From Deseret News archives:

'Lost Boy' suing Jeffs to find his mother

Lawsuit is seeking damages as well as mother's location

Published: Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2007 3:36 p.m. MST
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
Deseret Morning News graphic

   Jeffs complaint

Johnny Jessop wants to know where his mother is.

He wants to know so badly, he'll sue Fundamentalist LDS Church leader Warren Jeffs to get an answer.

Jessop and his lawyers filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Salt Lake City's 3rd District Court demanding a judge force Jeffs to reveal the location of Elsi Jessop.

"This gives Mr. Jeffs an opportunity to reunite at least one family," said Jessop's lawyer, Roger Hoole.

Story continues below
If Jeffs refuses to talk, a judge could find him in contempt and give him more time in jail.

According to the lawsuit, Jessop lived with his natural parents until 1998, when FLDS leaders took his mother and his siblings and "reassigned" them to live with another man. As Warren Jeffs took control of the FLDS Church from his father, numerous families were broken up and men were kicked out of the polygamous church on the Utah-Arizona border.

Jessop says that at age 13 he was kicked out by Jeffs, who by then was considered the "prophet."

"Jessop was told to come and get his belongings or they would be thrown out," Hoole wrote in the lawsuit. "Jeffs' actions in expelling Jessop from the Short Creek community alienated Jessop from the affection of his mother, deprived him of her support, and severed him from his family, friends, school, work and all else he had ever known."

After being on his own and running into trouble with the law, a juvenile court judge in St. George's 5th District Court ordered Jessop to be reunited with his mother. However, the lawsuit claims FLDS leaders reiterated that Jessop was not welcome back in the communities of Hildale, Utah; and Colorado City, Ariz.

Comments

You can be the first to comment on this story.

Image

Warren Jeffs

previousnext

Latest comments

Not only was that an incredible playoff win for the franchise, I'm pretty...

Sloan needs to retire..and get out of here...Williams wants Sloan gone...its...

TCU plows past Utes, 55-28

The Utes were lucky that they only lost by 27; Utah was completely outclassed...

2A: San Juan claims title

It was a great game, very intense. It was a game of the winner scoring early...

Bennett at center of GOP storm

You can be a do-nothing politician for just so long before the people throw...

Your not hearing the reasons and argument because you are only listening to...

TCU plows past Utes, 55-28

5-5 FSU scored 52 at LES. Utah looked pathatic there's no question about...

Bye-bye Bennett. It's time to see you go. It would be nice to see someone...

TCU plows past Utes, 55-28

With TCU playing so well this means that Boise State wont make a BCS game...

Senators want food tax restored

Heads up to Urqhart, Clark and Last...vote for an increase or a re-crease in...

Advertisements
Advertisement