Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Polygamist Sect Launches Online PR Campaign

Features photos of tanks and 'pioneer girls'

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted Apr 22, 2008 8:43 AM CDT
Email

(Newser) – Members of the Texas polygamist community whose children were seized because of suspected abuse have taken their battle against authorities to the Internet, reports the Deseret News. The sect has launched two companion websites—one of them featuring photos and videos of crying children being led away, flanked by armed security forces. The goal is "to help the innocent children that were living at the ranch," says one of the sites, and to appeal for donations.

Sect attorneys are currently battling to stop the planned separation of moms from young children in the ongoing court case to determine the fate of 416 kids taken from the ranch. The investigation into suspected "spiritual marriages" of girls as young as 13 to older men has been complicated by the fact that underage girls are claiming to be adults, authorities said.

Members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints prepare to meet with members of the press on the grounds of the Yearning For Zion Ranch near Eldorado, Texas.
Members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints prepare to meet with members of the press on the grounds of the Yearning For Zion Ranch near Eldorado, Texas.   (AP Photo)
A member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints walks across a gravel road toward a residential cabin on the Yearning for Zion Ranch in Eldorado, Texas, April 16, 2008.
A member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints walks across a gravel road toward a residential cabin on the Yearning for Zion Ranch in Eldorado, Texas, April 16, 2008.   (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Rod Parker, left, the attorney serving as spokesman for the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints addresses a group of its female members as they prepare to meet with the media.
Rod Parker, left, the attorney serving as spokesman for the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints addresses a group of its female members as they prepare to meet with the media.   (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment on this story.

DNA could be key to prosecution
Reuters

19th century-inspired polygamist fashion unlikely to go mainstream
Associated Press

Former member defends polygamous sect
Salt Lake Tribune

FLDS website
FLDS organization

FLDS companion website
FLDS organization

US • Health

 
Texas • DNA • child abuse • polygamy • Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints • Yearning for Zion ranch

More Newser Stories

Texas Moving Sect Kids Into Foster Care

Many Kids From Sect Had Broken Bones

Half of Sect's Teens Have Been Pregnant

Sect Children Slowly Meet Outside World

25 Moms ID'd as Minors in Polygamy Probe
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne