A federal inmate at Western Tidewater Regional Jail was found dead early Wednesday morning.

Larry D. Drommerhausen of Newport News, a 54-year-old white male, was being held on charges of production of child pornography, according to a press release from the jail.

Western Tidewater Regional Jail staff found Drommerhausen unconscious and unresponsive shortly after 4 a.m. Wednesday, the press release stated. Jail and medical staff responded, and Suffolk emergency medical services were called to the facility, but Drommerhausen was pronounced dead.

He had been at the facility since May 2.

“From the preliminary investigation, it appears that the inmate committed suicide,” states the press release from Capt. Tanya Blair.

Blair said the area is checked twice an hour at random intervals and can be observed directly from the officers’ control area.

She said she could not discuss any other details, as the incident is still being investigated.

The press release stated that the Suffolk Police Department will conduct a full investigation with the cooperation of the jail. The jail will also conduct its own internal, administrative investigation.

Drommerhausen’s body was transported to the state medical examiner’s office as required, the press release stated.

Drommerhausen pleaded guilty in September to four counts of production of child pornography, according to court documents. He was awaiting sentencing set for Jan. 13, 2017.

According to documents filed in federal court, Drommerhausen told investigators he owns a business that installs regular cameras as well as hidden cameras. He told investigators he had seen child pornography on hidden-camera forums online.

He also stated he and his wife adopted their grandson, who lived with them, and that he had one granddaughter and three step-grandchildren. He also has been a foster parent for numerous children, according to the documents.

Drommerhausen told investigators he “has been looking at child pornography for a couple of years,” according to the documents. He told them it “appealed to him because it was forbidden.”

More than 100,000 images of child pornography were located on devices associated with Drommerhausen, according to the investigation.

In addition, Drommerhausen admitted to investigators that he had used four girls between the ages of 8 and 11 to produce child pornography, according to the court documents.

The last inmate suicide at the Western Tidewater Regional Jail took place on Sept. 12, 2014.