Timur Van Dykes

Timur Dykes was a Mormon church member and assistant scoutmaster in Boy Scout Troop 719, sponsored by the LDS 10th Ward in Portland, Oregon.

Dykes was accused of sexually abusing numerous boys in the 1980s, and of using his positions as a church “home teacher,” spiritual leader, and scout leader to gain access and trust.

The case highlights institutional negligence by both the LDS Church and the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), who allegedly failed to act on early reports of abuse, allowing Dykes to continue harming children.

Key allegations include:

• In 1981 or 1982, the LDS Church learned of abuse allegations against Dykes involving a minor church member and scout, and conducted an internal investigation.
• In January 1983, a scout’s mother reported abuse to LDS bishop Gordon McEwen, who oversaw the local scouting program. Dykes confessed to McEwen that he had molested 17 Boy Scouts, but he was not immediately removed and continued associating with the troop, leading to further abuse, according to a 2007 lawsuit.
• Despite knowledge of the issue dating back to at least the 1960s, both the Mormon church and the BSA were accused of having inadequate policies to address widespread child abuse, prioritizing internal handling over reporting to authorities.

Dykes was convicted multiple times of sexual abuse, sodomy, and related charges between 1983 and 1994, serving prison time from 1993 to 2002 and remaining on probation until 2013.

Dykes was excommunicated from the LDS church sometime before 1987 and is a registered sex offender in Multnomah County, Oregon as of 2025.

Lawsuits against the LDS Church and BSA include:

• A 1987 lawsuit by three plaintiffs accusing the organizations of negligence in sponsoring the troop and counseling victims.
• A 2007 suit by six men alleging Dykes abused them as boys and was allowed to continue for four to five years after his first arrest.
• A separate 2007 $6.5 million suit by two brothers claiming abuse from 1983–1985, with the church allegedly failing to report an allegation involving a third brother.
• A landmark 2010 trial (the “Perversion Files” trial) where victim Kerry Lewis won $1.4 million in compensatory damages (split between BSA and its local council), plus $18.5 million in punitive damages against BSA for negligence. The LDS Church had settled with Lewis and seven other victims for $350,000 about a year earlier. During the trial, the BSA was forced to release thousands of secret records it had kept for decades on known sex offenders in its ranks.

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