60 more women leave Texas ranch as search for girl continues

Nearly 220 Jeffs followers removed from Eldorado

SAN ANGELO, Texas — Sixty FLDS women willingly left a cloistered polygamist compound here Sunday to join the now 159 children taken by police and state social workers.

Texas officials can't say why exactly the women agreed to leave the YFZ ranch but said they weren't forced to go and may have left to be with their children.

"I can't really speak for their motivation," said Texas Child Protective Services spokesman Patrick Crimmins. "During the course of our investigation, we've been talking and conducting interviews and we told the women if they wanted to leave the compound, they were free to do so.

"Sixty chose to do so, but I can't say what they were individually thinking."

No adult men have left or been taken from the reclusive ranch, situated near the western Texas prairie town of Eldorado.

Sunday evening, The Eldorado Success reported an additional 32 children and nine adults had been transported from the ranch. CPS officials said more people would likely be taken from the compound throughout Sunday but would not confirm new numbers until a press briefing this afternoon.

All 219 of the FLDS community members who were removed or allowed to leave as of Saturday were taken by bus Sunday afternoon to San Angelo, a town of about 88,000 people nearly 50 miles away. They are now being housed together in a building at the historic Fort Concho, near the Ralph R. Chase State of Texas Services Center.

Police from several agencies have surrounded the building and are keeping the press and public at bay.

"Eldorado is a small community, and we had them at two separate locations there," Crimmins said. "San Angelo is a larger community and the city offered us facilities there."

Dozens of cribs and cots have been set up inside the building housing the women and children.

"They've got everything they need," Crimmins said. "In a large, central location we can better help them."

State officials were still at the compound late Sunday and said they are continuing to look for more children there. Specifically, they are looking for a 16-year-old girl whose complaint prompted the raid.

"To the best of our knowledge, we have not removed her yet," said CPS spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner.

The search began late Thursday when police and state workers forcefully entered the ranch and began taking away children. The actions came in response to a complaint from a 16-year-old girl living there who claimed she was being physically abused.

Meisner wouldn't say how the complaint was received and declined to reveal any details of what the girl said. If the girl is already one of those who have been removed from the ranch, she has not come forward to authorities.

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