Child molester dies after 2 years in jail

By DUANE SHERRILL / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

A man sentenced to the longest ever term in a child molestation case has died in prison after serving about two years of his 84-year sentence.

The inmate, Patrick Kossow, 33, was found dead in his cell April 25 at the department of corrections special needs facility, according to department spokesman Steve Hayes. An autopsy is being performed to determine the cause of his death; however, Hayes said there were no apparent signs of foul play such as stab wounds or trauma.

The results of the autopsy could take several weeks and Hayes said medical information, such as any disease that may have claimed the prisoner’s life, is confidential.

Kossow was serving time for molesting three girls, two aged 10 and one aged 6. The incidents happened over a two-year period while he was baby-sitting the girls. He was a friend of the family. Kossow entered guilty pleas to the counts last year.