MOBILE (AL)
Daily Mail [London, United Kingdom]
August 12, 2023
By Hope Sloop
- ‘Heartthrob priest’ Alex Crow, 30, is being pursued by Alabama cops after he allegedly groomed a high schooler and fled to Italy with her
- Crow once claimed to have been the subject of a ‘minor exorcism’
- Police say they found a love letter between the defrocked priest and the teen from Valentine’s Day when the girl was still a high school student
A heartthrob priest is being hunted by cops over claims he groomed an 18 year-old girl while working at the school where she studied, before fleeing to Italy with her.
Father Alex Crow, who has been hailed for his good looks online, and who once claimed he was the subject of a ‘minor exorcism’ – is on the lam with a former student at McGill-Toolen High School in Mobile, Alabama.
During an initial investigation, cops discovered a love letter between 30 year-old Crow and the teen from Valentine’s Day when she was still in high school. The teen, who has not been identified, graduated this past May as a part of the class of 2023.
‘Clearly there was some sort of a relationship other than a priest and a student,’ said Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch.
The Archdiocese of Mobile defrocked Crow, a former rock musician, in July after they say he abandoned his post at the Corpus Christi Catholic Church on the outskirts of the town.
At the time of writing, Crow and the teen remain in Europe and apparently have no plans to return. She is said to have told family members that she is happy and has asked them to leave her in peace.
Female fans have gushed over Crow’s brooding looks online, with one Facebook commenter writing ‘He’s cute’ and another adding: ‘He was a good-looking priest.’
In a statement, Burch said that the former priest and rock band frontman may have taken the young woman to Italy to try and perform an exorcism.
The sheriff said Crow has a fascination with demons and exorcisms which is supported by the former priest’s own words during sessions.
‘Former McGill-Toolen students told [a local newspaper] Crow would talk to classes about demons and exorcisms.’ according to one report.
Crow himself is a graduate of McGill-Toolen and later attended a seminary named St. Joseph before receiving his Master of Divinity degree in Indiana.
The defrocked clergy member also attended Sant’ Anselmo in Rome, Italy, where he received a Bachelor of Sacred Theology and studied demons and exorcisms deeply.
In lectures posted online, Crow discussed his fascination in detail with possession and other supernatural encounters.
‘I grew up in a weird home, both familially, but also a lot of weird stuff happening in the house,’ he said during a podcast appearance in July 2022.
‘You’d hear things moving around or banging in different rooms. I’d see things from time to time as a kid, always assuming I was kind of, hyper, or just looking too much into stuff,’ Crow said at the time.
The former member of the church also described a time when he experienced health issues like chest pains and migraines. The cause, he said, could not be determined.
Crow claimed he underwent a ‘minor exorcism’ and that he had a ‘negative reaction’ initially but that he ‘felt immediately better when it was over.’
The young woman’s parents were slated to hold a press conference on Thursday but canceled the event out of fear for their daughter’s safety.
‘They’re afraid something is going to happen to their daughter,’ attorney Christine Hernandez told NBC 15 News.
‘She is with someone who the sheriff’s office considers a predator,’ she said.
After the couple was discovered in Italy, the young woman reportedly told a family member that ‘she went with him on her own free will.’
She also allegedly insisted there was no romantic relationship between them and that they were staying in separate bedrooms.
In a statement issued by the Archdiocese of Mobile on July 26, officials said Crow ‘abandoned his assignment in the diocese’ and exhibited behavior ‘totally unbecoming of a priest.’
Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi told Crow that ‘he may no longer exercise ministry as a priest, nor to tell people he is a priest, nor to dress as a priest.’
At the time, the Archdiocese said ‘due to the circumstances of his departure, we have reported this to the district attorney.’
He had been ordained just two years prior in June 2021.
Before joining the church, Crow fronted a band called ‘Alex Crow & The Altar Boys,’ which played around the Mobile, Alabama area.
Burch and other officials have said they are continuing to investigate and are looking for any additional victims of the former priest.
The law officer says it is possible additional female students are involved.
Some online have asserted that the priest was able to get away with potential indiscretions due to his good looks.
In a statement sent to local media, the Mobile District Attorney’s Office said they are working with the sheriff’s office in the investigation.
‘This is an active investigation, so we are limited on what we can say in order to protect the integrity of the investigation,’ an official said.
‘The circumstances surrounding this case are concerning, and it has the full attention of the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office,’ the statement read.