A disgraced former cop has died by suicide after he was charged with child sex abuse against his own niece, as his brave alleged victim has broken her silence on the shocking case.
Francis Collier, 38, a former member of the Morton Police Department in Pennsylvania, was charged with rape of a child and incest of a minor on Tuesday, according to court records and local authorities.
The Delaware County District Attorney's Office announced on Thursday that the case against Collier has closed after his violent death, describing the incident as 'suicide by cop.'
Collier's alleged victims reported the crimes in December. Police said the alleged assaults occurred years ago when he was a teenager.
He was placed on unpaid administrative leave and then resigned from the force. Collier was then charged by the Pennsylvania State Attorney's office earlier this week.
Officers obtained an arrest warrant for Collier on Wednesday and spotted him in his vehicle. Investigators said the ex-cop opened fire, and officers fatally shot back.
His niece and alleged victim, Victoria Collier Payne, told local news that she decided to finally report the abuse after seeing a social media post that the then-officer was serving on the Delaware County Child Abuse and Exploitation Task Force.
Payne was horrified to see a picture of her uncle posing with children, telling local ABC affiliate WPVI, 'Once I saw him with children, it lit a fire in me that just told me that it was my due diligence to protect any future children.'
Francis Collier, pictured above in uniform, was the subject of a 'suicide by cop' death after he was charged with child sex abuse
His niece and alleged victim, Victoria Collier Payne, pictured above in an interview with WPVI, said she felt compelled to report it when she learned Collier was working with children
A police involved shoot out occurred when officers attempted to arrest Collier, pictured above
She said the abuse started in 2004 when she was only six years old, and Collier was living in her family's home.
'I would've been about six years old and about to finish kindergarten. I was a vibrant and outgoing student, and then all of a sudden, I shifted,' Payne told CBS News.
She told her mother what was happening and said Collier underwent a mandated psychosexual evaluation.
Payne described the experience as a 'challenging time' for the family. Collier was her father's younger brother.
She said she kept her abuse private for years, but felt compelled to speak out when she realized Collier was working with children.
After she reported the abuse, a second accuser came out and was interviewed separately. Payne noted that their experiences with Collier were 'similar.'
As Payne started to mentally prepare for the grueling legal process, she was then faced with the shocking news that Collier was dead.
'My initial emotion was shock, just because something I had been dealing with for so long was finally coming to an end. And then sadness more for the child within me,' she told CBS.
Payne added that she was grateful that she would not be forced to relive her trauma in court.
She said that her uncle's gruesome death 'proves the truth.' 'If you're truly innocent on this many charges, then why did you take a very guilty way out,' Payne said.
'I think that it proves the truth, and because of that, I am at peace, in a sense.'
She is now building her own family with her husband and wants other victims to know not to blame themselves.
The county district attorney's office acknowledged in a statement that the news of Collier's death 'may bring a range of complex emotions including anger, grief, frustration, and confusion.'
'Although the defendant’s death brings the criminal case to an end, it does not erase the seriousness of the allegations or the harm that he caused,' District Attorney Tanner Rouse said.
'We recognize the immense courage it takes to speak out, and we remain committed to supporting survivors.'
Authorities said Collier opened fire when officers attempted to arrest him on Wednesday. He was in his vehicle during the incident, pictured above
Collier, pictured above, was charged with rape of a child, aggravated assault of a child, and incest with a minor. His case has been dismissed due to his death
The Morton Police Department said there were no allegations of criminal conduct during Collier's tenure with the force.
The department added in a statement that they were 'deeply troubled by the serious allegations' against him.
'The conduct described in the charges is profoundly disturbing and wholly inconsistent with the standards and values expected of those who serve our community,' Morton Police added in a statement.
Collier was hit with a range of charges, including rape of a child, aggravated assault of a child, sexual intercourse with a child, endangering the welfare of a child, and incest with a minor, according to court records.
His case was dismissed due to his death.
