Jesse Ryan Loskarn, the former chief of staff to Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) who was recently brought up on chid pornography charges, was found dead on Thursday in what is being ruled a suicide.

Jesse Ryan Loskarn Found Dead

Loskarn had apparently hanged himself in the basement of his parents Carroll County, Md., home, reported the Los Angeles Times. His cause of death was confirmed by the Maryland medical examiner’s office on Friday.

“At approximately 12pm yesterday, Carroll County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a private residence … for a report of an unconscious male, believed to be deceased,” the sheriff's office said in a statement. “Family members reported finding 35-year old Jesse Ryan Loskarn unresponsive in his basement where he’d been residing with family since this past December.”

Loskarn's Child Pornography Charges

Loskarn started living with his parents last year after he was found to be in possession of child pornography, which he had also allegedly distributed, reported NBC News. While his case was presented to the grand jury, Loskarn was out of police custody, but ordered to stay with his parents and wear a tracking ankle bracelet.

Though Federal prosecutors claimed that Loskarn made comments during his arrest that would indicate he would be a suicide risk, Loskarn’s lawyer Pamela Satterfield rejected their concerns, according to Politico.

"We loved our son very much, and we’re devastated by his death," Loskarn’s parents said in a statement. "Please respect our privacy at this difficult time and let us grieve in peace. Pray for him, his family and friends."

Alexander, who Loskarn worked with in Washington for years before taking the chief of staff position in 2011, also released a brief statement: “For everyone involved, this is a sad and tragic story from beginning to end.”

– Chelsea Regan

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