accused of molesting children last year died Wednesday, a week after his capture in Costa Rica, authorities said.
Jeremy Anderson, a former swim coach at the Canyons Aquatic Club based out of the College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, died at a hospital, Deputy Grace Medrano of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Information Bureau said in a written statement. No information was given regarding a cause of death.
A U.S. Marshals Service task force found and arrested Anderson in Costa Rica on June 13, Medrano said.
“Before he could be extradited to the United States, suspect Anderson was hospitalized in Costa Rica,” the deputy said. Federal officials notified the sheriff’s department on Friday morning that Anderson had died.
Anderson had been the subject of a criminal investigation that began in late-2017 after a person reported being sexually assaulted by Anderson as a child between 2006 and 2011, while Anderson was his swim teacher.
“As the investigation evolved, detectives identified additional victims who were victimized by suspect Anderson,” Merano said. “The incidents with these multiple victims occurred at various locations between 2006 and 2017. Suspect Anderson’s conduct included having sexually explicit conversations with the victims and soliciting child pornography.”
Following an investigation by the Sheriff’s Special Victim Bureau, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed 19 counts of committing lewd acts with a child and possession of child pornography against Anderson in December of 2018, officials said.
“SVB detectives learned Suspect Anderson had fled from the United States prior to being able to take him into custody,” according to Medrano. “An arrest warrant was issued for his arrest at the time.”
The Canyons Aquatic Club was informed of the death Thursday, representatives said in a written statement.
“Canyons Aquatic Club had been fully cooperating with USA Swimming, Safe Sport, and local authorities investigating the allegations involving Anderson, which were of great concern to the club,” according to the statement. “He was apprehended last Thursday in Costa Rica by U.S. Marshals and subsequently passed away last night.”
Anyone with information on the case was urged to contact the Sheriff’s Special Victims Bureau at 877-710-5273, or at specialvictimsbureau@lasd.org.
