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Paul Douglas Adams
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- was an LDS church member in Arizona; sexually abused two children for several years after confessing to his bishop; arrested and charged; died by suicide in 2017 while in custody awaiting trial.
- Criminal case: Died awaiting trial, Not convicted, Suicide,
- Civil case: Civil case dismissed,
- Victims: 2 victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: Perpetrator's home, Victim's home,
- Crime years: 2010s,
- Convicted in: Never convicted,
- Case report »
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Manuel Joseph Archibeque
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- was a Mormon church member in Maricopa County, Arizona; allegedly admitted to his bishop that he had sexually touched a child; charged in two cases in 2006 with sexual conduct with a minor and three counts of molestation of a child, all class two felonies; one case was dismissed in 2006 without prejudice; in the other, pleaded guilty to two reduced charges of child abuse.
- Criminal case: Convicted, Pleaded guilty,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Case report »
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Arlo Kay Atkin
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- was a former LDS bishop in or near Chandler, Maricopa County, Arizona; accused of raping and impregnating a 14-year-old girl in his ward while he was her bishop; pleaded guilty, served time in prison.
- Criminal case: Convicted,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime years: 1980s, 1990s,
- Case report »
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Coy Glen Ball
- was an LDS church member in Mesa, Arizona; was charged with 11 various abuses to a child; pled guilty to 3 counts of Molestation of a child.
- Criminal case: Convicted,
- Victims: Unknown number of victims,
- Crime years: 1990s,
- Convicted in: 2010s, 2014,
- Case report »
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James Chalmers Bayless
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- was a Mormon church member in Gilbert, Arizona; pleaded guilty in 2015 to two counts of molestation of a child; as of 2024, is a registered sex offender living in Mesa, Arizona.
- Criminal case: Convicted, Pleaded guilty,
- Victims: Multiple victims, Unknown number of victims,
- Crime years: 2010s,
- Convicted in: 2010s, 2015,
- Case report »
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Joseph Layton Bishop
- was a Mormon church member and president of the Provo, Utah Missionary Training Center (MTC) in the 1980s; allegedly sexually abused multiple sister missionaries; not criminally charged because the statute of limitations had expired (in 1984, the legal deadline in Utah for filing a rape charge was four years); civil lawsuit was dismissed after an agreement by the plaintiff and the LDS church.
- Criminal case: Police investigation,
- Civil case: Civil case dismissed, Civil case dismissed with prejudice,
- Victims: Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building,
- Crime years: 1970s, 1980s,
- Convicted in: Never convicted,
- Case report »
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Michael Wayne Coleman
- was an LDS bishop and former sound recording engineer in Mesa, Arizona (Lehi 2nd Ward); arrested in 2014 for sexual solicitation of a minor online; the alleged crime took place while he was bishop.
- Criminal case: Unknown,
- Civil case: No civil case,
- Victims: 2 victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: Online,
- Crime years: 2010s,
- Case report »
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Larry Deutsch
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- was a Mormon bishop in Missouri; arrested in 2020 and charged with possession of child pornography (child sexual abuse material, or CSAM) and accused of luring an underage teenager from Arizona to Missouri; pleaded guilty; sentenced in 2021 to 12 years in federal prison plus a lifetime of supervised release; in 2024, the victim filed a civil lawsuit against the LDS church.
- Criminal case: Convicted, Pleaded guilty, Prison,
- Civil case: lawsuit against LDS church, Ongoing civil case,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building, Online,
- Crime years: 2010s, 2020s,
- Convicted in: 2020s, 2021,
- Case report »
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Rowan Joseph Ellsworth
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- was an LDS church member and schoolteacher in Arizona; molested a 14-year-old girl at an LDS girls camp in mid-1990; the abuse was reported to a bishop Burgess, who allegedly failed to report to police, but instead encouraged the victim to forgive; sentenced to prison in 1999 for two counts of child sexual abuse; released in 2007.
- Criminal case: Convicted,
- Civil case: No civil case,
- Victims: 2 victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: LDS youth activity,
- Case report »
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Kelly Stephen Erickson
- was an LDS church member and US Air Force military member in Washington; accused of child sexual abuse; convicted and sentenced to prison; as of 2023, incarcerated in Tucson, Arizona.
- Criminal case: Convicted, Pleaded guilty,
- Victims: 2 victims, Multiple victims,
- Case report »
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Daniel Adam Galloway
- was an LDS church member in Arizona City, Pinal County, Arizona; found guilty of sexually abusing an 8 year old foster child.
- Criminal case: Convicted,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Case report »
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Floyd Keith Godfrey
- was a Mormon church member and sexual orientation conversion therapist in Arizona; accused of sexual misconduct by two employees; in 2023, Godfrey was forced to surrender his license.
- Criminal case: Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil case: No civil case,
- Victims: 2 victims, Multiple victims,
- Case report »
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Brandon Osorio Hernandez
- was an LDS church member in Tempe, Arizona; accused of sexually abusing a victim inside a Mormon church; convicted of four fourth degree felony counts of abuse of a child or vulnerable adult.
