Draper, Utah (KUTV) — Former members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS) are embarking on a desperate search for their vanished children, suspecting that the church may be harboring them.
According to ex-FLDS individuals, Warren Jeffs, the incarcerated leader of the FLDS community serving a life sentence in a Texas prison, continues to exert influence over his followers. Allegedly, Jeffs communicates divine revelations through his son, Helaman Jeffs, despite his imprisonment.
One parent, Sarah Johnson, recounted her relentless efforts to secure custody of her children after leaving the FLDS fold, including her child named Salome. Despite her legal victory, Salome’s father claimed the child had run away.
“We are still searching for you,” Johnson expressed, addressing her missing child.
Jeffs purportedly advocates for assembling devoted children to aid in the establishment of Zion, teaching that they must ultimately undergo a transformation to “pure” and “translated beings” through death, according to statements from ex-FLDS members.
Drawing parallels to historical tragedies such as Waco and Jonestown, former FLDS adherents fear that current leadership within the community may be steering towards similar catastrophic ends.
“I chose to leave FLDS, and the challenge we’re having is that I wasn’t able to bring one of my children out of the religion with me,” Johnson lamented. “It’s not only the total culture shock of leaving a cult, but not being able to have one of your children with you. You feel like part of your soul and part of your heart are out in the world somewhere.”
Johnson suspects that Salome is concealed among FLDS members, leaving her with only hope to cling to.
“I feel like I’m in limbo because I just can’t make a plan and say where I see myself in five years,” Johnson disclosed. “My mind won’t let me go that far until I know I have him.”
One purported revelation issued by Jeffs instructs his followers to reclaim the children by any means necessary, intensifying concerns for their safety.
Now, ten families who have severed ties with the FLDS organization are appealing to the public for assistance in locating their missing children, apprehensive of potential peril they might face within the confines of the church.
“Now I am standing here in front of the world, because I need to believe that you’re watching and waiting for me,” Sarah Johnson emotionally expressed, referring to her absent son. “I love you, son. It’s never too late to call me. I will always be here.”
Her son, Salome, vanished subsequent to her departure from the FLDS community.
