Cults

Cults 4 days ago

‘Cult’-run Yellow Deli gets rave reviews across US as escaped members dish on fear behind closed doors

The Twelve Tribes, a group characterized as a fundamentalist cult, funds its operations through an unassuming restaurant franchise in numerous states.

True Crime October 23

'Doomsday mom' Lori Vallow granted mental health exam ahead of second murder trial

An Arizona judge has granted 'cult mom' Lori Vallow's request for a mental competency evaluation ahead of her second trial. Vallow killed her two youngest children in 2019.

California September 21

California cult led by 'master manipulator' committed brutal murders, detective says: 'One body after another'

Dennis Colwell, Darlene “Emmie" Paris, Franklin Raper and Richard Ritchey were murdered on May 21, 1990 by Gerald Cruz and his followers from "The Cause," a cult in Salida, California.

True Crime August 16

Utah mom kept missing daughter, 5, hidden in cult 'compound' for months with help from adult sons: prosecutors

A Utah woman has been charged with kidnapping after she allegedly brought her daughter from Utah to a cult-like religious compound in Missouri with her family's help.

True Crime June 22

Family desperate for return of relative who joined 7M, 'brainwashing cult' behind viral TikTok dancing videos

A new docuseries sheds light on what an expert believes is a growing "brainwashing cult" that operates under the guise of a religion, which is spreading throughout the country

Russia April 9

'Satanic ritual murders' result in lengthy prison sentences for 3 Russians

Four Russians were arrested in connection with three murders described as "satanic ritual killings." The perpetrators lured two of their victims into the forest to kill them in secret.

CRIME April 7

Synanon rehab center turned from helping to brainwashing with 'communal living experiment,' docuseries reveals

The Synanon Foundation started as a heroin rehabilitation center in Santa Monica in 1958, but by the 1970s, it had transformed into a cult with thousands of members.

Africa March 26

Kenya starts to hand over to relatives the bodies of 429 members of a doomsday cult

Kenya's government began returning to relatives the exhumed bodies of more than 400 members of a doomsday cult; leader of the cult is accused of asking followers to starve themselves.

Africa March 15

Self-styled 'prophet' charged with exploiting 251 children through labor in Zimbabwe

A man identifying himself as a prophet has been charged with exploiting children in Zimbabwe after police raided his compound, where he led a religious sect.

ENTERTAINMENT March 1

'One Tree Hill' star Bethany Joy Lenz names 'sinister' cult she allegedly spent a decade in

Bethany Joy Lenz announced her new memoir, "Dinner for Vampires," which focuses on the actress's life, including her experience as part of a cult for 10 years.