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Warren Jeffs’ Nephew Allegedly Kidnaps 10-Year-Old Niece After Mormon 'Revelation'
Fundamentalist Heber Jeffs allegedly kidnapped his own niece after a revelation was made by his incarcerated uncle, Warren Jeffs.
The nephew of Warren Jeffs, the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, was arrested over the weekend for allegedly kidnapping his own 10-year-old niece and keeping her away from her mother.
The child was rescued safely in Minot, North Dakota on Saturday as Heber Jeffs, 54, was detained by the Ward County Sheriff’s Department in Minot, the department told Law & Crime. Heber is the nephew of Mormon sect leader Warren Jeffs, who is currently serving life for two counts of child sexual assault in Texas.
Piute County prosecutors claim that Heber kidnapped the child after a “revelation” from Warren made in August, according to charging documents obtained by KSTU. Warren allegedly instructed members to "gather" the community's women "and prepare to move to a location or locations as directed by Warren Jeffs" or his son Helaman Jeffs, according to CBS News.
Heber allegedly kidnapped the girl in December in Piute County, Utah. The child is now safe and will be reunited with her mother, according to KSTU.
“She’s safe, she’s found,” the child’s father, Dowayne Barlow, told the outlet.
Barlow told the outlet that after he left the Fundamentalist LDS Church, he was banned by Heber from seeing his daughter. Heber is the uncle of the girl and the brother of the child's mom. Court documents allege that Heber kidnapped the child after the mother, who's no longer a member of the church, refused to rejoin the congregation.
While the mother had primary custody, Heber and his wife, Sarah, had been the primary caretaker of the girl since the child was an infant, CBS News reports. Prosecutors claim that Heber allowed the mother to visit, but that stopped in August, after the revelation made by Warren. The mother demanded to have her child back, and that's when Heber allegedly cut off communication and disappeared with the girl.
Piute County has filed first-degree felony kidnapping charges against Heber. He appeared in court on Monday in Minot, North Dakota where he waived his right to extradition, KMOT reports. He will soon be extradited back to Piute County, Utah, where he’ll face charges.
To learn more about Warren Jeffs, watch “Preaching Evil: A Wife on the Run With Warren Jeffs,” on Peacock.
