Tennessee pastor takes his own life just hours after being accused of child abuse

A pastor from Tennessee who campaigned for the rehabilitation of sexually sinned pastors committed suicide just hours after his release from prison. He was accused of child abuse.

Tennessee state authorities said David Mark Baker Sr. took his own life on September 11. The day before, the 57-year-old married pastor was arrested on charges of sexually abusing a child under the age of 12, Fox 17 Nashville reported.

In an affidavit in the Baker case, the minister is accused of aggravated sexual assault for touching a child's breasts under her clothing between 2013 and 2015.

Missy Wray, an employee of the Maury County Sheriff's Department, said the sexual abuse allegation is still under investigation and she could not comment on details.

Baker was senior pastor of Family Baptist Church in Columbia. His name has been removed from the church's website. Social media pages, including the church's Facebook and YouTube, as well as Baker's personal Facebook page, are inactive.

Baker is also associated with Fallen in Grace, an organization dedicated to restoring pastors who have been involved in sexual misconduct. The website sells Baker's book on overcoming sin.

According to court records, Baker was taken into custody at approximately 4:40 p.m. on September 10 and released from the Maury County Jail at approximately 3:15 a.m. on September 11 on $200,000 bail.

The sheriff’s office did not have Baker’s bail conditions on hand when contacted by The Roys Report (TRR). However, Wray said, in cases of sexual abuse, the suspect is usually prohibited from possessing a weapon or being near the victim.

Maury Regional Medical Center issued a statement to Fox 17 Nashville saying that a Code Silver alert was issued at approximately 12:45 p.m. on Sept. 11, nearly 12 hours after Baker was released from custody. A Code Silver alert means that a firearm has been discharged on campus or that a person is known or suspected to be in possession of a weapon on the premises.

Baker entered a public restroom at the medical center, where “he shot himself in the chest and fired the weapon twice,” the statement said.

According to the statement, staff initiated life-saving medical measures, but Baker succumbed to his injuries.

TRR called the Family Baptist Church number for comment, but no one answered and the church does not have a voicemail or messaging service to leave a message.

In 2022, Baker came third in a three-way race for mayor of Maury County, the Columbia Daily Herald reported.

Sheila Stogsdill is a freelance print journalist and digital reporter who primarily covers crime issues for KSN/KODE.