Who are Warren Jeffs' spouses, and what are they up to now?
The story of Warren Jeffs, a former leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS Church), makes him stand out among controversial figures. FLDS Church is a religious sect of the fundamentalist Mormon denominations whose members are polygamous. Therefore, it is not surprising that Warren Jeffs' spouses are quite a number.
Source: Getty Images
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Warren Jeffs had a cult following in his Mormon church. He has multiple wives and many children. Discover who Warren Jeffs' spouses are and more about their lives today.
Profile summary
| Full name | Warren Jeffs |
| Gender | Male |
| Date of birth | 3 December 1955 |
| Age | 69 years (as of 2024) |
| Place of birth | Sacramento, California, USA |
| Current residence | Louis C. Powledge Unit in Palestine, Texas, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Zodiac sign | Sagittarius |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Sexual orientation | Straight |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) |
| Hair colour | Dark brown |
| Eye colour | Hazel |
| Marital status | Married |
| Children | 60 known |
| Father | Rulon Jeffs |
| Mother | Marilyn Steed |
| Profession | Former FLDS leader |
Who is Warren Jeffs?
Warren Jeffs is a former leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS Church). His story aired in the Netflix documentary Sweet: Pray and Obey.
The religious leader was born on 3 December 1955 in Sacramento, California, USA. His parents' names are Rulon Jeffs and Marilyn Steed.
His father was the President of the FLDS Church, a denomination group that believes in polygamy. Warren grew up alongside many siblings outside Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America.
The religious leader was the principal of Alta Academy, an FLDS private school in Little Cottonwood Canyon. He was the counsellor to the church leader before his father's death and became the President of FLDS Church after his father's demise in 2002.
In 2005, Warren Jeffs was placed on the FBI's Most Wanted List after forcibly marrying adolescent girls. Warren's home in the Yearning for Zion Ranch near Eldorado, Texas, was raided in 2008.
This led to his arrest for child assault and bigamy. He was imprisoned in 2011 and remains there today.
Source: Original
Who are Warren Jeffs' spouses?
The famous pastor reportedly had 87 wives before his incarceration. He also married all his father's wives, except two, after the demise of his father. Although he had numerous wives, only a few are known. Here is a look at who Warren Jeffs' wives are, at least the known ones.
Barbara Ann Barlow Jeffs
Barbara Ann Barlow was Warren's second wife. She died at 39 after battling cancer. Barlow's body was sent to the Utah/Arizona border town of Centennial Park from the YFZ Ranch in Texas. Her daughter, Rachel Jeffs, conducted the funeral in Arizona.
Naomie Jessop
Naomi Jessop was one of the first of Rulon's former wives to marry Jeffs. She was his favourite spouse.
Naomie, Warren Jeffs' spouse, was his confidant. She was tasked with writing down his daily activities and spiritual directives to document the FLDS leader's life.
Naomie is Merrianne's older sister. According to the Daily Mail, Naomie was with the cult leader while he was a fugitive. Her story is told in the documentary Preaching Evil, where she opened up about her childhood and time at the FLDS Church.
Jessop was born in a polygamous family of six wives and had 53 siblings. Her parents were Barbara Jessop and Merril Jessop.
Growing up, she wanted to become a nurse, but her father had arranged for her to marry Rulon Jeffs. Since the documentary, she has lived a quiet life away from the limelight.
Vicki Thompson
Vicki Thompson was also Warren Jeffs' partner in marriage. She was the eighth wife of Warren Jeffs. She was separated from her children, Wendell and Sarah, but eventually reunited after moving out of the Yearning for Zion Ranch.
Vicki and her kids finally left the well-known church and moved to New Harmony, Utah. She is now married to Aaron Thompson, a police officer, and they have a child together. Vicki returned to school and graduated with a nursing degree from an unknown university in Utah.
Josephine Jessop
Warren Jeffs from FLDS also married Josephine Jessop. After the religious leader was arrested, Josephine and two other wives were evicted from the church.
According to NBC News, Josephine Jessop, Naomi Johnson Jessop, and Della Black were swept by flash floods. They died together with their nine children in two separate vans.
Margaret Thomas
Source: Getty Images
Margaret Thomas was also one of the cult leader's wives. She was called by the defence team during his trial. Since then, Margaret's whereabouts are unknown.
Shannon Maria Johnson
Shannon was Warren's seventh wife. She got married to the preacher at only 12. Shannon has a daughter named Maria.
