Where, oh where, has Lyle Jeffs gone? He’s the brother of Warren Jeffs, the autocratic guru of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who is serving a life term in federal prison for sexually assaulting his “child brides.”
When Lyle Jeffs disappeared from a home near the Salt Lake City courthouse, he was awaiting trial on charges that he masterminded the theft of $12 million in food stamps from the federal government. Police found Jeffs’ ankle monitor on the floor, apparently slipped off with the help of a generous dollop of olive oil. But his public defender, Kathy Nester, believes otherwise: When asked by the court how her client came to be, in the lawyer’s words, “currently not available,” Nester theorized that, while Jeffs might have shed his ankle bracelet and skipped town, it was also possible that kidnappers were hiding him somewhere.
And there was yet another intriguing possibility: “Whether he experienced the miracle of Rapture is unknown to counsel.” However, if Jeffs were transported – alone – on a fast flight to heaven, that would appear to break the promise he made to the 10,000 residents of Colorado City, Ariz., and Hildale, Utah. He told them they would all be swept up to paradise together if they stayed faithful, abided by a rigid dress code and never questioned the authority of his church. But “none of those residents disappeared along with Lyle Jeffs,” reports the Los Angeles Times.
Eric Barnhart, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Salt Lake City office, said the brothers might be at odds, indicating that they’ve experienced a rupture, rather than the Rapture. Texas prison officials said they heard Warren Jeffs – who still seems to be leading his flock – tell an unnamed person that Lyle Jeffs needed to be “sent away.”
The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to Jeffs’ capture, adding that he is considered “armed and dangerous.”