Home Christian News Florida Pastor Accused of Molesting Two Teens Dies by Suicide

Florida Pastor Accused of Molesting Two Teens Dies by Suicide

David Rowan
Source: Twitter @MboroPoliceDept

66 year-old pastor David Rowan was found dead in a parking garage on Thursday, December 2 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Rowan was on trial for allegedly molesting two teenage girls while serving as a guest speaker at a local church in 2014. He was awaiting the jury’s verdict at the time of his death. 

According to the Murfreesboro Police Department, police responded to a call at the Rutherford County Justice Center Parking Garage on 223 Maple Street in Murfreesboro around 11:43 a.m. on Thursday and found Rowan’s body in his car on the second floor of the structure. 

The cause of death was a single gunshot wound. No foul play is suspected, and police have made a preliminary determination that Rowan died by suicide. 

According to Yahoo! News, Rowan’s 2014 sexual abuse victims were two sisters, aged 14 and 15. They came forward with “compelling and credible disclosures” that led to Rowan’s arrest and subsequent charges in 2018. 

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According to the website of Faith Baptist Church in Milton, FL, Rowan had been actively serving as pastor of the church, even with his pending charges. It is unclear how long he served as pastor for Faith Baptist. He can be seen on the church’s YouTube channel preaching as late as Sunday, November 28. 

In a Thanksgiving service sermon on November 21, Rowan said, “The truth will stand, my dear friends, when the world is on fire. Thank God for the truth of the word of God.”

“If anyone has ever experienced [depression], find things to be thankful for, and your depression and gloom will flee,” Rowan later said. Rowan delivered the sermon a mere 11 days before his death.

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According to police, the circumstances of Rowan’s death are still subject to an ongoing investigation.