MO - Six Mohler family members for child sex crimes, Bates City 2009 #2

[pennydawn]

Thanks Newcomer and welcome to WS!

IIRC the pregnancy had already come out officially at the time that she was pregnant and supposedly came to offical attention at that time. I haven't seen any indication as to what happened to the pregnancy, if it was aborted or came to term or what happened to the child. Also no indication that anything resulted from the offical attention.

This seems to be another of those cases where everyone seems to have dropped the ball. From the mothers and grandmothers, to the church and the officals.

Whoa...we know that she was officially pregnant? that people knew she was pregnant? Do we have a link for this? I've combed through the entire thread, but I cannot find it.

Also the alleged abortion, I thought, was for an 11-year-old girl. Is this the same victim? or another one? Truthfully, for how often they'd been abused, I was surprised we'd heard of only one pregnancy, especially given the girl in the cellar had been pregnant twice.

My heart is just breaking for these victims.

 

[jjj]

Just catching up with recent events.
Thoughts:
A timeline would be helpful for me. I am having trouble keeping things/events/people straight. Plus, having years of events and reportings seems to me that we might see a trend. So, please jump in and correct/add to. I will leave ? for things unknown (to me), please quote and add information. Maybe when we get something it could be turned into a sticky? If there is a better way I am open...

So...I'm sorry if this is upsetting to some, but I've put together details on everyone involved. If it's any consolation, I'd never share their identities and would notify the victims if any of it were things they could remove, as they clearly were careful to remove traces of themselves from the internet before this began. (In my defense I can only say that I have moderate OCD, which got a bit out of control after the story about the Independence mall victim came out.) While I still don't know what to think about the mall murder or the non-related female victim in the crawlspace, I now have no doubt that the siblings' stories of sexual abuse are true, and find it painful that some are doubting them, which I don't think they would be if LE & media had handled the story better.

Anyway…I'll use initials for the wives, but keep with the FC/MC convention to keep the victims as anonymous as possible. I take it from the previous timeline post that ages are ok, so I'm including years of birth. There were a couple Topix posts that appeared credible at first but were wrong on some details, which I think has led to the confusion about mother's identity. Please let me know if I've included too many details, & I'll remove ASAP.

BM Jr's marriages:
Wife 1: JM - c.1978 - 1998
FC1 (Female Child 1) born 1978
FC2 born 1980
FC3 born 1981
FC4 born 1983
MC1 born 1984
FC5 born 1985-88

Wife 2: PSM - 1999 or 2000 - 2001
MC2 (PSM's son from prior marriage to MY)
(no children with jr.)

Wife 3: PGM - 200? - 2007
1 or more kids with jr. (possibly 4 yr. old girl referred to by MY on a Topix thread.)

Wife 4: SM (not to be confused with Sr's 2nd wife, SLM) 2009-present


BM Sr:
Wife 1: AM, died 1991
Wife 2: SLM, 1992-present

Abuse reports:
198? - JM reports abuse to LDS officials
2000 - JM warns MY of sexual abuse to MC2
2001 - MY reports abuse and gets no response, but gets custody of MC2
8/2009 - FC4 reports abuse to Sherriff's Department. Account corroborated by FC3 & MC1.
11/2009 - More abuse charges from interviews with FC3 & FC1, some confirmed by FC2. Unrelated F6 reports being held in basement in late 80's, & burying of baby in basement.

 

[Missizzy]

http://www.kansascity.com/679/story/1583449.html

http://www.nbcactionnews.com/conten...Mohler-Sr/l_5AdmaEL0Or-5uTuKV21Q.cspx?rss=764

New searches taking place.

 

[PAXIMUS]

Texas Mist said: "I noticed the date on that document too MissIzzy...maybe BM Jr left in 1982 & had a diff wife at that time....and IIRC, one of these mothers was married to a brother, they divorced & she married a diff. brother -- which brothers were married to the same woman (I can't remember)???"


OMG...brothers married to the same woman? Is this true? or a guess? (Sorry, I'm not good at online acronyms, and I have no idea what IIRC means...)

If it's true, the woman who married two brothers needs to be interviewed ASAP. I mean, was she shared? And then decided she liked the other brother better?

I'm very confused by this family.

PD

IIRC means If I Recall Correctly

 

[jjj]

New video titled "Ex-mormon remembers mohler children" on front page of
http://www.fox4kc.com/wdaf-story-mohler-church-member-112009,0,369109.story
is with a girl who was babysat by one of the victims, & knew the others from church. She found out about the abuse, twice told her parents that the Mohlers were being abused, and they twice went to church officials, encouraging them to contact the police. She says the 2nd time, the church threatened to ex-communicate her family.

 

[Missizzy]

Of interest?

http://mormonalliance.org/casereports/volume1/part1/v1p1c06.htm

From the home page of this site:

"The purposes of the Mormon Alliance are to identify and document ecclesiastical/spiritual abuse in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS or Mormon Church), to promote healing and closure for its survivors, to build more sensitive leadership, to empower LDS members to participate with more authenticity in Mormonism, and to foster a healthier religious community."