Brielle Decker
Brielle Decker was Warren's 65th wife. She had escaped forced marriage to the 'Prophet' at 18.
Brielle grew up in Sandy, Utah, in an FLDS compound. She knew she was being groomed to become one of Warren Jeffs' spouses as her older sister was married off to Jeffs' dad.
After his incarceration, Decker was given a three-acre piece of land in Colorado City, Arizona. She established a nonprofit organisation named The Dream Centre.
The centre caters for other women who have escaped from the cult. Interestingly, she was born Lynette Warner but changed her name to Brielle Decker after escaping from her marriage to Warren.
Mildred Blackmore
Mildred Blackmore, famously known as Millie, married Warren Jeffs in 2004. She was only 13 at the time.
Millie married the preacher together with her two sisters, Alyshia Rae and Nolita Collen Blackmore. They came from a polygamous family in Canada.
After Jeffs' imprisonment, their whereabouts have remained unknown. Her brother Brandon once said the three sisters were Warren's loyalists.
Sheena Roundy
Sheena Roundy was also Warren Jeffs' partner in marriage. She died of cancer, which spread fast because she was not allowed to go to the hospital.
Veda Keate
Veda Keate married Warren when she was 14. When the authorities invaded the ranch, Veda Keate was already a mother. A DNA test confirmed that Warren was the child's biological father.
Veda Keate and her daughter Sereena were among more than 400 church members taken into protective custody after a 2008 raid on the FLDS ranch in West Texas.
Source: Getty Images
Merianne Jessop
Merrianne Jessop was Warren Jeffs' youngest wife and sister to Naomie Jessop. She married the sect leader in July 2006 when she was only 12.
Merrianne Jessop's age is 30 years as of 2024. She was born on 3 July 1994 in the United States of America. She is an American citizen of white ethnicity, and her Zodiac sign is Cancer.
Merrianne Jessop's mother is Barbara Jessop, and her father is Merril Jessop. Her mother was Merril's third and favourite wife.
Merril relocated Merrianne and the rest of her family to Longing for Zion Ranch in Texas in 2003 when she was nine years old. The force behind the move was for Warren Jeffs, the church's leader, to train Merrianne to become a "heavenly comfort woman."
On 27 July 2006, Merrianne Jessop was accompanied by her parents to the temple. There, she was permanently and eternally bound to Warren Jeffs.
Warren had already married Merrianne's three nieces, 11 sisters, and one aunt when she was eternally bound to Warren Jeffs. Jeffs is her first cousin. Merrianne Jessop now lives in Texas but is no longer a member of the FLDS Church.
How many kids does Warren Jeffs have?
Warren Jeffs has a total of 60 known children. Warren jeffs' children include Rachel, Roy, Warren, Becky and Jefferson, Melanie, Josephine, Maria, and Hannah Jeffs.
Roy Jeffs, one of the religious leader's children, once spoke about his childhood. He said he lived a childhood almost entirely cut off from the outside world. He did not see a movie at a theater until he was 20. He lives in fear of his dad.
There would be, like, this piercing of despair in your heart. What’s he going to say now? Is he going tell me I’ve lost my place? Is he going to kick me out?
How many wives does Warren Jeffs have?
The religious leader reportedly had 87 wives before his incarceration. Interestingly, he married all his father's wives, except two, after the demise of his father.
Where is Warren Jeffs today?
He is incarcerated at the Louis C. Powledge Unit in Palestine, Texas. He is serving a life sentence after being convicted of child sexual assault.
Jeffs' arrest came after a local domestic abuse hotline received a call from someone claiming to be a sixteen-year-old FLDS member. The caller reported underage marriage and sexual abuse by Jeffs.
The report triggered a massive investigation that led to an epic child custody battle. The court sentenced Warren Jeffs to life in prison for abusing the two minors. He will be eligible for parole on 22 July 2038.
Interestingly, the cult leader has wives who are still loyal to him. They include Mildred Blackmore, Alyshia Rae, and Nolita Collen.
Trivia
- Warren Jeffs was born more than two months prematurely.
- His official church titles were President and Prophet, Seer and Revelator and President of the Priesthood.
- He excommunicated Winston Blackmore from his church in September 2002.
- He was responsible for assigning wives to husbands in his church.
- He taught that a devoted church member was expected to have at least three wives in order to get into heaven.
Mildred Blackmore, Alyshia Rae, and Nolita Collen are some of Warren Jeffs' spouses. The cult leader had 87 wives before his arrest and incarceration. Some remain loyal to him, while others have remarried or passed away.
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