Stephen Collins Child Molestation Investigation Sparks Suicide Fears; TV Pastor's Family 'Worried About Him'
Friends and family of Stephen Collins reportedly fear that he could take his own life in the wake of a child molestation investigation.
Earlier this week an audio tape surfaced online in which Collins, 67, can reportedly be heard confessing to inappropriately touching and/or exposing himself to several underage girls.
The "7th Heaven" star's estranged wife Faye Grant, who is embroiled in a bitter divorce with him, secretly taped his child molestation confession during a therapy session and he is subsequently being investigated by authorities.
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He is said to be struggling emotionally and is very fragile in the wake of child sex abuse reports.
"His family by no means condone what he's said to have done, but it doesn't stop them worrying about him," a close family friend reportedly told Daily Mail UK. "They fear he could take his own life. That's how low he is right now. No one wants to leave him by himself."
Collins rose to stardom in the 1990s as the wholesome family man Reverend Eric Camden on "7th Heaven," a hit TV show about a pastor and his wife.
The suicide concerns are just the latest in what has been a long week of disturbing reports.
Shortly after news broke of the child molestation allegations on Tuesday, two TV networks, UP TV and TV Guide Network, pulled the long-running drama series from their schedules.
Collins resigned from the National Board of the Screen Actors Guild and in addition was fired from "Ted 2" in the wake of the reports.
He was also abruptly removed from the The Committee for Stress-Free Schools' website, where he had previously been listed as a national co-director. The Committee for Stress-Free Schools is a part of global charity The David Lynch Foundation.
The NYPD currently has possession of the audio tape and authorities confirmed that an investigation is underway involving "at least 3 victims." The nature of the investigation is said to be "inappropriate sexual contact with minors," reported TMZ.
At one particular moment in the recording, Collins recounts molesting an 11-year-old New York girl, who is a relative of his first wife Marjorie Weinman.
"There was one moment of touching where her hand, I put her hand on my penis," Collins is heard saying before going on to admit to exposing himself to her "a couple of times" over three years.
Grant, who could not be reached for comment, can be heard asking Collins "when you exposed yourself ... did you have an erection?" To which he replies "No, I mean, no. Partial, maybe I think."
The young girl is said to have reported the assault back in 2012, however, it is unclear what exactly the outcome was. Also in the recordings, Collins reportedly admits to molesting another young girl aged between 12-13 in Los Angeles and he claims to have already apologized to her for the assault.
Yesterday Mark Vincent Kaplan, a lawyer for Collins, accused Grant of using the tape to blackmail his client, however, the actress has denied this.
In an email obtained by TMZ, Grant claims Collins had incestuous fantasies about their unborn child while she was pregnant. He allegedly expressed relief that she was expecting a baby girl.
"The comment you made just before I gave birth to our daughter when you said you hoped we didn't have a little boy, because 'you just didn't know if you could keep his little [private part] out of your mouth' was indication enough that you were sick," Grant wrote.
A source close to Collins blasted these allegations as "absolutely untrue" and says the actor never received such an email. Regarding the child molestation allegations, Collins' lawyer said he is unable to comment at this time.
"Though we would like to address the tape itself, the circumstances dictate that we must regrettably refrain from doing so at this time," he said.
The Christian Post contacted the Episcopal Church of The Heavenly Rest in New York, where Collins allegedly once served the homeless, however, a representative confirmed he no longer has any affiliation with the church.
