June 22, 2026
— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs
Kevin Esterly, 53, was found dead today, hanging from a bedsheet in Lehigh County Jail, according to District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan.
Esterly, formerly of Whitehall Township, was convicted in March of all charges related to a child-rape investigation, according to Holihan’s statement. He faced a sentence of 43.5 years to 87 years in state prison.
Holihan said Esterly’s death was ruled a suicide by hanging.
The bedsheet was hanging from the upper bunk in Esterly’s cell. Esterly was found shortly before 1:30 a.m. by jail staff and pronounced dead at 2:16 a.m. at a hospital.
He was alone in his cell, according to Holihan.
Esterly faced multiple charges in 2018, after he and the victim were brought back from Mexico. Later, the victim disclosed more abuse by Esterly. She said he gave her alcohol at a family party and then raped her when she was 14, according to Holihan’s statement.
After those disclosures, Esterly was apprehended in West Virginia in 2025 to face charges.
Here’s the statement from Lehigh County District Attorney Holihan:
June 22, 2026
District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan is releasing information about the death of a Lehigh County Jail inmate.
Kevin Esterly, DOB 12/29/1972, of Whitehall Township, was found by jail staff shortly before 1:30 a.m. in a single jail cell. Esterly was unresponsive and found hanging by a bedsheet that had been tied to his top bed bunk.
Correctional officers and the jail’s medical staff immediately rendered aid until Allentown EMS arrived.
Esterly was pronounced dead around 2:16 a.m. this morning in the emergency department of an area hospital.
An autopsy was concluded today and Lehigh County Coroner ruled Esterly died from hanging and his death was ruled a suicide.
There was no indication Esterly was taking medication for nor diagnosed with a mental health issue.
Esterly was in a single cell because a fellow inmate had recently been moved to another area of the jail.
Esterly’s death has been investigated by the Lehigh County Homicide Task Force.
In March, Esterly was convicted of all charges related to a child rape investigation. Esterly was scheduled to be sentenced and have a hearing to determine whether he met the legal criteria to be deemed a sexually-violent predator on June 30, 2026 and faced a possible sentence of 43.5 years to 87 years in state prison. He would have also been required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
On Feb. 21, 2025, a report was filed with Allentown Police regarding a juvenile sexual assault that occurred over an extended period of time beginning in the summer of 2016 and ending in March 2018. The name of the victim will not be released, but her partial date of birth is 12/2001.
During interviews with police, the victim reported that she was first introduced to Esterly when she was 8 years old. Esterly was the stepfather of the victim’s juvenile friend.
The victim told investigators she began spending a lot of time with the friend, including spending weekends and summers at the Esterly home. The friend’s family later moved to a home in Lowhill Township, Lehigh County.
In 2018, Esterly was convicted of corruption of minors as a misdemeanor of the first degree and sentenced to 2 ½ to 5 years in prison involving a case with the same victim. In that case, Esterly and the victim were returned from Mexico following his flight from the Lehigh Valley.
The victim disclosed last year that the abuse inflicted by Esterly was more significant than she initially disclosed. Esterly provided her with alcohol at a family birthday party and raped her when she was 14 years old.
The victim said Esterly sexually assaulted her almost every time she slept over at the home.
These disclosures were not included in the 2018 prosecution.
The victim said Esterly also provided her with alcohol and drugs in the course of the sexual assault. Esterly was taken into custody on June 11, 2025 in West Virginia after two vehicle pursuits.
Lehigh Valley News Briefs 