Youngest son of jailed former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling is found dead

The youngest son of jailed former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling has been found dead in his college apartment.

John Taylor Skilling, who went by the nickname JT, was just 20 years old. He was a sophomore at Chapman University in Orange, Califoia.

Mystery surrounds his death after authorities ruled out foul play or suicide, his father's attoey Daniel Petrocelli said.

 

College kid: JT Skilling in another undated Facebook image, left; and his father, vilified former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling, right

The Orange County Coroner's office said the death is under investigation. Toxicology results will take four to six weeks. 

A local TV station reported there was 'no obvious' cause of death.

Mr Petrocelli told CNBC that classmates became conceed when they had not seen JT for some time.

They broke into his off-campus Santa Ana apartment on Tuesday and found him dead. It was not clear when he had died.

His father became the most vilified figure of the Enron collapse, one of the biggest corporate scandals in U.S. history.

School life: Chapman University campus in Orange County, Califoia, where JT Skilling was a student

Skilling's arrogance, belligerence and lack of contriteness under questioning made him a lightning rod for the rage generated by the collapse of Enron in 2001.

He is now serving a 24-year sentence after being convicted on multiple charges of fraud, insider trading and conspiracy.

Skilling was the last of the top officials to be convicted, and received the harshest sentence.

He is set to ask for a temporary release from prison to attend his son's funeral.

Skilling told a judge at his sentencing in October of 2006 that he was innocent but remorseful.

'It's been very hard on me, but probably, more important, incredibly hard on my family, incredibly hard on employees of Enron Corp., incredibly hard on my friends and incredibly hard on the community,' he said at the time.

'And I want my friends, my family to know this.'

Throughout his trial he insisted that no fraud occurred at Enron other than that committed by a few executives skimming millions in secret side deals.

He claimed that bad press and poor market confidence combined to sink the company.

After he was first indicted he had two run-ins with the law for public drunkenness.

Skilling's co-defendant, Enron founder Kenneth Lay, died from heart disease on July 5, 2006.

Lay's convictions on 10 counts of fraud, conspiracy and lying to banks in two separate cases were wiped out with his death.

He took over as chief executive from Lay in February 2001 but abruptly quit six months later, citing a desire to spend more time with his family.

Prosecutors said he left Enron because he knew the company was on the brink of bankruptcy.

Skilling never endeared himself to co-workers, or even the city, the way Lay had with his affable demeanor and charity work.

JT was the youngest of three children from his first marriage. The others are aged 24 and 26.