Jarrett Booker, a 37-year-old former youth and worship pastor in Nashua, New Hampshire, was found dead two days after he was terminated from his church amid credible allegations of child sex abuse. The cause of death was suicide.
Nashua Baptist Church, where Booker had served as a pastor, said in a statement on Nov. 29 that Booker died by suicide on the evening of Nov. 27, one day after church leadership communicated to the congregation that Booker had been terminated and was the subject of a criminal investigation.
“On November 22, we became aware of a criminal investigation concerning credible allegations of sexual abuse against minors, implicating Jarrett Booker,” the church said. “Jarrett had been an integral part of our church, serving as Pastor of Worship and Youth Ministry for nearly a decade.”
“These allegations prompted an internal review which revealed further evidence of misconduct,” the statement continued. “Regardless of the outcome of any criminal investigation, this behavior undeniably violated the moral and ethical standards we expect of our leaders and did not uphold the standards of our faith.”
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“Consequently, we made the decision to immediately terminate Jarrett’s employment, effective November 25,” the church said. Nashua Baptist Church elders communicated the decision with the church the next day.
“This event has added immeasurably to the complexity and pain of the situation,” the statement went on to say. “Nashua Baptist Church unequivocally condemns all forms of abuse. It is evil and our God hates it. We are committed to transparency and to supporting the healing process for victims.”
The church further urged anyone with information about Booker’s “inexcusable actions” to contact the police.
Sgt. John Cinelli, the public information officer and communications division supervisor for the Nashua Police Department, confirmed with Patch that Booker was under criminal investigation.
“We learned of the alleged crimes through an investigation by another police department,” he said. “The investigation is still ongoing even though the suspect is deceased.”
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Booker is survived by his wife, Rachel, and his son, Edward, as well as his parents, brother, in-laws, and nieces.