Former UFC fighter Travis Fulton was found dead in an Iowa jail early Saturday, authorities say, one day after he agreed to plead guilty to federal child porn charges.
A jail worker found Fulton unresponsive in his cell during a routine sweep at the facility in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, according to the Linn County Sheriff’s Office. Attempts to resuscitate him failed and he was pronounced dead at a hospital at 5 a.m.
Investigators suspect it was a death by suicide, but an autopsy will be performed to determine the official cause.
Fulton, 44, was a retired UFC fighter who held the record for most mixed martial arts fights ever. He was nicknamed “Ironman” for his long-running streak, which ended with his last fight in 2019.
Fulton had been in jail since Feb. 19, when he was arrested on multiple child pornography-related charges. The charges included one count of sexual exploitation of a child, one count of possessing child pornography and one count of receiving child pornography, according to court records obtained by the Cedar Rapids Gazette.
Court documents alleged that Fulton exploited an underage girl from June 2013 until April 2020, and that he did the same to another child around November 2020.
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Fulton indicated in a court filing on Friday that he was prepared to plead guilty to sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child pornography charges, according to the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. He was due to appear in court to change his plea on July 23.
Earlier last week, a judge rejected Fulton’s efforts to challenge a search warrant that turned up evidence in the case.
Fulton was also facing state charges in Black Hawk County, where he was accused of repeatedly punching a woman in the head and threatening to kill her and her family in 2019.
“The defendant is a self-proclaimed professional fighter, with a twenty-year career, and the ability to do serious bodily injury with his hands,” the criminal complaint said.
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If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs help, resources are available. In case of an emergency, please call 911 for immediate help.
The Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention, Depression Hurts and Kids Help Phone 1-800-668-6868 all offer ways of getting help if you, or someone you know, may be suffering from mental health issues.
Please reach out for help if you or someone you know is in crisis: contact the Canadian Suicide Support line at 1-833-456-4566 or find a call centre near you.
— With files from The Associated Press
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