Ryan Loskarn, the former senate aide to Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander, was found dead on Thursday.

According to the Tennessean, a statement read by Colonel Phil Kasten of the Carroll County Sheriff’s office shared that, “Carroll County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a private residence in the 6900 block of Kenmar Lane for a report of an unconscious male, believed to be deceased. 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.”

Though the investigation into Loskarn’s death is ongoing, the preliminary investigation by law enforcement officials has lead them to believe that he committed suicide, as his body was found hanging in the basement. The body was transferred to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy that would determine the official cause of death.

Loskarn had been residing with his parents in Maryland since having been released on his own recognizance. He had been arrested last month by U.S. Postal Service investigators during a federal raid on his Washington, D.C. home and charged with possessing and distributing child pornography. He was fired from his job the very same day.

Feeling so sad about Ryan Loskarn. Knew him a bit as a reporter and liked him. RIP.

— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) January 25, 2014

Another GOP phony – Ryan Loskarn believed to have committed suicide http://t.co/OReh7HmI4n

— jcbdraco (@jcbdraco) January 25, 2014

This whole story is just awful. RT @HuffPostPol: Former Senate aide Ryan Loskarn found dead http://t.co/NKBPQswhpj

— Krystal Ball (@krystalball) January 24, 2014

Ryan Loskarn, dead. Grim story, grim ending. http://t.co/U0LkCnXFOF

— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) January 24, 2014

Federal prosecutors had argued against Loskarn’s release, saying that he was a potential suicide risk. This was countered by his lawyer, Pamela Satterfield, who felt her client would be vindicated, having no prior criminal record and possessing “deep ties” within the D.C. community.

Loskarn’s parents, Chuck and Gay Loskarn, were “devastated” by the tragic turn of events. “We loved our son very much…Please respect our privacy at this difficult time and let us grieve in peace. Pray for him, his family and friends.”

Loskarn’s former employer, Sen. Lamar Alexander said in a statement, “For everyone involved, this is a sad and tragic story from beginning to end.”

Image via Chattanooga Youtube