Boyd Householder, Charged With 78 Felonies in Christian Boarding School Abuse Case, Dies Before Trial

Boyd Householder, a 75-year-old Missouri man who had been facing 78 felony charges related to statutory rape, sodomy and physical abuse, died Tuesday, according to reporting by the Kansas City Star citing multiple sources. Missouri court records showed he was set to go on trial this fall. The charges, which also included child abuse and neglect allegations, related to his years directing Circle of Hope Girls Ranch, a Christian boarding school near Humansville.

When he filed the charges in early 2021, Eric Schmitt, then Missouri attorney general, described the allegations against Householder as “extensive and horrific.” The charges remained allegations that had not been tried in court at the time of his death.

Householder’s wife, Stephanie Householder, is scheduled for a trial in late October on 21 similar felony charges. It is not clear how her husband’s death may affect that case. A spokesperson for current Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey declined to comment Thursday morning, citing that the matter is “an ongoing criminal proceeding.”

Householder’s 33-year-old daughter, who lives in California, shared a written statement with Ozarks Public Radio. The statement was relayed by a Missouri official with Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, a group that campaigns on behalf of those who identify as boarding school abuse survivors. In the statement, Amanda Householder wrote that she was saddened by her father’s death but felt “even more heartbroken” for those she said were abused by him for years. She added that she hoped his death would bring some solace to “the hundreds of vulnerable children who suffered even more pain at his hands.” Those claims, like the charges, were not resolved in court.

Missouri authorities began investigating abuse allegations against Circle of Hope Girls Ranch after women identifying as abuse survivors raised their claims on the TikTok social media app in 2020. The attention to the vulnerable young people who had been in the school’s care remains central to the public concern surrounding the case, a reminder of the need to protect the vulnerable (Psalm 82:3).

Springfield-based attorney Adam Woody represented Householder. He confirmed the death on Tuesday, saying it followed cardiac arrest, and said his client had been ill for some time related to his service in the Vietnam War. According to Woody, that illness included lung and heart damage from chemical warfare exposure, which had required the use of oxygen tanks in recent times. A statement from Woody was added to the digital version of the report after the audio was recorded.

Woody wrote in his statement that Householder “passed away maintaining his innocence against any criminal conduct and is in a better place.”

Source: Read the original report