A director of a children’s theater in Kansas City was discovered dead on Saturday, only days after allegations of sexual abuse throughout his 30-year employment began to circulate on social media.
Jeff Church, 63, was discovered dead at his home on Kansas City’s West 63rd Street on Saturday afternoon, just hours after The Coterie Theater accepted his resignation.
The office of the medical examiner has not yet confirmed the cause of death, and police are still conducting their investigation.
Church was the theater’s artistic director and had directed and produced numerous plays and musicals throughout the city for more than three decades.
A former actor called Dashawn Young alleged that Church sexually attacked him at a pool party in 2017 when he was 22 years old. On December 20, allegations from young male performers and theater personnel began to come out.
Jeff Church, 63, was discovered dead at his home on Kansas City’s West 63rd Street on Saturday afternoon, just hours after The Coterie Theater announced it had accepted his resignation over repeated allegations of sexual abuse.
Young stated in a video that has since been removed that he and Church had two dates, but their relationship had ended at the time.
The Pitch said that he claimed that after the party, he went into Church’s bedroom to change out of his swimsuit when Church unexpectedly attempted to have sex with him.
Following Young’s accusation, the publication interviewed over a dozen former employees of The Coterie, all of whom described Church’s predation as “Kansas City theater’s worst-kept secret.”
The sources, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of punishment from Church, were quoted as saying, “Uses the promise of career promotion in conjunction with social, professional, and physical pressure to engage in predatory behavior towards young male performers.”
The small scale of Kansas City’s theater scene, according to Church’s claimed victims, gave him a great deal of ability to corrupt young men.
Young stated that his sole interaction with anyone from the theater as of Friday was when a staffer urged him not to tag their account in his accusations.
Two days later, local radio personality Mark Manning said that Church assaulted him in 1991 when he was 27 years old. Manning stated that he knew of other victims of Church abuse, and that three others contacted him after he posted his complaint on Facebook, stating they had similar experiences.
Manning told the Kansas City Star that he wished to assist Young and any other potential victims.
Former actor Dashawn Young alleged on December 20 that Church sexually abused him at a pool party in 2017 when he was 22 years old.
Two days later, local radio personality Mark Manning said that Church assaulted him in 1991 when he was 27 years old. Manning stated that he knew of other victims of Church abuse and that three more contacted out to him after he posted his complaint on Facebook, stating they had similar experiences.
The Coterie Theatre said on its Facebook page on Saturday that it had accepted Church’s resignation but would conduct an independent investigation.
He stated, “This has been going on for almost three decades.
The majority of these individuals were young theater artists navigating their theatrical careers, and a person in a position of considerable responsibility, guiding them and selecting who gets paid and who gets the job, was meddling with their lives.
Another actor who worked with Church, KC Comeaux, replied to the charges with his own Facebook post.
While he was in his early twenties, he claimed that the Church “groomed, abused, and raped” him.
He urged any further victims to come forward, stating that he and “many others” would help them.
Friday, the Coterie stated that Church will be placed on administrative leave pending an inquiry.
Shea Coffman, an additional former Coterie performer, emailed The Pitch in 2007 claiming Church had made “a number of unpleasant interactions.”
Another actor who worked with Church, KC Comeaux, replied to the charges with his own Facebook post.
Shea Coffman, an additional former Coterie performer, emailed The Pitch in 2007 claiming Church had initiated “a series of uncomfortable encounters.”
Coffman, who was 19 at the time, adds that he believes he was removed from a theater play because he rejected Church’s advances, something that multiple individuals told The Pitch Church did to others who said no.
The Coterie Theatre posted on Facebook on Saturday that it had accepted Church’s resignation but will conduct an independent investigation.
Despite the impending holidays, they added, “We want you to know that we are taking these complaints incredibly seriously and will go through with the inquiry promptly.”
Church’s biography has been removed from the website of the theater.
The Pitch reported that a complaint had been made against Church, stating that he had sent sexually explicit messages through the Coterie Theatre’s Instagram account.
By the time the theater released its statement, authorities had discovered the Coterie’s longtime leader dead at his home on Christmas Eve in the early afternoon.
The publication editorializes that it is ‘impossible to believe that Coterie’s board was unaware of their accused creative director’s past activities.’
The complaint also states that Church consistently made staff members uncomfortable and that he lacked oversight.
By the time the theater released its statement, authorities had discovered the longtime leader of the Coterie dead on Christmas Eve in the early afternoon.
Saturday around 1:42 p.m., police in Kansas City got a report of a deceased corpse. Responding EMS personnel pronounced Church deceased.