I find this site interesting for several reasons. First, the work was published in 1995, at the height of the ritual abuse disclosure "hysteria" and also at about the time we know abuse is alleged to have occurred in the Mohler family. Secondly, it was published by the Mormon church. I've mentioned a "playbook" and commented about how many themes seem to recur. Well, I notice that many are included in this research. I haven't read the entire site but wanted to get it out there. I noted this interesting statement:

"Disbelievers rely on the fact that investigations into alleged ritual abuse are legion but that convictions are few. If babies are being murdered, late-stage abortions induced to provide sacrifices, or those who tell are murdered, they ask, where are the bodies?"

I'm going to buckle down and see what I can find. I'll check back.

 

[hoppyfrog]

Letter to the editor of the Examiner:

By Robert G. Fisher
Submitted to The Examiner
Posted Nov 18, 2009 @ 12:28 AM

Independence, MO — To the editor:

Someone needs to say, “Let’s presume the Mohlers innocent.” I have known Burrell Mohler Sr. for 35 years. I handled a civil case for him in the 1970s. His late first wife worked for my father-in-law. More recently, he and I both volunteered at Independence Regional Health Center. I have seen nothing to suggest that Burrell is anything but decent and honorable. He deserves his day in court before anyone judges him.

I watched Sheriff Alumbaugh’s press conference. All he has shown us so far are accusations. He has a motive to be sensational. Critics say he spent too much money on a “swearing match,” i.e., a case built on deniable testimony. He stood before a chart that made the Mohler family look like a Mafia organization. He staged a dramatic search for “bodies” on some open land.

The crimes allegedly took place between 1988 and 1995. Maybe the prosecution will prevail, maybe it won’t. The proper place to try the case is in court, not in the press.

Did you write this letter to the editor? Has it been published? If so, do you have a link?

Hoppy

 

[PAXIMUS]

Did you write this letter to the editor? Has it been published? If so, do you have a link?

Hoppy

No I didnt write the letter I do not know the Mohlers, I stumbled on the letter in the letters-to-the-editor section of The Examiner:

The link is here:

http://www.examiner.net/letters/x687828146/Still-presumed-innocent-until-a-jury-says-otherwise

 

[Missizzy]

I had no idea that this Mormon Alliance even existed. The more I read, the more I feel as if the Mormon church was well aware of the existence of ritual/inter-generational abuse 25 years ago. Please note that this site is very strongly supportive of "fostering a healthier religious community". It is not about just leaving the Mormon church behind. From the statements of one of the researchers:

"I go out of my way to not let the victims give me the names of the perpetrators. I have told them that my responsibility is to help them with spiritual healing and that the names of perpetrators should be given to therapists and law enforcement officers. However, they have told me the positions in the Church of members who are perpetrators. Among others, there are Young Women leaders, Young Men leaders, bishops, a patriarch, a stake president, temple workers, and members of the Tabernacle Choir. These accusations are not coming from individuals who think they recognized someone, but from those who have been abused by people they know, in many cases their own family members."

I highly encourage anyone interested in the Mohler case to check out this site. Let me know what you think.

I have to admit that I actually did a search to see if the name Mohler came up (it didn't). Talk about a playbook!!

 

[jjj]

At some point the interview with Bishop Tonga was updated to add a statement from LDS HQ. Includes this curious detail: "[BMjr] was excommunicated in 2007 for personal conduct that had nothing to do with child sexual abuse." (2007 was also the year he divorced his 3rd wife, with whom he had at least 1 child.)

Topix has numerous comments like this one from current/former mormons:
"Having grown up in the LDS church I can affirm that it was/is common practice for the priesthood leaders to handle abuse problem "within" the church and advise/compel those reporting crimes to leave the police out of it. The LDS church gives public lip service to policies requiring police notification but the abuse continues.
Many abuse cases have been handled "quietly"."

 

[Missizzy]

This is odd. When you go to the home page for the Mormon Alliance, I only see the availability of certain chapters. I played around looking for others and I found this:

"STATEMENTS BY PARENTS AND OTHERS ABOUT ECCLESIASTICAL RELUCTANCE TO ACT ON REPORTED ABUSE"

"Although denial about sexual abuse in the Church operates on many levels, one of the most difficult aspects of the dynamic for most active Latter-day Saints to believe is that an ecclesiastical leader will fail to respond appropriately when he receives a report of child sexual abuse."

http://mormonalliance.org/casereports/volume1/part1/v1p1c05.htm

Isn't this exactly how Bishop Tonga reacted?

 

[Linda7NJ]

Does anyone have a link to the PDF probable cause affidavits for the latest search?

 

[Texas Mist]

Texas Mist said: "I noticed the date on that document too MissIzzy...maybe BM Jr left in 1982 & had a diff wife at that time....and IIRC, one of these mothers was married to a brother, they divorced & she married a diff. brother -- which brothers were married to the same woman (I can't remember)???"


OMG...brothers married to the same woman? Is this true? or a guess? (Sorry, I'm not good at online acronyms, and I have no idea what IIRC means...)

