Perhaps Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said it best about the ruined life of Det. Michael W. Gommer, who killed himself Dec. 30 in his home:

"Addiction took over his life, ruined a man, his career, who had before been highly respected by his peers," Steele said Thurday, after completing an investigation into Gommer that revealed he was a drug addict who was stealing both drugs and cash from a police evidence room, affecting scores of cases, both Philly.com and NBC-10 are reporting.

And then just as Gommer's secret may have been starting to unravel, he killed himself late last year at his Media, Pa., home. His suicide occurred about two weeks after county detectives began looking into the missing evidence at the Upper Dublin Township Police Department, the media reports stated.

Gommer was off-duty at the time of his death.

According to Philly.com, Steele said Gommer took cash or drugs from 87 cases between 2010 and 2016, with the missing money totaling more than $7,000. Meanwhile, the drugs included cocaine, heroin, and marijuana.

The department's evidence room had been overseen by Gommer. At least 11 of the cases affected by Gommer's thefts were still listed as open.

Steele called Gommer's addiction "significant and undetected" but did not elaborate, Philly.com wrote.

Gommer leaves behind four young children.

"Many, including myself, regret that he never sought help through our employee assistance program, or turned to us to tell us the truth and maybe saved his life," Upper Dublin Deputy Chief Lee Benson told NBC-10.