Brother Stephen Baker may have passed away, but this investigation is still far from over. Attorneys representing alleged victims say this is still the beginning of a long investigation into the sex abuse allegations.

“So there is a lot oh heavy lifting, there is a lot of investigating to do and we are only at the very beginning,” Johnstown attorney Michael Parrish said.

Parrish said Brother Stephen Baker death is just another layer into the investigation.

In a statement from Tony Degol of the Johnstown Altoona Diocese said,

“Because of pending legal action concerning allegations again Brother Stephen, the diocese of Altoona-Johnstown cannot make further comment regarding this matter. Bishop Mark continues to pray for everyone during this difficult time.”

Now the big question is where does the case go from here.

“We will move forward with this investigation. It won’t impact our investigation. There are other ways to find information necessary with respect to these claims and we will pursue them and move forward,” Parrish said.

Parrish has 20 clients and expects the number to rise each day. Since the news of abuse allegations broke, he is contacting his clients providing updates and advice.

He receives calls from potential witnesses, but he says Baker, the main witness, is now removed from the case.

“Brother Steve is no longer here to deny. He did things we accused him of doing, however, it’s pretty likely Brother Steve was not going to testify in a civil case,” Parrish said.

Despite Bakers death, Parrish said he will continue to look for anyone who shared responsibility in bringing Baker to Bishop McCort and who he said could have put the children at risk.

“ The fact that Brother Steve is no longer here does not impact in anyway claims against potential responsible parties in this case. We will find out who should have had control and find out who should have been supervising him and who was in control of his whereabouts,” Parrish said.