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Summary: Convicted child pornographer, Mark Salling, hung himself on Tuesday morning.
Facing a sentencing for child pornography, actor Mark Salling killed himself on Tuesday. His body was found near the Los Angeles River, close to his home in Sunland, California.
“I can confirm that Mark Salling passed away early this morning,” his family told The Blast. “Mark was a gentle and loving person, a person of great creativity, who was doing his best to atone for some serious mistakes and errors of judgment. He is survived by his mother and father, and his brother. The Salling family appreciates the support they have been receiving and asks for their privacy to be respected.”
Salling starred as Puck on the Fox hit, “Glee,” which began in 2008 and ran for five seasons. He was beloved for his role until reports surfaced in 2015 that he had an addiction to child pornography.
Salling was convicted of child pornography last year, and he was awaiting sentencing in March. According to The Blast, he had worked out a plea deal where he would serve 4-7 years in prison and be registered on the sex offender list, which would prohibit him from being 100 yards from schools and playgrounds.
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Court documents said that thousands of child pornography images were found on Salling’s computer or flash drive, and some of those images were of toddlers in sexual acts. He had been arrested in December of 2015 after an anonymous tip. The actor had used a VPN to download 50,000 videos and images between April and December of that year.
The Daily Mail stated that Salling had tried to commit suicide in August by cutting his wrists. He had been taken to the hospital after the attempt and was treated for psychological problems.
Salling faced a sentence of 20 years, but he took a plea deal which lessened his sentence. At the time, he told the judge that he was taking medicine for depression.
As part of his plea deal, Salling was also ordered to pay restitution.
Lieutenant Andrea Grossman, commander of the LAPD Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, said that all child abusers would be held accountable in the city.
“It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, if you hurt a child you will be held accountable,” Grossman said, according to The Daily Mail. “These images are more than photographs, they are child abuse.”
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