LAFAYETTE, IN — A 54-year-old Lafayette man appeared to have killed himself Wednesday, the same day that a judge signed an arrest warrant for him on nine charges of sex crimes against a teenager, according to Lafayette police and court records.

The allegations of child sex crimes came to light in the summer of 2024, and charges were filed Tuesday, according to court records. The warrant was issued Wednesday.

A family member called police about 12:45 p.m. Wednesday after discovering John David Wilson dead in his home in the 2700 block of Medford Street in the Edgelea addition on Lafayette's south side.

Police said it appeared Wilson died from a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. Tippecanoe County Coroner Carrie Costello will determine the cause and manner of death after a forensic autopsy, which is scheduled for Friday.

Wilson was not supposed to possess any firearms.

After his arrest in 2024 on suspicion of the crimes he was charged with on Tuesday, prosecutors filed a red flag case to remove at least 33 firearms from Wilson's possession, according to court records.

"During a police investigation ... in which the respondent is the accused, various statements of an intent to commit self-harm were made by the respondent to family members and to the complaining witness," states the Aug. 16, 2024, court order to seize Wilson's firearms. "John D. Wilson is prohibited from possessing, purchasing, renting, borrowing or receiving any firearms."

Officers found only one firearm in Wilson's house, police said.

In the two years since his guns were seized, Wilson never filed to have his firearms returned, according to the court records.

The bomb squad was called to Wilson's house Wednesday out of what police called an abundance of caution. In 2024, Wilson set a "booby trap" in his house for any intruders, according to police and court records.

The court's order to seize the weapons included a paragraph that states: "The respondent had booby-trapped a door with a spring-loaded shotgun round, though it lacked completion, the rig was still dangerous to anyone that might use the door."

The probable cause affidavit outlining this week's charges was still sealed Thursday morning.

Reach Ron Wilkins at [email protected]. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Lafayette man allegedly kills self before arrest on child-sex crimes