A Butler County man who was facing a court hearing on multiple counts of possession of child pornography fell to his death last week while descending the peak of the Matterhorn in Switzerland, according to a published report.

Patrick J. Harper, 52, of Penn Township fell 500 feet off an icy trail while descending the mountain alone, police said.

The accident happened on Dec. 26, and his body was removed by a helicopter two days later.

Harper’s body was to have been cremated and his remains returned home by his wife.

A father of four, Harper had been vacationing with his wife.

Harper was familiar with the Matterhorn. He had climbed the mountain in 2007 and on this trip was trying to recreate photos he took then, family members said.

Harper’s mother declined to comment, saying that it was a delicate and tragic time for the family.

In his criminal case, Harper was to appear Wednesday morning before District Judge Sue Haggerty, who would have determined if Harper should have gone to trial on 50 counts of possessing child pornography, and one count each of criminal use of communication device and dissemination of photo/film of child sex acts.

Investigators questioned Harper about the images in 2014. However, state police did not file the charges until last November.

Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger this morning said he was notified Wednesday by Harper’s attorney, Eric Levine, that Harper had died.

While Harper was not technically in violation of his $10,000 bail by leaving the country, Goldinger said it was an “unusual” move to leave the country and added, “I question what he was doing there” with a hearing date so close.

In the criminal case, state police allege in an affidavit that Harper acknowledged searching for and downloading child pornography, both still shots and videos. According to the affidavit, police alleged that Harper told them that he had 400 or 500 still images and about a dozen videos, but had erased them off his computer the day he was interviewed.