Getty ST. GEORGE, UT - SEPETEMBER 24: Warren Jeffs (L) watches the jury leave the courtroom to restart their deliberation in his trial September 24, 2007 in St. George, Utah. Jeffs, head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is charged with two counts of rape as an accomplice for allegedly coercing the marriage and rape of a 14-year-old follower to her 19-year-old cousin in 2001. (Photo by Douglas C. Pizac-Pool/Getty Images)
Cult leader Warren Jeffs, the notorious leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church), had dozens of wives–nearly 80–and more than 50 children. He is the son of Rulon Jeffs, the man who became the first sole leaders of the FLDS Church in 1988.
Jeffs was sentenced to life in prison plus 20 years in 2011 after he was found guilty on two felony counts of child sexual assault. Jeffs denied the allegations and is still behind bars.
The story of the Jeffs family and the FLDS is being explored on Friday’s edition of NBC’s Dateline. They will specifically exploring the story from Rebecca Musser, a former member of the church who left and served as one of the main witnesses in the legal case against Jeffs. She was previously married to Jeffs’ father, Rulon. She was 19 and Rulon was 85 when they married. He also had more than 60 other wives.
To find out more about Jeffs and his family, continue reading below for five fast facts:
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1. Roy Jeffs Was the First of Jeffs’ Sons to Leave the FLDS
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GettyWarren Jeffs listens to testimony during his trial on rape-as-an-accomplice charges September 19, 2007 in St. George, Utah.
Roy Jeffs was the first child of the cult leader to leave the FLDS. “It definitely took a couple of years of thinking about it before I got the nerve to do it,” he said in a 2018 interview with USA Today.
Throughout his life, Warren Jeffs sexually and mentally abused Roy. He kept him separated from his siblings and mother and Roy was afraid he would do the same thing to his wife if he got married. “If I finally get married here in the FLDS, I will live in constant fear of my dad taking my family away because he’d done that to almost every man,” Roy Jeffs told USA Today.
Roy Jeffs realized he had been sexually abused by his father after hearing the stories of his sister. “All of those years I had thought that was my fault because of the way he did it,” Roy Jeffs said. “Basically, he was like ‘Don’t ever do this,’ then he touched me.”
2. In 2019, Roy Jeffs Died by Suicide
GettyIn this handout provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), polygamist Warren Steed Jeffs is pictured on a FBI Ten Most Wanted poster. Jeffs, the fugitive leader of a polygamist Mormon sect, was arrested by a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper on August 28 during a traffic stop. Jeffs was wanted in Utah and Arizona on charges linked to allegations of arranging marriages between men and underage girls. (Handout by Federal Bureau of Investigation via Getty Images)
His sister, Rachel Jeffs, announced Roy’s death in a Facebook post in May of 2019. “My heart is heavy and I’m sad to say that my fun loving brother Leroy Jeffs, 26 years old, died Wednesday, May 29, 2019,” she wrote. “His father, Warren Jeffs treated him the worse of all my brothers.”
“He did not allow Roy to grow up with his siblings and he kept him hidden in houses of hiding most of his growing up life, telling the family that Roy was a bad boy and tried to turn us against him,” Rachel wrote.
She was proud of the man Roy had become. “I’m proud of Roy for the courage he’s shown in being the first of my siblings to leave the FLDS cult and trying to figure out life the best he could. Roy was fun, cheerful, and always enjoyed a good laugh,” she wrote. “You will be remembered and missed brother!”
The Associated Press confirmed his death was by suicide.
3. Raymond Jeffs Is Happier Since Leaving The Church
GettyST. GEORGE, UT – SEPTEMBER 18: Jennie Pipkin displays her Apple iPod that she keeps devotionals and music on while testifying for the defense during Warren Jeffs’ trial on September 18, 2007, in St. George, Utah. Jeffs, former head of the polygamist Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is charged with coercing the marriage and rape of a 14-year-old church-follower to her 19-year-old cousin in 2001. (Photo by Trent Nelson-Pool/Getty Images)
Raymond Jeffs, one of the nearly dozen of the leader’s children who left the FLDS, does not regret leaving the church.
In the 2018 interview with USA Today, he said it was “basically like going into a whole new world.”
“I never want to go back to that lifestyle,” he continued. “I’m 100 times happier since leaving.”
Finding out about his father abusing his sisters motivated him to leave the church. In 2018, Raymond wrote a cryptic message about trust. “If I’ve learned anything in life so far, it’s that you can trust no one, but make sure that you are in control of your own happiness, and not relying on any other person to bring that happiness into your life,” he tweeted. “Go win at life and make yourself proud. Your the only one that matters.”
In another message, Raymond talked about not giving up. “…even if the going gets hard, keep at a steady pace and focus on the most important issue at hand,” he wrote.
4. Rachel Jeffs Would Like to Reconnect With all Her Siblings
GettyWarren Jeffs mugshot
Rachel Jeffs, one of the most outspoken of Warren Jeffs’ children to leave the church, is active on social media. She regularly tweets, writes Facebook updates and runs a blog. She also wrote a book about the church, called Breaking Free.
In one blog post, she talked about why people stay in a cult. “Inborn cult members are taught from childbirth that their way of life is the only right way, that the rest of the people in the world are lost to God, or the correct way of living. They are taught to scorn the people of the world and their traditions.”
She added: “The cult leaders often prevail through threats, intimidating their followers through the power of fear for the loss of their salvation, telling them that hell awaits all those who do not obey their strict teachings.”
In another, she talked about reconnecting with her siblings, saying she hopes they all will be free soon. “8 brothers, 3 sisters…my free family is growing. #hopetheyallescape,” she wrote on April 3. “God allows us to go through darkness so we can be grateful for the light. He will help you through.”
5. One of Warren Jeffs’ Wives Turned His Headquarters Into a Refuge For Women
GettyDefense witness Charlotte Jessop answers questions during Warren Jeffs’ trial September 18 September 2007 in St. George, Utah. Jeffs, former head of the polygamist Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is charged with coercing the marriage and rape of a 14-year-old church-follower to her 19-year-old cousin in 2001. AFP PHOTO/POOL/Steve Marcus (Photo credit should read Steve Marcus/AFP via Getty Images)
Brielle Decker married Jeffs when she was 18 years old, becoming his 65th wife. She turned the home where she lived with Jeffs in Short Creek into a safe house for women who are fleeing the FLDS, the Guardian wrote in an exclusive 2018 report.
She was able to buy the 44-room mansion after Jeffs assets were seized and taken over by the state. Decker asked the state if she could buy the home, saying she wanted to use it as a refuge. She was given a discount of $800,000 to buy the property, paying $400,000 for it, the Guardian wrote.
Despite Jeffs being imprisoned in 2011, the church still exists. Estimates put the number of members at 10,000. When asked if she thought the FLDS was dissolving Decker told the Guardian it wasn’t happening fast enough.
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