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On March 29, 2008, a shelter near Eldorado, Texas, received a phone call claiming that the 16-year-old caller was being abused by her husband, a 50-year-old man. The call sparked authorities to raid the Yearning for Zion Ranch, a polygamist community in Eldorado. More than 400 children were removed from their homes and put into state custody as investigations continued.
Shortly after the raid, Lisa Ling traveled to Central Texas—and after days of waiting and hours of tense phone discussions, she was allowed access to the ranch.
Two months after the children were removed, the Texas Supreme Court, citing lack of evidence, ordered all but one of the 439 children returned to their families. Child Protective Services confirmed that there are 12 girls under the age of 16 who were victims of sexual abuse and neglect, and seven of those girls have had one or more children. Some of the girls have chosen to come back to the ranch, while others have not. Their alleged abusers are not allowed to have any contact with them.
After her first eye-opening experience at the polygamist ranch in Eldorado, Lisa is going back to see how life has changed since the children returned home.
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