What happened to Warren Jeffs Texas Ranch? What was the whole fuss about? Warren Steed Jeffs was the president of a polygamous cult based out of Arizona, USA – the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints or the FLDS was one of the splinter groups that broke out after the Mormon church outlawed Polygamy in the 1890’s. These splinter groups often practiced Polygamy in secrecy without any persecution.
Before Warren, his father – Rulon Jeffs was the president of the FLDS and was said to have had around 60 children with 19-20 wives during his period. Following in his footsteps, Warren Jeffs went on to become the president of the FLDS and, according to ex-church members, was said to have had around 78 wives.
Church Leadership
Before he succeeded his father, Warren was said to have held the position of a counselor to the church leader in the FLDS Church. However, after the demise of his father in 2002, Warren became Rulon Jeff’s successor and the President, Prophet, Seer, and Revelator of the church.
A Revelator was the position that had been followed by the FLDS church as tradition – referring to the head of the organization of all adult male church members who were deemed worthy to hold the priesthood.
Warren Jeffs Texas Ranch: About The Arrest
Texas authorities began the process of seizing the 1,600-acre Warren Jeffs Texas ranch where prosecutors claim polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs and others sexually abused children, officials reported Thursday. The state obtained the final forfeiture judgment on January 6, after the Attorney General’s Office filed for the property’s seizure in 2012.
Warren Jeffs Texas ranch was raided by police in 2008 following calls to a family violence hotline alleging abuse and rape, resulting in the removal of 416 children. This number later increased to 468 after discovering some of the mothers were underage, while around 130 women chose to leave voluntarily.
The children were returned to the ranch after the Texas Supreme Court ruled that the state had no authority to remove them and lacked sufficient evidence of imminent danger. Child protection officials reported a widespread pattern of sexual abuse, including forced marriages of underage girls to older men. In August 2011, a Texas jury convicted Jeffs of sexual assault against two girls, aged 12 and 15.
The court found overwhelming evidence of his crimes, leading to his sentencing to life in prison. He was given a life sentence plus an additional 20 years, with the possibility of parole eligibility in 2038. Jeffs continues to exert influence over his followers from behind bars, issuing edicts and maintaining control over the FLDS through intermediaries. The impact of his crimes has left deep scars on his victims and the broader community, with many former members struggling to rebuild their lives outside the confines of the cult’s control.
The FLDS Aftermath
Almost a decade after the arrest of the polygamous prophet, the ex-members of the FLDS church began coming out, exposing various secrets of the church. However, despite being in prison, the hold that Jeffs had on his followers stayed strong. Even after the charges of being a child sex offender, more than half of his followers still hold him in high esteem.
However, there are the rest that are leaving the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They are actively disobeying the words of their acting prophet and president. They did come forward to law enforcement to reveal insider information which revealed the truth of the church, filling hundreds of courtroom papers in the form of evidence against Warren Jeffs. These include chefs, drivers, Warren Jeffs’ children, and even his ex-wives. They spoke of the incredulous class distinction and hierarchy, as well as the shunning of people. They also spoke of how they mostly just starved as members of the church. Sheryl Barlow, an ex-member of the cult, came forward revealing how they all lived off brown rice, noodles, tomato soup, and toast in a house of 40.
Conclusion
After the arrest of Warren Jeffs, some members began tasting the first sense of freedom and free will after leaving the church. With the stories they came forward with to the law, the film Warren Jeffs: The Prophet of Evil was released, pulling back the curtains on most of the doings of the great prophet of the FLDS – Warren Jeffs and his church of 15,000 followers. Netflix’s Keep Secret: Pray and Obey was another show about his dark secrets and the stories within their walls. However, that was the end of the reign of the prophet of evil.
