St. Cloud man arrested, son died of suicide in light of child porn investigation
Credit: St. Cloud Police Department
ST. CLOUD, Fla. - A St. Cloud neighborhood is reeling from disturbing allegations about a father and son’s actions behind closed doors.
Federal investigators have accused 79-year-old James Cox, known to some neighbors as "Santa," of possessing hundreds of child pornography images and several videos on his computer. His son, Henry Cox, was also accused of recording pornographic videos with at least two neighborhood children inside his bedroom at their home along Countryside View Drive.
Richard Passafune, a resident of the area for 20 years, couldn't believe the news.
"It’s very disturbing and sickening," he said. "I mean, there’s kids all over."
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Court documents reveal that some of the videos Henry Cox is accused of recording were also taken in a public bathroom. However, investigators have not disclosed the exact location, and it's possible they may never get those answers. St. Cloud Police say Henry killed himself Tuesday morning before he could be served a federal warrant for his arrest.
The investigation into the two men began in November 2023 when police received a tip that someone, now believed to be James Cox, had uploaded child pornography on a reverse image search engine. He admitted to investigators he did it, according to court documents, because he wanted to find other child pornography.
As of Wednesday evening, he remained in the Seminole County jail where U.S. Marshals took him the day before while he awaits trial.