- Criminal case: Convicted, Plea agreement, Pleaded guilty, Unknown,
- Civil case: No civil case,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building,
- Convicted in: 2010s, 2019,
- Case report »
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Larry Wright Judd
- was an LDS church member in Mesa, Arizona; accused of sexual abuse; admitted to molesting 12 girls over a period of about 20 years.
- Criminal case: Convicted,
- Victims: 10 or more victims, Multiple victims,
- Case report »
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Robert Glenn Kempton
- was a former Mormon bishop and stake president in Arizona; was an attorney and served a mission as a legal counsel for the LDS church in Africa; arrested in 2014 in a police sting for prostitution.
- Criminal case: Police investigation, Unknown,
- Civil case: No civil case,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime years: 2010s,
- Convicted in: Never convicted,
- Case report »
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Cody Jonathan Lara
- was an LDS church member in Arizona City, Pinal County, Arizona; accused of sexual abuse in 2018; convicted in 2019 of three reduced counts of abuse of a child or vulnerable adult.
- Criminal case: Convicted,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Case report »
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Derek Marlan Layton
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- was an LDS church member in Arizona; accused of sexual abuse in the late 1980s; convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison for "sexual with minor and dangerous crimes against children".
- Criminal case: Convicted, Prison,
- Victims: 3 victims, Multiple victims,
- Case report »
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Edwin Gale McClellan
- was an LDS church member and former Mormon bishop in Cottonwood, Arizona; accused of sexually abusing 3 female family members from the 1980s-2000s.
- Victims: 3 victims, Multiple victims,
- Case report »
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Robert Gene Metcalf
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- was an LDS church member in California and Arizona; convicted three times of child sexual abuse; sentenced in 1979 to 6 years in prison for sexually abusing a child; returned to the Mormon church after being released from prison, was made a scout leader and allegedly molested a scout on a campout in about 1987, according to a civil lawsuit; sentenced in Arizona in 1989 to 37 years in prison.
- Criminal case: Convicted, Prison,
- Victims: 3 victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: Recreational trip/outing, Scout activity/event,
- Case report »
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Russell Dean Millsaps
- was an LDS church member and retired police sergeant in Arizona; sentenced in 2016 to 323 years in prison for child sexual exploitation.
- Criminal case: Convicted,
- Civil case: No civil case,
- Victims: 2 victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: Unknown crime scene,
- Crime years: 1990s, 2010s,
- Convicted in: 2010s, 2016,
- Case report »
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Paul Kimball Nelson
- was an LDS church member in Arizona; accused of sexual abuse; sentenced to prison in November 2023; failed to appear at his sentencing and went missing; reportedly planned to turn himself in in March 2024 on the condition that his $100k bail be returned to his family; arrested in April 2024 in Tucson, Arizona and extradited to Gilbert, Arizona.
- Criminal case: Convicted, Fled or failed to appear, Prison,
- Victims: 2 victims, Multiple victims,
- Case report »
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Brett Richard Nichols
- was an LDS church member in Arizona; convicted of child sexual abuse; sentenced to 10 years in prison; baptized again after excommunication; ward members reportedly were not told of his criminal past when he returned after his prison time.
- Criminal case: Convicted,
- Civil case: No civil case,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Case report »
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Christopher Ryan Nuttall
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Bruce Lavon O'Dell
- was a Mormon church member and dermatologist in Show Low, Navajo County, Arizona; in 1999, was charged with 48 counts of sexual abuse.
- Criminal case: Unknown,
- Civil case: No civil case,
- Victims: Multiple victims, Unknown number of victims,
- Crime scenes: Unknown crime scene,
- Crime years: 1990s,
- Case report »
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Richard Kenneth Ray
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- was an LDS church member in Arizona; sentenced to prison for sexually abusing children; the LDS church was involved in a lawsuit regarding clergy-penitent privilege; the church settled out of court.
- Criminal case: Convicted,
- Civil case: Settlement,
- Victims: 10 or more victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: Perpetrator's home,
- Crime years: 1970s, 1980s,
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Settlement paid by LDS church: Yes (undisclosed amount)
- Case report »
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Marcus Cleveland Udall
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- was an LDS church member in Maricopa County, Arizona; accused of child sexual abuse; pleaded guilty in 2014 to a reduced felony charge; .
- Criminal case: Convicted,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Case report »
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William Arthur Whitmore
- was an LDS church member in Mesa, Arizona; found guilty of sexual abuse .
- Criminal case: Convicted,
- Victims: 2 victims, Multiple victims,
- Case report »
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Mitchell Blake Young
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- was an LDS missionary in Canada; in 1980, sent home after allegedly molesting children; convicted in Arizona (1985) and Utah (1988) of child sexual abuse; in 1993, sentenced in Utah to 15 years in prison for molesting a child for five years; a 2002 lawsuit against the LDS church accused Mormon leaders of providing a safe harbor for him; as of 2024, lives in Ogden, Utah; registered sex offender.
- Criminal case: Convicted,
- Civil case: lawsuit against LDS church, Unknown result,
- Victims: 10 or more victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime years: 1980s, 1990s,
- Convicted in: 1980s, 1990s,
- Case report »
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