- LDS positions: Bishop, Temple worker,
- Criminal case: Never charged,
- Civil case: No civil case,
Case report
John Doe [pseudonym] was a Mormon church bishop in or near Salt Lake City, Utah in the 1980s.
Doe allegedly sexually assaulted a 13-year-old boy during a trip to the Salt Lake Temple to perform baptisms for the dead.
The alleged abuse took place in approximately 1986.
If you might know anything about this case, please contact us.
Case facts
- case report | facts | sources
- LDS mission: no
- During alleged crime/failure: Bishop,
- When accused: Unknown,
- Lived in: Salt Lake County (Utah), Utah,
- During alleged crime, lived in: Salt Lake County (Utah), Utah,
- When accused, lived in: Unknown,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building, LDS temple,
- Crime years: 1980s,
- Convicted in: Never convicted,
- Add information
Case information sources
- case report | facts | sources
Case information source details
-
#586 Marcie S. CS: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9
Publisher: Protect LDS Children (Protect Every Child)
Date: 18 Jul 2018
Archive.org
Source type: News article[Note: FLOODLIT has replaced the victim's name with a pseudonym, Michael.]
--My husband [Michael] was very well liked by his bishop. He was often called on to give speeches during church. From the outside it appeared my husband had found favour in the eye of his LDS bishop.
What people didn’t know is this behavior is a very common grooming process of predators. My husband suppressed these memories until a few years ago when I was having health problems. It was as if Pandora’s box was kicked open and she reveled her ugly head of unthinkable past memories.
Let’s go back to the setting. My husband had joined his youth at the Salt Lake Temple. The children were lined up in the basement of the church taking turns in the beautiful baptismal fount held up by a base of golden oxen. It was my husband’s turn. Proxy names were read. He was baptized after each name. He wore a white jumpsuit-like attire as approved by the temple for all the children performing baptismal rituals. Once he finished his proxy baptisms he was told to return to the dressing room to dry off and return to his street clothes.
My husband was confused. He heard the door to the dressing room slam shut soon after he entered. He had not yet gotten dressed. That is when his bishop, _______ ______, entered. The bishop said nothing to him. He walked over and sat next to him. Then he started molesting him. He then took down his own pants and sodomized my 13 year old husband. That was my husband’s introduction to sexuality. My husband knew no one in his family would believe him. It wasn’t until we were married almost 20 years that he was able to tell me what had happened.
There were clues in his behavior though that should have put up red flags. Like him transforming over night from a straight A student to a troubled youth. His parents chose to dismiss this as he was a bad kid. The time he was angry at me when I let his mom take our newborn to meet members of her ward. I was punished and told to never let our children near “those people.” Yes, the whole riddle came into focus and all this seemingly odd behavior became clear.
Please, let [Michael] be the last one to fall victim. It’s more then time to stop this needless behavior of grooming during bishop interviews.
Browse the Mormon Sexual Abuse Database
Browse the Mormon sexual abuse database »View the Mormon Sexual Abuse Map
International map of locations where active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints perpetrated or allegedly perpetrated sexual abuse or other sex crimes, or where LDS leaders failed or allegedly failed to help abuse survivors.
Visit the FLOODLIT Map