ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Lehigh County officials have released additional details after Kevin M. Esterly, the Whitehall Township man convicted earlier this year of sexually abusing an underage girl, died by suicide while incarcerated at the Lehigh County Jail.
Lehigh County Coroner Daniel Buglio said Esterly, 53, was pronounced dead at 2:16 a.m. Monday at a local hospital.
According to Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan, Esterly was found unresponsive in a single cell by jail staff shortly before 1:30 a.m. Officials said he was found hanging by a bedsheet that had been tied to the top bunk of the bed in his cell.
Correctional officers and jail medical staff immediately rendered aid until Allentown EMS arrived and transported Esterly to the hospital.
An autopsy was completed Monday, and officials determined Esterly died from hanging. His manner of death was ruled suicide.
Authorities said there was no indication Esterly had been diagnosed with a mental health issue or was taking medication for one. Officials also said Esterly was in a single cell because another inmate had recently been moved to a different area of the jail.
Esterly’s death has been investigated by the Lehigh County Homicide Task Force.
Esterly had been scheduled to be sentenced on June 30 after being found guilty on all charges, including rape, two counts of statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and endangering the welfare of a child. He had faced 43.5 to 87 years in prison.
During the trial, the victim, now 24, testified that she met Esterly through church when she was 8 years old and he was 37. Authorities said Esterly was the stepfather of the victim’s childhood friend.
The victim testified that she became close with the family and spent time at the Esterly home, including weekends and summers. She told jurors that when she was 14, Esterly began giving her alcohol and drugs before starting a sexual relationship with her.
Esterly took the stand in his own defense and denied the allegations, claiming the victim was lying.
Esterly had previously been convicted in 2018 of misdemeanor corruption of minors after taking the same victim to Mexico without her parents’ consent. At that time, the victim denied sexual abuse.
Authorities said the victim later recanted that denial and contacted police in 2025 after Esterly reached out to her on social media. Investigators said the abuse occurred over an extended period beginning in the summer of 2016 and ending in March 2018.
