Authorities released footage of rescuing two young girls on a remote compound in Utah linked to a doomsday cult, Daily Mail reported Monday.
Police discovered two young girls, Dinah and Hattie Coltharp, aged eight and four respectively, in Salt Lake City, according to Daily Mail. The girls had reportedly been missing and were found in Dec. 2017 in a secluded area following an intense Amber Alert search.
The girls’ father, John Coltharp, had abducted them and handed them over to Samuel Shaffer, his associate in the cult, who then concealed them on the compound, the outlet reported. Shaffer, reportedly regarded as the ‘prophet’ of this cult, intended to marry the Coltharp sisters, according to law enforcement.
During the police raid, Shaffer’s own daughters, Lily and Samantha, aged seven and five, were also found, according to Daily Mail. They had reportedly not been reported missing. The youngest children, Samantha and Hattie, endured over a day in 50-gallon blue water barrels in sub-zero temperatures in a desperate attempt by their alleged captors to hide them from law enforcement, the outlet reported. Meanwhile, the older girls were reportedly discovered in a forsaken trailer. All four were suffering from dehydration, according to the outlet.
Shaffer admitted to hiding the girls to evade police detection when questioned, Daily Mail reported. The police operation reportedly led to the discovery of a makeshift compound made up of shipping containers in the Utah desert. Earlier that day, Hattie and Dinah’s brothers, William and Seth, had also been found and taken by their father, according to the outlet. Their mother, Micha Coltharp, had reportedly triggered the Amber Alert after reporting the children missing. (RELATED:REPORT: Alleged Sex Cult Leader Wheeled Out Of Trial After Apparent Seizure)
The men’s religious fanaticism centered around apocalyptic beliefs and the prospect of gaining followers, authorities claimed, Daily Mail reported. Shaffer’s cult, known as the Knights of the Crystal Blade, propagated disturbing teachings, according to the outlet. On their website, Shaffer reportedly detailed his “revelations” regarding matrimony and cheating, including controversial practices like polygamy and child marriage.
In May 2018, Shaffer was sentenced to at least 26 years in prison, pleading guilty to charges child rape and abuse, the outlet reported. Coltharp reportedly followed suit in Aug. 2018, receiving a minimum of 25 years for charges of sodomy and bigamy with a child. Both men had grandiose delusions of governmental overthrow and espoused ideas long discarded by mainstream Mormonism, according to the outlet.