Former Mexico High School cheerleading coach pleads not guilty to child sex crimes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A former cheerleading coach at Mexico High School pleaded not guilty to a pair of felony charges Thursday at the Audrain County Courthouse.

Janae Nunnelly, of Mexico, Missouri, was charged on March 13 with two counts of having sexual contact with a student. She is being held at the Audrain County Jail on a $250,000 bond.

Nunnelly is listed as the head cheerleading coach on MSHSAA’s website for the 2024-25 season, and her information is still listed on Mexico Public School’s website as a coach. However, court documents state that she is no longer employed with Mexico Public Schools. A spokesperson from MPS wrote in an email that she began working at the school in September 2020 and was terminated on Feb. 28, 2025.

The bond memo states that Nunnelly has “a history of preying on high school students.” The memo says she admitted to two sexual “relationships” and a third that involved using marijuana with a student.

According to the probable cause statement, Nunnelly was “engaged in a sexual relationship with a currently enrolled student” and previous engaged in intercourse with another student while they were enrolled.

One of the victims stated that Nunnelly added them on a social media platform in May 2024 and began meeting with her the next month. Nunnelly picked up the victim and brought her to her residence in Mexico, the statement says.

The second victim allegedly stated that Nunnelly contacted him through social media in March 2022 and their “relationship” ended once he graduated.