A former Stoneham school official being held on child pornography charges committed suicide in his jail cell yesterday, authorities say. Steven Orloff, 49, was awaiting trial at Essex County House of Corrections.

Orloff was found hanging in a shower after he went missing from his cell on Sunday morning. He was later pronounced dead at Beverly hospital, WCVB reported. He had previously worked as the director of a special needs program at a Stoneham public school. The school system told Boston.com in 2012 that Orloff did not have direct contact with children.

The former Framingham resident was charged after police say he pretended to be a 14-year-old boy on the internet in order to chat with, record videos of, and receive photos of a fifteen-year-old girl in Maine. The charges against him included production and possession of child pornography.


According to The Salem News, officials have not clarified what Orloff used to hang himself.

Correction: This article has been updated to clarify that Orloff was being held on child pornography charges and had not been convicted.