‘Every time a child leaves, the Order cracks down more and more on my mom.’ Escaping Polygamy s2e7: Fight Like a Mother, Amanda
Daniel has over 150 children, and Shirley is the mother to 12 of them. ibid.
‘Typically when Order men take another wife, their other wives are present at the ceremony.’ Escaping Polygamy s2e8: The Cost of Temptation
It’s said the Kingstons believe ‘outside doctors’ are evil and unnecessary. The Kingstons claim they have their own ‘hidden knowledge of health’ directly from God. ibid. captions
Immediately following the raid, the storehouse, where FLDS members get their food, closed during the investigation. ibid.
To this day, Mandi is unclear just how many children her father has. Escaping Polygamy s2e9: Honour Thy Father
Out of the thousands of men in The Order, it’s believed there are fewer than 200 numbered men. ibid.
Over the last couple of years there’s been an insider who’s still a member of the Order that’s been helping us … This person is taking a tremendous risk. Escaping Polygamy s2e10: The Insider, Jessica
I was not allowed to go to school [14]. I only worked. ibid
Children are not allowed to have toys. There’s no marriages. There’s no intimate relationship with the man and wife that are married … There’s no joyness, there’s no happiness any more. Escaping Polygamy s2e11: After the Escape: Struggling to Survive, Ariel
‘I want to leave became I don’t believe in polygamy … I do want to fall in love.’ Escaping Polygamy s2e12: After the Escape: Fighting for Freedom, Yolanda
‘When you leave polygamy you have to leave your family behind because they’re told to cut you off.’ Escaping Polygamy s2e13: After the Escape: Temptation to Return, Amanda
Some of them triumphed, some of them have struggled; this is where they are now. Escaping Polygamy s2e14: After the Escape: Broken Family
By the time we got to Melanie everything had escalated out of control: she had already been punched in the face, she had already been choked. ibid.
‘From such an early age dad beat me.’ Escaping Polygamy s3e1: Family Under Fire, 2017, victim
The AUB is another polygamous group here in Utah; they’re also known as the Apostolic United Brethren. ibid.
The FLDS is a sinister, secretive religious cult. And their prophet Warren Jeffs is one of the most evil men on the planet. Escaping Polygamy s3e2: Give Me Back My Daughters I
The FLDS group is estimated to have 10,000 members across the United States, Mexico and Canada. Their prophet is Warren Jeffs. Warren Jeffs is serving life in prison plus 20 years for the sexual assault of two minors. ibid.
Suzette left the FLDS group years ago with all of her children except for two which are her daughter … She wants us to help try and find her two daughters. Escaping Polygamy s3e3: Give Me Back My Daughters II
‘They are hiding behind polygamy to get away with incest and underage marriages and child abuse.’ ibid. victim’s evidence to committee
Shortly after the hearing, the Utah State Legislature passed House Bill 99 into law, keeping polygamy a felony. ibid.
In Colorado City, FLDS leaders have formed a security force known as the ‘God Squad’ to intimidate unwanted visitors. ibid.
‘Polygamy – it can be hell.’ Escaping Polygamy s3e5: Exposing the Cult, victim
Today, there are an estimated 30,000 polygamists in Utah. ibid. caption
‘The moment you find out your dad is scheduling a time to talk to you about getting married and you sit there thinking of any possible excuse to get out of going to the meeting.’ Escaping Polygamy s3e6: Escaping Wedlock, mom’s message
This is a big deal to have Rachel Jeffs reach out for help – she was Warren Jeffs’ favourite daughter. Escaping Polygamy s3e7: The Prophet’s Daughter
Warren Jeffs was put on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in May 2006 for multiple counts of sexually assaulting minors. After several months eluding authorities, Warren Jeffs was arrested during a routine traffic stop. ibid. captions
‘The FLDS group is known for their strict dress code and their isolation from the rest of the world. They don’t listen to music, watch television, use the internet, read books.’ Escaping Polygamy s3e8: Rebel With a Cause
‘Yes, it’s worth it.’ ibid. escaping Mattie
‘It’s really hard to get people out of the FLDS group because it’s rumoured that the FLDS just move their members all around the country … It’s all about control.’ Escaping Polygamy s3e9: Sons of the Prophet
Isaac moved to Phoenix Arizona where he found a job and a circle of friends. ibid.
‘My father is Warren Jeffs, the prophet of the FLDS church; my mother is Brenda: when I was seven year old I was separated from my mother.’ Escaping Polygamy s3e10: A Risky Reunion, Isaac
FLDS members are ‘sent away’ by leaders to repent for their sins. They often don’t know what sins they have committed. ibid.
‘They can’t even hold hands with their spouse any more. And they listen to him [Jeffs] because he is their prophet.’ Escaping Polygamy s3e11: Forbidden Love
‘I would rather have my son or daughter in the grave than commit sins of immorality.’ ibid.
The AUB [Apostolic United Brethren] is estimated to have over 8,000 members throughout the United States and Mexico. Escaping Polygamy s3e12: A Father’s Secret
‘I do believe that 99% of polygamous relationships are unhealthy; in almost all instances it’s destructive and harmful. ibid. Jesse
Polygamy: a practice illegal in Canada … punishable in Canada with up to a five-year sentence. The Fifth Estate: Polygamy in Canada: An Open Secret, CBC 2019
Most mainstream Canadian Imams have spoken out against the practice. ibid.
Follow our journey to a hidden world where outsiders are the enemy, loved ones are banished, families are torn apart, and one man – the prophet Warren Jeffs, still calls all the shot even while locked up for life. 20/20 Breaking Polygamy: Secrets of the Sect, ABC 2012
But behind the facade of normalcy is something you can’t see: every aspect of this family’s life, who they marry, what they wear, even what they eat, is controlled by the man they call the prophet Warren Jeffs. ibid.
Jeffs had over 80 wives, but he was sentenced to life imprisonment for the assault of under-age girls. ibid.
It started with an order to destroy all the children’s toys … You cannot eat corn … No sex between husband and wife … He selected fifteen men to father all the children in the community. ibid.
They were taught that Warren Jeffs is the president of the United States. ibid.
They put in long hours, often seven days a week, with no pay. ibid.
Plural marriage is what Joseph Smith called ‘the most holy and most important doctrine revealed to any man on Earth.’ Each Mormon males would need at least three wives to reach that Celestial kingdom. Prophet’s Prey, Sundance 2015
In 1986 A single family, the Jeffs family, gained control of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. ibid.
All worldly media has been banned by the prophet Warren Jeffs. ibid.
‘You need to be perfectly obedient to all of your teachers and your father.’ ibid. Warren Jeffs’ nephew
‘Behind closed doors he is a predator; he is abusing these kids.’ ibid. victim
‘Soon a day of judgment will be upon us.’ ibid. Warren’s 2000 prediction
Being married at 16 [to the prophet] took away my entire life.’ ibid. victim
‘He started casting out anybody that he felt was a threat to the power of his authority.’ ibid.
‘People finally getting enough courage to go after him.’ ibid.
‘I have been a liar. And the truth is not in me.’ ibid. Jeffs’ temporary confession upon incarceration, later recanted
Q: Do you feel any remorse for what you’ve done?
Jeffs: Fifth amendment. ibid.
Polygamous Sect and Child Labor. ibid. CNN report