Stolen Innocence - Lisa Pulitzer [200]
A part of me had secretly hoped that Warren being in prison might open the eyes of some of the devoted people of the FLDS. Maybe without Warren’s presence and influence, some doors would open and ties to loved ones shoved out along the way might be permitted again. I had even allowed myself to dream of the day when my mother and I would be reunited and allowed a chance at a relationship, despite our differing views.
To my disappointment, little has changed in the community, and life continues on much as it did under Warren. Ultimately, these systems are much bigger than just one man. They were in place long before he took power and they will carry on until more people stand up again these injustices. I still haven’t heard a word from Sherrie or Ally in years, and I have not seen my mother since we parted following Uncle Fred’s funeral. In late March of 2008, I received word that they might surface long enough to clear the missing persons report that Kassandra filed after their initial disappearance. The news came after lengthy communications between David Doran, the sheriff of Schleicher County, Texas, and the leaders of the Yearn for Zion Ranch (YFZ) that Warren Jeffs and others had constructed in Sheriff Doran’s jurisdiction in Eldorado.
Remarkably, Sheriff Doran is the only member of law enforcement who has ever been able to open a friendship and line of communication with the people of the FLDS, and because of this relationship church elders agreed to entertain the possibility of a meeting with my mother. Sadly, we learned that the men in charge of Mom, Sherrie, and Ally would not allow one to take place if any of my mother’s apostate children were in attendance. Eventually my father, my mother, Sherrie and Ally, and members of law enforcement met in Washington County, Utah, but the meeting did not produce any new information about where they were living.
While I am sure my mother may feel disrespected and hurt by my actions, I hope she understands that coming forward was something I had to do. Her staunch support of the religion and inability to extract herself from that mindset put me in a position where she couldn’t protect me. It is for this reason that I have resolved to make it my mission to help my little sisters and others like them in any way possible.
In early April 2008, I got that opportunity when a young girl reached out from the inside the FLDS to a crisis hotline in Texas. The caller claimed that she was sixteen years old, eight months pregnant, and wanted help to get out of the FLDS community. In response, members of Texas law enforcement entered the compound on Thursday, April 3, in hopes of locating her. During their initial search, and over the next few days, they were unable to find a girl fitting that description but observed many underage girls who were visibly pregnant. This prompted officials to embark on a more thorough investigation that led to the removal of hundreds of women and children from the ranch.
Suddenly faced with this newly daunting task, officials in Texas needed an understanding of this culture and its people, and so they invited my sister Kassandra and me to Texas to assist them in their communication with the FLDS people. My desire was to ensure that the men, women, and children were treated with kindness, understanding, and respect. I knew the fear and anxiety that they were experiencing all too well. I was also hoping that I would see Sherrie and Ally there, but they were not among the women and children bused from the ranch.
The experience of being on the scene proved extremely emotional for me. At points, I found it incredibly difficult to be reminded of how conditioned the people—especially the women—were. Even with our help, the questioning proved extremely difficult