A judge has dismissed the child sex abuse case against now-deceased Tennessee Pastor David Mark Baker Sr. following the pastor’s death by suicide.
Editor’s note: This article contains details about child sex abuse, self-harm, and suicide that some readers might find disturbing and/or triggering. If you or a loved one is struggling with suicidal ideation, dial 988 for the national Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Baker, the pastor of Family Baptist Church in Columbia, Tennessee, and a longtime jail chaplain, was arrested and charged with one count of aggravated sexual battery in a case that involved a minor on Sept. 10. He was later released on $200,000 bond and had been scheduled to appear in court next month.
On Sept. 11, Baker walked into a local emergency room, “went straight to the bathroom and was soon found deceased in the bathroom,” said Columbia Police Chief Jeremy Alsup.
RELATED: Tennessee Pastor, Father of 11 Dies by Suicide After Being Charged With Sexual Battery of a Minor
It was later determined that Baker died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest.
“We are deeply saddened by today’s events. Our prayers are extended to the family and friends of this individual as well as the members of our team who responded,” Dr. Martin Chaney, the hospital’s CEO, said in a statement.
Mt. Pleasant General Sessions Judge J. Lee Bailey III has now dismissed the case against Baker due to Baker’s death, according to The Tennessean.
Baker, who was a 57-year-old father of 11, had served in a number of ministry capacities across decades. He planted at least two churches, including Family Baptist Church, where he was serving as pastor at the time of his death.
Additionally, Baker was the founder of Fallen in Grace, which describes itself as “a ministry of restoration.” Baker founded the ministry with David Hyles, an Indiana pastor who was accused of raping a minor while serving as a youth pastor.
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Hyles was never charged.
