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 SAN ANGELO, Texas – They really do look younger.
As the first round of individual hearings for mothers from the Yearning For Zion ranch continue in San Angelo, perhaps the most interesting fact to emerge is that many women from the polygamist sect look much younger than their actual age.
More than 460 children from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints ranch were shipped out of San Angelo's Coliseum last month and scattered to foster care facilities across the state.Â
Officials from Texas Child Protective Services (CPS) said at least 31 of the mothers, or pregnant "girls," in state custody were underage. That number, they conceded, included 26 women/girls whose ages were "in dispute." The women told CPS officials they were adults, and claimed they had documentation to prove it, but investigators insisted that they "looked like minors," so they were kept in custody.
Fast forward to this week, where judges are holding status hearings on the cases. Unlike prior court proceedings before, when a judge considered all of the families together in one giant, chaotic hearing, these hearings are happening on a "per mother" basis. After just the first two days of hearings, the number of alleged underage mothers has dropped dramatically, from 31 down to 23, and it could keep falling.
Turns out, many of the "disputed" minors are adults after all, a point CPS hasn't conceded until now. One of the "girls" is actually 27 years old.
Only a handful of the 168 mothers involved in the case have had their individual hearings so far – they will all be complete by June 4. Many of the "disputed" mothers are still due court hearings. One has to wonder how many more "child brides" will turn out to be adults before this is all over.
It's an important point, because CPS investigators justified escalating the April 3 raid, and ultimately the removal of every child, based on their observations once they entered the ranch for the first time in response to a call for help.Â
They claimed to have seen numerous underage mothers and pregnant minors while searching for an alleged 16-year-old victim of sexual abuse named "Sarah." Sarah, was officially considered to be a real person until Monday, when CPS dropped her court case, acknowledging that she doesn't actually exist. State police are now investigating the calls for help from "Sarah" as hoax phone calls, made by an adult from Colorado with a history of making false reports.
All along, residents on the ranch have claimed the widespread pattern of underage marriage alleged by CPS investigators simply isn't true. Sect members have conceded that there may have been a few cases of minors being "spiritually married" and conceiving children, but they say that's the exception, not the rule.
Women on the ranch, they've suggested, simply look young, because they don't wear makeup, and their all-natural diet keeps their skin healthy. They avoid almost all processed foods and all of their dairy products come from their own cows – cheese, butter and unpasteurized milk.
A couple of other interesting points have emerged so far:
Despite the judge who ordered the removals asking the state to do everything possible to keep children from the same families together in foster care, many parents say their children are scattered across the state. Several are spending hundreds of dollars, driving thousands of miles each week to visit children that are up to 900 miles apart.
Also, many parents are complaining that their children have had religious texts taken from them, specifically, The Book Of Mormon.Â
CPS workers say they've only taken texts that include pictures of Warren Jeffs, the jailed leader of the FLDS sect. They say it would be inappropriate for children to have pictures of Jeffs (he's the father of several in custody) because he's been convicted of a sex crime. CPS says it's given the kids replacement texts that don't include the photos.
And a bit of breaking news: