School volunteer charged with child sex crimes, including sexual contact with student

COLE COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Jefferson City woman was charged Wednesday with several child sex crimes in Cole County.

Jennifer Cecil, 41, is charged with first-degree sexual abuse, second-degree statutory rape, second-degree statutory sodomy and having sexual contact with a student. She is being held in the Cole County Jail without bond. A court date has not been set.

The probable cause statement describes Cecil as a volunteer at a school, but does not name which Cole County school. One of the victim’s parents reported it to the Cole County Sheriff’s Office on Monday.

The teenaged victim allegedly told law enforcement that Cecil had sexual contact with him from December through July and that the relationship was initiated by Cecil, the probable cause statement says. The victim also allegedly told law enforcement that the two primarily communicated through the social media website Instagram.

A detective with the sheriff’s office noticed a gap in communication with Cecil and the victim. The teenager allegedly said Cecil asked him if there was a way the two could communicate without it being recorded. The two communicated on Instagram while turning on “vanish mode,” the probable cause statement says, which can make messages disappear after viewing.

The probable cause statement also says the two exchanged sexually explicit images.

The victim’s parents confronted Cecil and her husband about the assaults and Cecil allegedly confessed to them, the statement says.

ABC 17 News reached out to Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson and the Cole County Sheriff's Office, as well as multiple school districts.