U.S. District Judge John A. Ross sentenced Cody Dean Brownlow, 41, to 12 years in prison on Tuesday for stalking his ex-girlfriends in the St. Louis area and distributing child sexual abuse material.
According to Brownlow’s plea agreement, he sent threatening text and voice messages, including rape threats and files containing child sexual abuse material, to an ex-girlfriend and her adult daughter in 2022. The victims reported these threats to the FBI, leading to an investigation. In April 2023, a court-approved search of Brownlow’s home in Austin, Texas, resulted in the seizure of cell phones and other electronic devices, which contained 1,601 images and 19 videos of child pornography.
Brownlow pleaded guilty in May in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of distribution of child pornography and two counts of stalking.
The investigation revealed that two more ex-girlfriends had also been harassed and threatened by Brownlow, who sent them child sexual abuse material as well. Additionally, the boyfriend of one of the victims received child pornography from Brownlow, as detailed in a sentencing memo filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan Chapman.
The FBI and the St. Louis County Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan Chapman prosecuted the case.
