Starved woman's hubby wanted to lead cult

Edmonton News, March 13, 2000

CALGARY -- A man who allegedly buried his wife in a mountainous area near Exshaw after she starved in a fasting ritual was trying to start his own cult, according to media reports.

The reports quoted a police source saying Jason Samuel Lee, 30, and his wife Eda Diane Lee, 26, had been expelled from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints three years ago because of their beliefs.

Jason Lee has been charged with the unlawful disposal of human remains after the five-month-old remains of his wife were found in a shallow grave 80 km west of Calgary.

Officers do not suspect foul play in the death.

The police source said Jason Lee believed food was a luxury - referring to it as "an instrument of Satan" - so the pair voluntarily refused to eat, drinking only small amounts of water.

The area where Eda Lee's remains were found was so remote, officers had to be airlifted in.

She was reported missing by relatives weeks after the couple set off for a religious cleansing ceremony in October.