Ever wonder what it would be like to live in a world where one man controls what you wear, who you marry, and whether your family stays together? Welcome to life under Warren Jeffs, folks. And trust me, it’s about as pleasant as finding a fingernail in your birthday cake.
When I first stumbled across the FLDS rabbit hole during one of my 2AM true crime binges (while my husband Ryan snored blissfully beside me), I couldn’t believe what I was reading. This wasn’t some historical account from centuries ago—this was happening in modern America, like, right now.
The Man, The Myth, The Monster
Warren Jeffs took control of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in 2002 after his father’s death. Picture the worst micromanager you’ve ever had, then give them godlike status and remove all oversight. That’s Jeffs.
He didn’t just lead the FLDS—he owned it. Owned the people in it. Dictated everything from acceptable sock colors to which 50-year-old man would “marry” which 14-year-old girl.
And if you’re thinking, “That can’t be legal,” congratulations on having basic human decency! You’re right—it wasn’t. But isolation is a powerful thing. When your entire community exists behind metaphorical (and sometimes literal) walls, the outside world’s laws feel distant and irrelevant.
The “Marriages” That Still Haunt Me
The most stomach-turning aspect of Jeffs’ reign was his orchestration of child marriages. We’re talking girls as young as 12 being “spiritually married” to men old enough to be their grandfathers.
Jeffs himself had an estimated 78 wives, many underage. He documented his sexual assaults in nauseating detail—recordings that would later help convict him. (I made the mistake of reading transcript excerpts while eating lunch. Do not recommend.)
The civil rights attorneys at the Southern Poverty Law Center have tracked the FLDS as a hate group for years, noting how Jeffs’ teachings were steeped in racism, homophobia, and misogyny that further isolated his followers from mainstream society.
The “Lost Boys” Phenomenon
Here’s a detail that doesn’t get enough attention: When you have a community where older men collect multiple young wives, you end up with a math problem. Too many boys, not enough girls.
The solution? Expel the competition.
Hundreds of teenage boys were kicked out of the community for trivial “sins” like listening to music or talking to girls. These “Lost Boys” were dumped on roadsides with no education, no money, and no idea how the outside world worked. Many ended up homeless or struggling with addiction.
I would have survived this crime by being born male and wearing the wrong color shirt at age 14, apparently. (Though let’s be honest—my smart mouth would’ve gotten me expelled by age 8.)
The $152 Million Verdict That Changed Everything
In 2023, a federal judge awarded $152 million to former FLDS members who suffered under Jeffs’ rule. According to Scripps News, this landmark case validated years of survivor testimony about forced labor, psychological abuse, and sexual exploitation.
The problem? Collecting that money. Jeffs (currently serving life plus 20 years for sexually assaulting children) transferred much of the church’s assets to shell companies and loyal followers. It’s like trying to get blood from a stone—if the stone was actively hiding its blood in offshore accounts.
Life After Escape: The Survivors
Former FLDS members describe leaving as being “born again”—and not in the religious sense. Imagine learning at 25 that dinosaurs existed, or that women can wear pants, or that the outside world isn’t actually evil.
Many survivors have shared their stories with publications like High Country News, describing the painful process of rebuilding their identities after escaping. Some have reunited with expelled family members. Others have pursued education they were denied. Almost all struggle with trust issues and PTSD.
The most chilling part? Despite Jeffs being behind bars since 2011, splinter groups of the FLDS still exist, still practicing polygamy and still following his teachings from prison. His recorded “revelations” continue to circulate among believers.
If that doesn’t make you triple-check your locks tonight, I don’t know what will.
Would I have survived this crime? Only if I’d been born outside the FLDS entirely. Because the most terrifying aspect of cults like this isn’t the monster at the top—it’s how effectively they can make ordinary people believe the unbelievable.
And that’s a horror story that never gets old.