If it's true, the woman who married two brothers needs to be interviewed ASAP. I mean, was she shared? And then decided she liked the other brother better?

I'm very confused by this family.

PD

I don't recall if I read it @ Topix or it was discussed on the first thread here...it's stuck in my head tho, because I knew a child rapist who'd married his brother's wife after they divorced...and yes, it does make for an oddly shaped family tree.

 

[Missizzy]

jjj--Can you post a link to the "updated" interview with Bishop Tonga, please. I checked back with the video I posted earlier and it has not been changed. Thanks.

The one I'm referring to:

http://www.fox4kc.com/wdaf-story-mohler-church-official-111909,0,7312538.story?track=rss

 

[Texas Mist]

<snip>


UPDATED: 7:45 pm CST November 20, 2009


More videos were collected on Friday, some with graphic covers depicting and young women, KMBC's Peggy Breit reported.

.....

"It could be one thing that's on the tape and another thing that's actually on the marking of the tape, so it's going to be some time actually going through each one of these tapes to determine what's actually there," Undersheriff Corp. Ben Kenney said..

more here

http://www.kmbc.com/news/21675863/detail.html

ETA: be sure to view the slide show of the shed search -- no telling what else might have been found that we haven't heard about.

 

[Linda7NJ]

From your link;

"Some of the confiscated included magazines such as Family Taboo, Best of Family Secrets and Best of Family Touch, according to court documents. There were also numerous sex toys and videos showing girls under age 17 confiscated, investigators said."

Sounds like CHILD to me

 

[human]

Has anyone read the book The Mormon Murders? I read it a few years ago, so I hardly remember anything about it except the cover ups of some murders. Not child abuse. Something more about the hierarchy and the succession. It was a thick book. Very interesting.

Another interesting book is Secret Ceremonies (I think the title is) It talks about being a woman in the Mormon church. It is written by a woman who was either kicked out or left of her own accord. I read that many years ago as well.

 

[SuziQ]

I also noticed the date & stopped the video. The writing underneath is Jr apologizing to RLDS that it took him so long to get around to officially withdrawing. From that I infer that Jr & JM started going to LDS rather than RLDS in '82, but didn't officially leave RLDS till '93. I believe Sr and the other brothers never left RLDS (aka Community of Christ.)

Regarding the wife going to church officials rather than law enforcement, this is an unfortunate part of Mormon culture (something similar came up in the Smart case - don't remember exactly but might've been about reporting the attempted break-in at the cousin's house.) While it's unthinkable from outside, it was the logical thing for her to do.

Yep, the first thought for many in the LDS church is to call their Bishop before calling 911.

 

[Texas Mist]

New video titled "Ex-mormon remembers mohler children" on front page of
http://www.fox4kc.com/wdaf-story-mohler-church-member-112009,0,369109.story
is with a girl who was babysat by one of the victims, & knew the others from church. She found out about the abuse, twice told her parents that the Mohlers were being abused, and they twice went to church officials, encouraging them to contact the police. She says the 2nd time, the church threatened to ex-communicate her family.

bouncing off the link you posted, jjj ---

She says that she remembers the babysitter using Barbie dolls to demonstrate sexual acts.

"Ken was daddy, and little girl was daughter, or husband and daughter," said Nicole. "She was bending the dolls over, in multiple positions, making different noises, different sounds. I actually almost threw up thinking about it, but she in one scenario, the Ken doll and the Barbie, Barbie didn't want to do what Den doll wanted, so Ken doll stuck his hand out and was slapping her."

This info is *very* believable IMO -- and speaks volumes for what the kids were going thru.

And 'Nicole' is very brave for speaking up on behalf of these kids -- this could very well, and I guess very *likely* create strained relations w/ friends, neighbors & family.

 

[SuziQ]

Has anyone read the book The Mormon Murders? I read it a few years ago, so I hardly remember anything about it except the cover ups of some murders. Not child abuse. Something more about the hierarchy and the succession. It was a thick book. Very interesting.

Another interesting book is Secret Ceremonies (I think the title is) It talks about being a woman in the Mormon church. It is written by a woman who was either kicked out or left of her own accord. I read that many years ago as well.

Was it about Mark Hofmann, the con artist who fooled the LDS church into believing fake historical documents about a white salamander was real? Then bombed people to keep his fraud secret? Yes, the culture in the LDS Church set themselves up for this. The belief is that if a person is LDS all is good and they are worthy and honest. The amount of LDS on LDS crimes is crazy. Creeps totally take advantage of the good will of their fellow members. It's nuts! In fact I think this has been the topic of the past few Church conferences. The church is urging their members to be more careful. The problem is they told their members for ions not to question anything and that's going to be hard to change.

Below are two cases just in today's paper. And their clients and investors are most likely from their local ward house. There are several cases a month like these.

Fraud case charges escalate into attempted murder
http://www.sltrib.com/justice/ci_13819499

Ogden CPA allegedly defrauded clients
http://www.sltrib.com/justice/ci_13826626