An Alabama high school teacher was found dead just two days after being charged with sex crimes against two underage students, authorities said.<\/b>
\nAn Alabama high school teacher was found dead just two days after being charged with sex crimes against two underage students, authorities said. Officials believe 44-year-old Leslie Gillespie, who was accused of sexually assaulting the two boys inside a classroom, took her own life either Friday night or Saturday morning at her home in Hillboro, about 90 miles north of Birmingham, local news outlet AL.com reported. \u201cIt appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound,\u201d Scott Norwood, the county\u2019s coroner, told the website. The exact cause of death will be determined after an autopsy. Gillespie was arrested Thursday on charges of second-degree rape, second-degree sodomy and engaging in a sex act with a student under the age of 19. The students were 15 and 16 at the time of the alleged incident. One of them told investigators that the abuse happened in September 2020 during after-school hours, according to court records obtained by an NBC affiliate station. That student reportedly said Gillespie sexually assaulted him and another boy in her classroom at R.A. Hubbard High School in the town of North Courtland. Jon Bret Smith, Superintendent of Lawrence County Schools, said in a statement last week that district leaders were investigating the case and were collaborating with law enforcement. Gillespie, who was named the school\u2019s Teacher of the Year in 2019, was released from custody after posting bail the same day of her arrest. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, you can call the National Suicide Prevention lifeline 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 800-273-8255.<\/p>\n