A former Kansas City, Kansas police detective was found dead in his home Monday morning after he failed to appear for the beginning of his trial in federal court.

Police found 71-year-old Roger Golubski at his home in Edwardsville, Kansas and early reports said he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.   The Kansas Bureau of Investigation said Golubski was found on the back porch of his home after a neighbor reported hearing a gunshot.  The KBI said an autopsy will be conducted and there will be a thorough investigation, but currently there are no signs of foul play.

Jury selection was to begin Monday in Golubski’s trial in federal court in Topeka.  He was accused of sexually assaulting two Black teenage girls in the 1990s and early 2000s during his time on the police department, and he was charged with six federal counts of violating women’s civil rights.   He was also accused of involvement in a sex trafficking ring.  Golubski retired from the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department in 2010 and he had denied the allegations.

After the news of Golubski’s death, a statement was released by U.S. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney for Kansas, Kate Brubacher:

“This matter involved extremely serious charges, and it is always difficult when a case is unable to be fully and fairly heard in a public trial and weighed and determined by a jury. The proceedings in this case may be over, but its lasting impact on all the individuals and families involved remains. We wish them peace and the opportunity for healing as they come to terms with this development and ask that they all be treated with respect and their privacy respected.”