Police visited the home of 70 year old Trevor Devamanikkam in Witney, Oxfordshire on Tuesday to arrest him after he failed to show up at a court hearing in Bradford and Keighley magistrates.
That's when police found the man's body.
Devamanikkam was accused of sexually assaulting a teenage boy, known as "Michael" in the 1980s.
He was charged with three counts of buggery and three counts of indecent assault.
The victim of the alleged abuse filed complaints of misconduct in 2016 against the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, and four bishops.
He said they had failed to act after letting them know he was raped.
The complaints were dismissed because they were filed after the one-year limit according to the C of E's clergy disciplinary measure.
Michael formally reported the alleged abuse to West Yorkshire police in 2014.
According to The Guardian he said in a statement: "I just wanted Mr. Devamanikkam to be accountable for his action and thereby give me some peace."
He added that his thoughts were with Devamanikkam's family.
The C of E told Premier it will assess its response to Michael's disclosure.
