Federal Charges Filed Against FLDS Splinter Group Followers Following Disappearance of Eight Girls

Federal prosecutors have filed kidnapping and obstruction of justice charges against followers of Samuel Rappylee Bateman, a man who claims to lead a splinter group of the Fundamentalist LDS Church. The charges come after the disappearance of eight girls who were in the custody of Arizona child protective services and were later found in Spokane, Wash.

The women charged include Naomi Bistline, Donnae Barlow, and Moretta Rose Johnson. Court records indicate Johnson was arrested and detained in Washington pending extradition to Arizona, while Bistline and Barlow were arrested in Arizona and appeared in federal court. They are believed to be married to Bateman, who is described as a self-proclaimed Prophet of the FLDS church.

Observers in Colorado City, Ariz., the former stronghold of the FLDS Church, refer to Bateman and his followers as a “splinter” group. FBI agents wrote in a probable cause affidavit that Bateman has approximately 50 followers and over 20 wives, many of whom are minors under the age of 15. The affidavit states that Bateman allegedly encourages his followers, including minor children, to engage in sexual acts through what he calls “impressions of Heavenly Father’s will.”

The affidavit includes graphic descriptions of sexual abuse and “orgies” involving Bateman and others, including underage children. Bateman is currently in jail in Arizona, charged with obstruction of justice and accused of interfering with a federal investigation into child abuse. In September, the FBI raided his home and took nine girls into protective custody.

The FBI noted that some older girls influenced younger ones not to talk about Bateman, leading to the refusal of forensic interviews. One girl, JD#7, was the only one to participate, stating, “I can’t talk to you.” The eight girls disappeared from group homes on Nov. 27. The FBI alleges that Bateman made video calls from jail to one of his purported wives, who was with the girls, urging them to stay together.

Authorities located the girls in Spokane after tracking an Airbnb rental linked to a Bateman follower. The FBI wrote that Bateman has claimed Fundamentalist LDS Church leader Warren Jeffs appeared to him, though the source material is truncated.

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