Women Who Claim They Were Child Brides
Jeanne, Amy, Nikki and Desiree, four women who share a dark secret, are stepping out of the shadows to tell their stories publicly for the first time.
At first glance, Jeanne, Amy, Nikki and Desiree don't seem to have much in common. Jeanne is a 31-year-old hotel clerk, and Amy is a 26-year-old working mom. Desiree is an 18-year-old who dreams of becoming an FBI agent, and Nikki is a 26-year-old bartender.
Despite their differences, these women are bonded by the horrors they say they experienced as children. Jeanne, Amy, Desiree and Nikki were all born into the Tony Alamo Christian Ministry, which, some say, is a cult.
In the 1980s, Alamo, a self-proclaimed prophet of God, had thousands of devoted followers in the United States, including the parents of Jeanne, Amy, Desiree and Nikki. "When Tony would say that God spoke to him, everyone believed it," Jeanne says.
At the height of the ministry's popularity, many followers lived in compounds, including one in Fouke, Arkansas. Outsiders had no idea what was going on beyond the barred windows, but these four women know all too well.
Ex-followers say that by the late 1990s Alamo was living in this sprawling compound with more than a dozen women, some of whom he called his "spiritual wives." Though no legal documents were ever signed, Jeanne, Amy and Desiree say they were three of Alamo's "wives." But when they said their vows, they hardly qualified as women—they were still girls.
At first glance, Jeanne, Amy, Nikki and Desiree don't seem to have much in common. Jeanne is a 31-year-old hotel clerk, and Amy is a 26-year-old working mom. Desiree is an 18-year-old who dreams of becoming an FBI agent, and Nikki is a 26-year-old bartender.
Despite their differences, these women are bonded by the horrors they say they experienced as children. Jeanne, Amy, Desiree and Nikki were all born into the Tony Alamo Christian Ministry, which, some say, is a cult.
In the 1980s, Alamo, a self-proclaimed prophet of God, had thousands of devoted followers in the United States, including the parents of Jeanne, Amy, Desiree and Nikki. "When Tony would say that God spoke to him, everyone believed it," Jeanne says.
At the height of the ministry's popularity, many followers lived in compounds, including one in Fouke, Arkansas. Outsiders had no idea what was going on beyond the barred windows, but these four women know all too well.
Ex-followers say that by the late 1990s Alamo was living in this sprawling compound with more than a dozen women, some of whom he called his "spiritual wives." Though no legal documents were ever signed, Jeanne, Amy and Desiree say they were three of Alamo's "wives." But when they said their vows, they hardly qualified as women—they were still girls.
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