Mark Salling's Child Pornography Case Dismissed Following Death

Mark Salling's child pornography case has officially been dismissed.

According to court documents obtained by E! News, United States District Judge Otis D. Wright granted the prosecutors' request to dismiss the case "without prejudice" on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018. By doing so, the case may be refiled at a later date.

As Nicki Swift previously reported, Salling, who rose to fame starring as Puck on Glee between 2009 and 2015, was arrested in 2015 following the discovery of thousands of illegal photos and videos in his home. In December 2017, he pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography. 

Salling died from suicide at the age of 35 on Jan. 30, 2018. Police found his body, reportedly by chance, hanging from a tree at 8:50 a.m. in the Sunland-Tujunga neighborhood of Los Angeles. He had been reported missing to the LAPD earlier that morning.

His attorney Michael Proctor later confirmed the news. "Mark was a gentle and loving person, a person of great creativity, who was doing his best to atone for some serious mistakes and errors of judgment," he stated. "He is survived by his mother and father, and his brother. The Salling family appreciates the support they have been receiving and asks for their privacy to be respected."

Soon after the news broke, Salling's former Glee castmates and crew took to social media to share their thoughts and express their condolences to his family. 

His official cause of death was later revealed to be asphyxia by hanging. At the time of this writing, plans for his memorial have not yet been announced.

Having taken a plea deal, Salling was out on bail at the time of his death and was expected to serve four to seven years behind bars, with 20 years of supervised release. The actor, who reportedly attempted suicide once before in August, also agreed to pay $50,000 in restitution to the victims and to register as a sex offender. His sentencing hearing had been scheduled for March 2018.

If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).