Ruth Zurcher Worthen

Sources

1. 75-yr-old Hyde Park woman arrested for allegedly raping numerous children decades ago, Cache Valley Daily, June 19, 2024.
2. 75-year-old Cache County woman facing 18 child sex abuse charges over last 30 years, ABC4 Utah, June 19, 2024.
3. Cache County grandma arrested, accused of sexually abusing children over 30 years, KUTV, June 19, 2024.

• 1. 75-yr-old Hyde Park woman arrested for allegedly raping numerous children decades ago

  • 19 Jun 2024
  • News article
  • Cache Valley Daily

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  LOGAN — A 75-year-old Hyde Park woman has been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing multiple children decades ago. Ruth Z. Worthen was booked Tuesday night into the Cache County Jail on suspicion of committing numerous crimes.

  Cache County Sheriff’s Lt. Mikelshan Bartschi said multiple individuals have reported being sexually victimized as children by Ms. Worthen. These claims span roughly thirty years and reportedly took place at various locations in Cache County. The allegations also suggest additional individuals were victimized by the suspect.

  According to an arrest affidavit, four individuals contacted the Cache County Sheriff’s Office in March 2023, claiming Worthen had sexually abused them when they were children. Each one was interviewed separately and explained in graphic detail the memories they had of years of abuse.

  The two men and two women described similar incidents to deputies of how Worthen would repeatedly molest and rape them when they were children. Several times, they claimed how they were also forced to engage in sexual activities with other adults or children. The crimes were documented to have occurred at various locations, including Worthen’s home in Hyde Park, the Logan Cemetery, a turkey farm in Hyrum, a church bathroom and in the nearby mountains.

  The two men and two women are all related to Worthen, making her a person of trust based on their young age at the times of the allegations. They also claimed the suspect would groom, manipulate, record, and threaten to harm them or others if they told anyone about the abuse, the probable cause statement detailed.

  Investigators noted that due to the time in which some of the offenses occurred, the statute of limitations appeared to preclude some additional charges from being filed.

  A search warrant was obtained for Worthen’s home, where deputies reportedly found a camcorder and a number of old tapes potentially consistent with the time frame. Deputies also questioned the suspect, who denied the allegations and appeared to shift blame onto other individuals, according to the court documents.

  Jail records show, Worthen was booked on 18 felony offences of aggravated sexual abuse of a child and object rape of a child. She will likely be arraigned on formal charges in 1st District Court within the coming days.

  Bartschi said the Sheriff’s Office strongly recommends prevention and education efforts for children. Programs like the “good touch, bad touch” youth training or some similar programs that are age-appropriate can aid in ensuring children are educated in appropriate boundaries.

  In the PC Statement, investigators asked the court to hold Worthen without bail due to the “depth of the alleged abuse.” They also claim she would pose a “grave danger to any child with whom she has contact.” She currently is being held, pending arraignment, and could face up to life in prison, if convicted.

  Bartschi said the sheriff’s office is concerned there may be more victims and others who might have information regarding the case. They are asking anyone with knowledge about the matter to contact the Investigations Division at 435-755-1212.

• 2. 75-year-old Cache County woman facing 18 child sex abuse charges over last 30 years

  • 19 Jun 2024
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  • ABC4 Utah

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  LOGAN, Utah (ABC4) — A Cache County woman faces 18 felony child sex abuse charges from incidents dating back over the last 30 years, according to court documents.

  Ruth Zurcher Worthen, 75, was arrested Tuesday, June 18, on 15 felony counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child and three felony counts of object rape of a child.

  Cache County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Mikelshan Bartschi said investigators believe there may be more victims than those who have pressed charges.

  “The allegations suggest additional individuals, were victimized by Ms. Worthen. The Cache County Sheriff’s Office is not only seeking other victims to identify themselves but also requesting information from anyone who has knowledge regarding this matter,” said Bartschi in a press release Wednesday, June 19.

  Court documents show four victims, male and female, have come forward with child sex abuse allegations. Each victim was interviewed separately. The alleged abuses all occurred during the victims’ childhoods and each reported “prolonged periods of repeated sexual victimization.”

  The explanations given by the victims included highly graphic details, including acts of penetration with hands, hairbrushes, and a spatula. One victim reported being forced into intercourse with Worthen between the ages of 8 and 12.

  The stories told by the victims, however, also involve allegations of psychological abuse in addition to sexual abuse. The victims alleged Worthen would make threats during the sexual abuse, such as threatening to dismember a victim by cutting off arms “one by one, chop[ping] them into pieces and then bury[ing] them separately in the yard” and cutting off an ear or stabbing them in the abdomen and ripping out their lungs.

  Victims claimed Worthen would tell them as children that “no one loves you,” and “you’re stupid.” Worthen is accused of showing victims a book with pornography and also on occasion filming some instances of abuse. Investigators seized a camcorder-style camera and a “number of old tapes and media potential consistent with the time frame.”

  One victim spoke of “how predatorial [Worthen] was, and how she took every opportunity to abuse [the victim] during the summers [they] stayed with her family or during family events,” and also how “she seemed to get a thrill from doing this under everyone’s noses.”

  The probable cause statement says Worthen was interviewed by Cache County investigators.

  “While she denied having engaged in such behavior on several occasions, on many more occasions she did not deny the allegations, even while graphic accusations were being read to her,” states the court document. “She appeared to deflect questions and attempted to shift blame onto other individuals.”

  The document went on to state that when Worthen was told the victims simply wanted to make sure she never committed such acts in the future, she allegedly “simply shrugged and looked down at the floor.” The document continued: “Her denials were completely unconvincing, and when informed she would be booked into the jail showed no apparent behavior change or concern at all.”

  There are additional allegations against Worthen that she has not been charged with due to statute of limitations issues, according to the probable cause statement. In 2019, one victim whose allegations were unable to be brought to criminal court due to statute of limitations issues and a lack of a statute for child rape at the time, filed a civil lawsuit against Worthen.

• 3. Cache County grandma arrested, accused of sexually abusing children over 30 years

  • 19 Jun 2024
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  • KUTV

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  LOGAN, Utah (KUTV) — A 74-year-old grandmother was being held in the Cache County Jail after investigators said she "sexually victimized" children over decades.

  The woman was identified as Ruth Worthen.

  "These claims span roughly 30 years and reportedly took place at various locations in Cache County," said Lt. Mikelshan Bartschi with the Cache County Sheriff's Office. "The allegations suggest additional individuals were victimized by Ms. Worthen."

  Bartschi said investigators have been looking at "numerous allegations" against Worthen for more than a year.

  2News asked why it took that much time to make an arrest.

  "This is a complex case. The individuals were much younger when the abuse occurred," Bartschi said. "There was a lot of work to be done with it."

  The sheriff's office have asked other "victims to identify themselves," and for anyone with additional information to come forward.

  "We just don't know how many more (victims) may be out there," Bartschi said.