Former members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe their children were twistedly kidnapped by the Mormon group to fulfill a prophecy of their disgraced leader.
Four mothers, Lorraine Jessop, Miranda Johnson, Elizabeth Roundy and Sarah Johnson, believe their eight missing children did not run away, as court records suggest, but are actually being kept secret by their former church.
The FLDS is a polygamist offshoot of Mormonism best known for its prophet Warren Jeffs, who is currently serving a life sentence for sexually abusing 12-year-old girls.
According to experts, Jeffs remains the leader of the church and publishes prophecies from behind bars.
In a prophecy made last June and read by ABC News, Jeffs calls for former members’ children to return to the Circle.
Police officials said they assumed the children ran away. Although they are listed as missing persons on a national database, no criminal charges have been filed in connection with their disappearance.
Lorraine Jessop, whose three youngest children have been missing since February 2023, told ABC she believes the “church authorities” took their children away
FLDS leader: Warren is currently serving a life sentence for sexually abusing girls as young as 12
Lorraine Jessop, whose three youngest children Nathan, 16, Summer, 13, and Benjamin, 12, have been missing since February 2023, told ABC she believes “church authorities” took their children away.
“I checked on them at midnight,” Jessop, 42, said of the night her children disappeared, “and my daughter was awake.” And I thought, ‘That’s weird.’
“At 5 a.m. I woke up to a cold house because the front door was wide open and the kids were gone,” Jessop continued. “It was terrible.”
“I have a feeling someone either took it upon themselves or was directed by church authorities to pick up these kids,” Jessop told ABC’s Nightline.
Another mother, Elizabeth Roundy, 49, claims her children were also abducted by the church.
Roundy’s daughter Elintra ran away in January 2023, but Roundy claims the church told her how to run away.
“I’m sure FLDS is hiding Elintra,” Roundy said.
A former member’s missing child, a girl just 10 years old, was found last year and returned to her parents.
Four mothers of eight missing children claim they were abducted from their former church
Ex-member Lorraine Jessop’s youngest children, Nathan, Summer and Benjamin, have been missing since February 2023
Lorraine Jessop’s son Nathan, 16, has been missing since February 2023
Summer Barlow, 13, is also missing. Her mother thinks she was kidnapped by the church
The polygmaist group considers women second-rate and demands obedience from men
Another mother, Elizabeth Roundy, 49, claims her children were also abducted by the church
Convicted pedophile Jeffs remains leader of church spreading prophecy behind bars, experts claim
Jeffs, now 67, remains the leader of the group and is set to release Prophecy from prison
Warren Jeffs’ nephew, Heber Jeffs, was charged last December with the kidnapping of his 10-year-old niece, whose parents left the FLDS.
Heber followed his uncle’s prophecies and instructions, including returning the children of former members, the indictment documents say.
When a member leaves the FLDS, they are branded a “renegade” by the community.
“If you leave, you’re considered an apostate and will be treated severely by the people who remain in the church,” said Roger Hoole, an attorney representing some of these mothers.
“It’s often a very long process before someone leaves, and then it’s a long process before they’re emotionally able to make the real adjustment.” That doesn’t happen overnight.”
The mothers told ABC News that the term “apostate” scared their children and encouraged them to run away.
“Our concern is: how can they run away on their own?” Hoole said.
“Will they be helped? Do we see a pattern here?’
In the Church, women are considered second-rate and are expected to submit to men.
“Growing up, our goal was … to get married,” said Sarah Johnson, whose son Salome has been missing since March 2021.
“I decided right from the start that I would be the most obedient and perfect wife I could be.”
She says she got engaged when she was 17 to a man 25 years her senior. One of her four sister wives was her biological sister and the two had more than 30 children.
The FLDS was formed more than 130 years ago after polygamy was outlawed in the Mormon Church.
Her current prophet, Warren Jeffs, is a 67-year-old convicted pedophile who experts say has had about 80 wives, many of whom were minors.