Retired Cook Children’s hospital chaplain sentenced to 60 years for sexual abuse of girl
A former Cook Children’s hospital chaplain who recorded himself sexually abusing a child was sentenced Thursday to 60 years in federal prison, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton said in a news release Friday.
Michael Downs, a 71-year-old Fort Worth man who is a retired Cook Children’s Medical Center chaplain, was charged in March and pleaded guilty in July to two counts of sexual exploitation of children.
According to court documents, the investigation began on Jan. 22 after a 17-year-old girl told her aunt she had been sexually abused by Downs. The teen said that Downs recorded the sexual abuse on an iPad.
Downs’ wife provided investigators with several electronic devices from their home. Law enforcement officers found a hard drive that contained “numerous videos and photos of Downs engaging in sexually explicit conduct” with the girl, the release said.
“This is an incredibly important case involving shocking and abhorrent conduct,” Simonton said in the release. “One of our most veteran prosecutors worked on this matter along with our partners at Homeland Security Investigations and the Fort Worth Police Department to ensure that this defendant was brought to justice. Let this be a message to others who seek to prey on children in this way: We will do everything in our power to incapacitate you by locking you away in prison for as long as possible.”
Cook Children’s said in a statement Friday that Downs was employed by the hospital from November 1997 until he retired in February 2022.
“Cook Children’s is committed to acting responsibly on behalf of our patients, families, visitors and employees,” the hospital’s statement read. “We are appalled, shocked and deeply saddened by the heinous crimes committed by Michael Downs. ... Throughout this investigation, we have fully cooperated with law enforcement. We are grateful for their impeccable work ensuring he will not be able to hurt another innocent child.”
Hospital officials said they did not find any evidence that Downs was involved in any wrongdoing or inappropriate behavior with patients. “However, we strongly encourage anyone who may be concerned that their child suffered sexual abuse by Downs or anyone else to immediately contact law enforcement,” the statement concluded.
Downs was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman, who also ordered a lifetime of supervised release.
This story was originally published December 15, 2023 at 1:23 PM.
