Did NXIVM Leader Keith Raniere Poison And Kill Women? That's What A Documentary Suggests

Keith Raniere is undoubtedly a sinister figure convicted of several crimes. But did NXIVM leader Keith Raniere actually kill multiple women?

That’s a theory a new documentary about the cult is putting forward.

While Raniere, 59, was convicted in June of racketeering, sex trafficking, and other charges he was never charged with taking the life of another person.

However, a new documentary called “The Lost Women of NXIVM,” which aired on December 8 on Investigation Discovery, claims the cult leader may have possibly had something to do with the mysterious deaths of four women.

Kristin Snyder, Barbara Jeske, Gina Hutchinson, and Pamela Cafritz all died under suspicious circumstances, according to the documentary, the New York Post reports. The four died over a 14-year period between 2002 until 2016. 

Snyder was believed to have drowned but her body was never found, according to Fox News. Meanwhile, Hutchinson’s death was ruled a suicide by gunshot, according to the Post.

Jeske and Cafritz, who were rumored to be two of Raniere’s live-in girlfriends, both died of cancer. Jeske died of brain cancer while Cafritz died of kidney cancer, which seems like natural causes — but the film puts forward the idea that perhaps they were poisoned.

Meanwhile, former NXIVM member Kristin Keeffe, who also reportedly dated Raniere, became ill with cervical cancer but survived, Fox News reports.

An unidentified woman who survived bladder cancer after living with Raniere submitted a hair sample to a forensics expert in the documentary, which allegedly showed that she had traces of poison in her that is often found in gun powder and rat poison, according to the outlet.

“I don’t think the official stories on the deaths of these four women should be allowed to rest without a challenge,” investigative journalist Frank Parlato told the New York Post.

The film also allegedly shows Raniere warning a follower that he had people killed before in a secretly recorded video, the New York Post reports.

Raniere has denied all claims.

“Keith didn’t kill anyone,” Raniere’s lawyer Marc Agnifilo told the Post. “That is an insult to real forensic investigation as well as to the people who have passed away.”

Raniere faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison when he is sentenced in January.

NXIVM purported itself as a repository for self-help secrets that could propel people toward success, but in the end, it was revealed to be a pyramid scheme that coerced women into sexual slavery and even branded them like cattle.