FBI investigating fundamentalist Christian sect, after widespread allegations of childhood sexual abuse
"The gaslighting and the guilt is what has created such a perfect breeding ground for the pedophilia that goes on," a former member said to the 7 Investigates team.
KTB-7 News/August 8, 2024
By Morgan Romero
Boise, Idaho — A fundamentalist Christian sect has mostly stayed under the radar for the past century. But it has emerged from the shadows recently, revealing a disturbing and shocking secret.
The FBI is investigating the group – as it faces widespread allegations of sexual abuse. The sect has fewer than 100,000 members worldwide, and about 700 in southern Idaho and eastern Oregon.
It isn’t set up as a non-profit, and doesn’t have one main leader or an official name. Outsiders call it "The Church With No Name" or “Two by Two” (2x2), insiders call it “The Way” or “The Truth”. But former members said its leaders work to conceal the real truth. So, they spoke to 7 Investigates, to expose it.
For the last 80 years, followers of a little-known Christian sect have met in a field in Parma for an annual regional convention.
Members of what the FBI calls the “2x2” church also meet weekly in homes, schools and other public places all over the world, including Idaho and Oregon.
For more than a century, the international organization’s teachings and activities were largely unknown to the outside world.
"Deanne," a former member, said, "it’s just so secretive. And I don't know why it has to be so secretive. Nobody wants to talk about it."
But former members are talking to 7 Investigates, coming forward with widespread allegations of child sex abuse.
"It has to be exposed," former member and child sex abuse survivor Sheri Autrey said.
To date, a private investigator Cynthia Liles, who founded a hotline with Autrey and another woman, Lauren Rohs, for alleged abuse victims tells KTVB she has received allegations against 980 different perpetrators connected to the sect - stemming back to the 1960’s. She said at least 15 possible perpetrators have lived or worked in eastern Oregon and Idaho, while six members from the area have been convicted for sex crimes. Survivors and advocates believe the number of reported allegations is just a fraction of the actual abuse that's gone on over the years.
In February the FBI Omaha Field Office announced it was investigating the allegations, trying to identify victims of abuse and people who know about criminal behavior within the group.
"It is rampant and it's systemic," Autrey added.
The FBI got involved a year and a half after Oregon and Idaho's “overseer”, Dean Bruer – one of the highest figures in the sect – passed away. Church leadership penned a letter to members months after his death, stating multiple alleged victims told them Bruer had raped and sexually abused them.
But the allegations didn't stop there.
"The accusations, the perpetrators started just rolling out, people just started coming forward," said "Deanne".
People came forward on social media and to the survivor hotline 'Advocates for the Truth', where they accused hundreds of other leaders and members of abuse, not just Bruer.
"The gaslighting and the guilt is what has created such a perfect breeding ground for the pedophilia that goes on," Autrey said. "When I brought mine up to the organization back in the 1980's, I was silenced and shamed."
Survivors and advocates claim that it’s gone on in Idaho and Oregon, and around the world, for decades. They said church leaders concealed the abuse, and silenced victims.
"I am shocked that since it is so prevalent and deeply corrupt that it was hidden for this long. People didn’t come forward. But fear is a powerful motivator, and we’re trained from infancy to conform," "Deanne" told 7 Investigates.
Jeanie McElroy, who now lives in Middleton, spent 11 years preaching the gospel as a minister - or "worker."
"It's such a repressive power control environment," she said.
As a worker in southern Idaho and eastern Oregon, she had to give up her belongings and become homeless, traveling around and preaching the gospel while sleeping in members' houses.
"People would come to us and say they had experienced sexual abuse, domestic violence. I would see all these things come to the ministry."
McElroy added that she herself was sexually abused from infancy until she was seven in California. McElroy said her abuser was a family member and elder within the organization.
At the time it was happening, she denied it. But after another family member shared that the same man was abusing them, McElroy's dad went to the ministers in the area. The ministers said they would handle it, according to McElroy.
But she learned the only punishment he faced was that he was no longer allowed to host gatherings in his home. McElroy recalled he was still able to take part in church activities and spend time around young children.
She said her alleged perpetrator was not charged with a crime, but she understands why her parents did not go to the police.
"The other person in my family was young, a lot of trauma, you don't want to talk about it."
McElroy didn't remember her abuse until about six years ago.
"It is not uncommon for people who experienced childhood sexual assault to repress memory and not remember what happened," she told KTVB. "I started having flashbacks of sexual abuse I experienced as a child... How childhood sexual assault has been dealt with in this belief system is not ok. There’s no accountability," McElroy said.
"Deanne" grew up in the Pacific Northwest, including Idaho and Washington, in the sect. But it was the lack of accountability that led her, and most of her family, to leave a few months ago.
Their decision to depart came decades after several relatives revealed they were sexually abused.
"My mom, my uncle brutally raped by a minister as a kid. The stories I’ve heard would curl your toes - horrible. My brother-in-law's parents, both of them. And none of those have been reported because their perpetrators are dead now and it was decades ago."
"Deanne" wanted to remain anonymous, stating, "Even now, I'm scared to talk about it."
"Until you're willing to go out there and get the information for yourself, you're not going to see it," "Deanne" said.
Romero asked, "And what information specifically?"
"How much sexual abuse is happening. How much immorality and lying. We've caught ministers in straight up lies. How much unwillingness to change, to put some protections into place against some of this abuse that's happened. It was covered up in the past, and the ministers just move them to another area," "Deanne" responded.
McElroy said she felt powerless, even as a "worker" - because she is a woman.
"I didn't have a voice to say anything. I could say something, but then I would get in trouble. It cultivates an environment of silence."
While former members say the sect uses scripture to keep people silent, they're now using their voices to speak truth to power.
"To admit there are problems in the church would be to undermine everything that's been taught," McElroy said. "I hope victim-survivors are believed, heard and supported."
"Generationally, this has been happening, and it has been swept under the rug," Autrey added.
"I hope people start to think critically," "Deanne" said when asked what she hopes happens now that all of the alleged abuse is coming to light. "We're trained to not think critically, to be guided by the Holy Spirit, and don't listen to this voice inside of you because human man is evil."
"If I can protect one person from abuse, that would be enough for me," "Deanne" added.
Romero reached out to the regional overseer, asking to talk about the allegations of abuse and cover-ups. Doyle Smith said in a statement:
"We actively address all abuse allegations involving participants in our fellowship. Our paramount concern is that victims receive the professional help that they need. Funds are established for that specific purpose. We take all allegations of abuse seriously, strongly recommend mandated reporter training and programs like “Ministry Safe” and encourage everyone to report issues to the proper legal authorities as soon as possible.
This is our only statement as this time."
The statute of limitations - and their alleged abuser's death - prevented many abuse survivors in the U.S. from getting justice. However, in Idaho, the state can bring a charge of "sexual abuse of a child" and "lewd conduct with a child" at any time, no matter how long after it happened.
If you have been victimized, or have any information about abuse within the 2x2's, the FBI asks that you fill out this online questionnaire.
The FBI provided a statement regarding the "the Truth" or "2x2" church:
"The FBI encourages reporting from anyone who thinks that they may be a victim, or from anyone who may have information on this investigation. We also encourage victims outside of the United States to contact the FBI. In coordination with our Legal Attaché Offices around the world, we routinely share information and intelligence with our international law enforcement partners in an effort to identify and mitigate threats. Anyone with information on the investigation can provide it through the link."
Survivors can also call the Advocates for the Truth or victim-survivor led Voices for the Truth hotlines for support or to report allegations.
