Manassas City police detective David E. Abbott Jr., 39, died by suicide on Tuesday, December 15, 2015, as Prince William County police officers arrived at his Gainesville, Virginia home to arrest him, according to CBS News and The Washington Post.
Police told CBS News that detectives opened their investigation on Monday, December 14, after learning that Abbott allegedly sent inappropriate messages by phone, text, social media and email to a 13 year old boy he met through a Prince William County youth hockey league where Abbott coached. Police said the contact began in 2013, when the boy was 11. Investigators then identified a second boy from the same league.
Police obtained four felony arrest warrants for Abbott: two counts of indecent liberties by a custodian and two counts of using a communications device to solicit a sexual offense. They also obtained a search warrant for his home. These were allegations only, and Abbott died before he could answer them in court.
According to The Washington Post, Abbott was a member of the Northern Virginia Washington D.C. Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and had been the lead investigator in a teen sexting case the year before.
Police said detectives went to the home Tuesday morning and that Abbott refused to surrender. During the encounter he took his own life and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Prince William County police called it a tragic day for Abbott’s family, the families of the two boys and the Manassas City Police Department, and asked that the privacy of those affected be respected.
Sources: CBS News, The Washington Post.
