Texas deputy found dead in jail cell amid molestation inquiry

Aug. 22 (UPI) -- A Texas deputy accused of molesting a 4-year-old girl and threatening to deport her immigrant mother if they reported him was found dead in his jail cell, officials said Tuesday.

Jose Nunez, 47, died of an apparent suicide at Karnes County Correctional Center. The Karnes County Sheriff's Office and the Texas Rangers are investigating the death, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said in a statement to mySanAntonio.com.

The investigation into the allegations against Nunez will also continue.

"This alters things a bit, but it doesn't change our ultimate goal of proving it or disproving it," Salazar said.

Nunez had been in jail since June 17 when the girl's mother reported him at a fire station. Nunez was charged with super aggravated sexual assault of a child, a first-degree felony.

Nunez had worked for 10 years as a detention officer at the Bexar County jail in San Antonio. He had been on unpaid leave since the arrest.

Authorities said Nunez could have been abusing the girl for years, and there could be others who were preyed on because of their immigration status.

"Folks like this are creatures of habit and opportunity," Salazar told reporters in June. "I don't know that he was purposely targeting the undocumented community. Certainly what was appealing was the vulnerability of that community because they are less apt to report things."