Mark Gridley, the former Lawrence elementary speech and language pathologist charged with sexually abusing children at his school, has been found dead at his home. Lawrence police were called to Gridley's residence and found the 60-year-old deceased in his garage, according to the report.
Police reported no signs of foul play, as KSHB 41 Kansas City reported Thursday. A coroner will determine the official cause of Gridley's death, according to the same report.
Gridley had worked as a speech and language pathologist at Prairie Park Elementary School and had been employed by the Lawrence School District since 2021, according to FOX4KC. He was arrested on Feb. 8, 2025, after a Prairie Park Elementary student reported events from the school day to a guardian, per The Kansas City Star.
Charges Piled Up After Initial Arrest
Police said the allegations against Gridley occurred over a two-day period at the school, from Feb. 6 to Feb. 7, 2025, and that the alleged victims ranged in age from 6 to 11 years old, the FOX4KC report states. The station also reported that the number of alleged victims eventually grew to eight as more came forward.
Court records reviewed by the Star show Gridley was charged with seven counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child, involving an offender older than 18 and a child younger than 14. An amended complaint cited by the Star also listed seven counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child, or, alternatively, seven counts of battery, along with seven counts of kidnapping — though a separate report from the same period stated he faced six counts of kidnapping. The discrepancy between the two kidnapping counts has not been resolved in available reporting.
Fired Within Weeks of His Arrest
USD 497 interim Superintendent Jeanice Swift said Gridley was fired on Feb. 10, 2025, just two days after his arrest, and the school board formally voted to terminate his employment on Feb. 24, 2025, according to the Star's reporting. Gridley later posted a $750,000 bond on Aug. 14, 2025, allowing him to leave jail while his case moved through the courts.
He underwent a mental examination and was found competent to stand trial, the same station's report notes. A Douglas County judge set his trial date for Jan. 4, 2027, with proceedings expected to last three weeks, per the same account from the Star.
Gridley's death, which occurred months before that trial was set to begin, leaves the criminal case against him unresolved. No further details about the circumstances of his death have been made public beyond the initial police report.
