Mobile Neurosurgeon Shawn Clark, Facing Child Exploitation Charges in Two Counties, Found Dead on Airport Boulevard
Dr. Shawn Clark, 59, who was facing child pornography charges in Mobile and Baldwin counties, was found dead in a vehicle Monday. Police said the case does not appear criminal; an autopsy is planned.
MOBILE, Ala. — A Mobile neurosurgeon who faced child pornography charges in both Mobile and Baldwin counties was found dead Monday afternoon inside a vehicle on Airport Boulevard, police said.
Mobile police identified the man as Shawn Clark, 59. He was found just before 1 p.m. in the parking lot of the vacant former Compass Urgent Care at 6901 Airport Boulevard, around the corner from the area of his office.
“At this time, this does not appear to be a criminal case, but an autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death,” Mobile Police Department spokesperson Blake Brown said.
Public Information Officer Roderick Miles said officers do not believe foul play or an act of violence was involved. Police said Clark was not shot, and the department has not announced a cause of death. Officials said the investigation remains open pending the autopsy.
Charges in two counties
Clark, who operated Clark Neurosurgery & Spine on Airport Boulevard, was arrested Sept. 3 near his Montrose home following an investigation by the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI. According to the sheriff’s office, the case began with a March tip to its Internet Crimes Against Children Unit concerning possible child sexual abuse material linked to internet addresses at a Fairhope home and a medical office in Mobile County.
In Mobile County, Clark faced five counts of possession and five counts of production of child pornography. Investigators said the material included images of real children as well as images generated by artificial intelligence. After he bonded out of Mobile Metro Jail, he was arrested in Baldwin County, where he was charged with four counts of possession.
Clark pleaded not guilty in Mobile County. His medical license was suspended in September. The charges had not been tried, and he remained presumed innocent at the time of his death.
An indictment in the days before his death
Mobile County Metro Jail records show a warrant was executed for Clark’s arrest on Friday, Oct. 30, following a grand jury indictment, and that he was released the same day on a signature bond. A 10-count indictment was filed Monday in Mobile County Circuit Court, the same day he was found.
Clark had also been scheduled to appear later this month in Baldwin County Circuit Court. According to Baldwin County Jail records, he had been released from that facility on Oct. 10.
Law enforcement agencies said Clark had also been hospitalized in September following a suicide attempt while in custody at the Baldwin County Corrections Center. He survived and was returned to the jail’s medical wing the following day. Police have not drawn any connection between that incident and Monday’s death, and the cause of death remains undetermined until the autopsy is complete.
What happens next
Authorities have not said when autopsy results are expected. With Clark’s death, the pending criminal cases against him would not proceed to trial.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at any hour. Anyone with concerns about the exploitation of a child can report them to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline at 1-800-843-5678.
