Reuters: U.S.: Autopsy finds son of pastor Rick Warren shot himself to death

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Autopsy finds son of pastor Rick Warren shot himself to death Apr 8th 2013, 21:38 By Dan Whitcomb LOS ANGELES | Mon Apr 8, 2013 4:11pm EDT LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - An autopsy was conducted on Monday on the body of the adult son of popular evangelical pastor Rick Warren, who was found dead on Friday with a gunshot wound, California coroner's officials said on Monday. Rick Warren said in a letter to staff of his Orange County-based Saddleback Valley Community Church that Matthew Warren, 27, committed suicide after a lifelong struggle with depression and mental illness. Orange County Coroner's spokeswoman Gail Krause said an autopsy was being done to formally establish a cause of death for Warren, who was found at a home in Mission Viejo. She said he had suffered a single gunshot wound, but the autopsy would determine if other factors contributed to his death. "We are expecting a result today," Krause said. Along with leading the Saddleback Church based in Lake Forest, California, Rick Warren is author of the best-selling book "The Purpose Driven Life" and delivered an invocation at President Barack Obama's first inauguration in January 2009. In his letter to staff at the church, Warren said his son took his own life in "a momentary wave of despair at his home" after a "fun evening" with his parents. The pastor described his son as an "incredibly kind, gentle, and compassionate man. He had a brilliant intellect and a gift for sensing who was most in pain or most uncomfortable in a room." He said his son struggled with mental illness, depression and suicidal thoughts all of his life. "In spite of America's best doctors, meds, counselors, and prayers for healing, the torture of mental illness never subsided," he said. Saddleback, one of the largest evangelical churches in the United States, is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. About 20,000 people attend weekly services at the main campus in Lake Forest and at seven other churches throughout southern California. (Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Vicki Allen) Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints

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