Updated at 9:44 AM EDT on Friday, Aug 21, 2015
An NYPD officer who was accused of raping and sexually abusing a teenage girl he met online eight years ago has committed suicide, officials said.
Joel Dosseau, 43, was found dead in his parents’ Canarsie home, which was first reported by the New York Post.
He was found with a plastic bag over his head connected to a hose
attached to a butane tank that fed gas into the bag, asphyxiating him,
police confirmed.
Dosseau was arrested in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, on Aug. 5 and faced more than 40 charges, including rape and sexual abuse.
Prosecutors said Dosseau met a 14-year-old girl online in 2007 and asked her to send nude photos of herself.
The
two met in person, and the cop allegedly first had sexual contact with
the girl when she was 15. The relationship continued until 2009, when
the girl turned 16, according to prosecutors.
The victim, who is now in her 20s, came forward at some point after the abuse, prosecutors said.
Dosseau
pleaded not guilty to the charges, which included multiple counts each
of rape, sexual misconduct and sexual abuse, before being released on
$100,000 bond.