Federal Inmate Rocco Scolamacchia Jr. Found Dead in Cell: Investigation Ongoing at Philadelphia Detention Center.

PHILADELPHIA — A former emergency room nurse facing serious federal child exploitation charges has been found dead while in custody. Authorities confirmed that Rocco Scolamacchia Jr., 49, was pronounced dead Saturday after being discovered unresponsive in his cell at the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia.

According to officials, staff members found Scolamacchia unresponsive at approximately 11:10 a.m. Employees immediately initiated life-saving measures while awaiting emergency medical services. He was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced deceased. Authorities stated that no staff members or other inmates were injured, and there was no danger to the public at any point.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Marshals Service have been notified, and an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death is ongoing. As of now, officials have not released a cause of death.

Scolamacchia had recently been indicted on federal charges related to the sexual exploitation of a minor and had arrived at the detention center on March 12. Prosecutors alleged he was involved in an online network that distributed child sexual abuse material and engaged in disturbing communications over several years. He was being held without bond pending further court proceedings.

The case had already drawn national attention due to the severity of the allegations and his prior role as a healthcare worker with access to vulnerable patients. Now, his sudden death raises additional questions as investigators work to determine exactly what happened inside the facility.