ST. LOUIS — They thought his own words would be enough to convict him.
"This kind of stuff, if we were the same age, would have been no problem," Jim Wilder is heard saying on an audio recording.
In 2013, after more than a decade of silence, Emilie Morris worked up the courage to go to the police.
She told them Wilder, her former Lindbergh cross country coach, committed sex crimes against her when she was still a student.
Police asked Morris to wear a wire and Wilder was arrested and charged with multiple sex crimes.
But just before his case was set to go to trial, Morris was found dead in her apartment and her case was dropped. Her cause of death - inconclusive.
When 5 On Your Side first reported her story in 2018, Emilie's family was still hoping her case could be reopened.
But that never happened.
Last week, when the Oxygen network ran a full-length feature on Morris's case, prosecutors said if new evidence came to light, a new case might be possible.
Morris's life long friend Christine Lieber started a private Facebook page in her memory.
"I thought maybe we might have somebody come forward. I thought maybe we would have maybe a couple of hundred people join," said Lieber.
In just a few days, nearly 3,000 have joined the page -- several former students with their own stories of alleged abuse by the former coach.
"I don't want to go into details, but it was ... it was overwhelming," said Emilie's sister Andrea Morris after reading some of the posts of the alleged abuse. "It was almost like I was learning about my sister's story all over again."
"It got larger than any of us imagined," said Lieber. "We had so many victims coming forward...that we contacted the prosecuting attorney's office."
In a statement, St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell confirmed to 5 On Your Side that people have come forward since the broadcast and said, "We place a high priority on seeing that their allegations are investigated and reviewed for potential criminal charges."
So far, Wilder has not returned 5 On Your Side's calls or messages but it is believed he still lives in the St. Louis area.
He lost his job at Lindbergh when he was charged in Emilie's case.
"I wish Lindbergh would talk more. I wish they would say more," said Andrea Morris.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Lindbergh coach's sex crime confession caught on recording
5 On Your Side asked the district about these new allegations on the Facebook page. Some of the allegations are even about other former educators.
By email Lindbergh Schools spokesperson Beth Johnston said, "The district has not received any formal complaints; however, we strongly encourage anyone who is making such reports to contact their local law enforcement directly to begin a formal investigation, or Lindbergh’s Chief Human Resources Officer Dr. Brian McKenney, at bmckenney@lindberghschools.ws or 314-729-2480."
"Any allegation of misconduct by a staff member is deeply troubling, and we take it very seriously," said Johnston, who added a list of "several measures in place to create a safe, healthy culture for kids."
"It's not just Emily fighting her own battle anymore. We have a whole army that wants answers and that deserves justice," said Lieber.
She and the Morris family say they are still hopeful Emilie's case will be reopened.
"That's always what we hoped," said Andrea Morris. "I mean, I personally have a hard time understanding why it was dropped in the first place."
Below are the steps Lindbergh Schools says it has taken for student safety.
- All employees undergo extensive background checks before they are hired. In addition, Missouri law now requires school districts to disclose to other districts if former employees have been investigated for sexual misconduct.
- By law, all public school employees are mandatory reporters. This means they are required by law to report any allegation of child abuse or neglect to the Missouri Department of Social Services - Children’s Division. The state then conducts a thorough, independent investigation.
- Every Lindbergh employee completes annual training called “Smarter Adults, Safer Children,” which teaches employees how to identify inappropriate staff/student conduct, and informs staff of their obligation as mandatory reporters.
We teach students how to report a concern at school, whether that is directly to a teacher or administrator, or another trusted adult employee, or by using an anonymous tip line. In addition, Lindbergh teachers, administrators and staff have worked hard to create a culture where students feel safe and comfortable sharing any concern with a trusted adult at school. - Lindbergh Schools Incident Reporting Form
- Staff members are expected to maintain courteous and professional relationships with students. Maintaining appropriate physical and emotional boundaries with students is an essential requirement for employment in the district. (Policy GBH: Staff/Student Relations)
- If the district determines that discrimination, harassment, or retaliation has occurred, the district will take prompt, effective and appropriate action to address the behavior, prevent its recurrence and remedy its effects. (Policy AC: Prohibition Against Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation)
- All visitors to Lindbergh Schools are checked against the National Sex Offender Registry before entering the building.
- All communication between staff and students must be open and transparent. It must take place using communication methods that are provided by the district, such as district email accounts or Canvas. The district's policies, regulations, procedures and expectations regarding in-person communications at school and during the school day also apply to electronic communications for educational purposes, regardless of when those communications occur.
