All Episodes

July 1, 2025 2 mins

When the most vulnerable within a community go unprotected, how can they find the strength to push their way out?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
I knew I wanted to obey and submit because I
didn't want to get in trouble, But I didn't fully
grasp for the rest of my life what that meant.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
For my heart. Podcasts and Rococo Punch. This is the
Turning River Road.

Speaker 1 (00:21):
And then he put the rings on our hands to
be worn on our ring fingers. Doesn't fit anymore. This
is all goes on now.

Speaker 2 (00:29):
It doesn't even pass your second knuckle now.

Speaker 1 (00:32):
Nope, so tiny. Yeah, I was just a kid.

Speaker 2 (00:39):
In the early two thousands in rural Minnesota, Lindsay became
one of the maidens of River Road Fellowship. She was
thirteen years old. A ritualistic ceremony married her and nine
other girls to their adult leader, and for years they
all endured a secret life of physical and mental abuse.
It all happened in their community of a hunh hundred

(01:00):
and fifty people, believers on a commune who saw their
leader as an apostle, like God in the flesh. They
followed his command for decades.

Speaker 1 (01:09):
Why did I think that way? Why did I allow
myself to get so sucked in by this man and
thinking to the point that if I died for him,
that would be the greatest honor.

Speaker 3 (01:20):
I don't care what happens when Jesus Christ comes back,
whatever happens to me, it cannot possibly be worse than this.

Speaker 2 (01:34):
But in twenty fourteen, Lindsay and a friend, the youngest Maidens,
made the daring decision to escape. They sparked an international
man hunt for the cult leader who had controlled their
world for.

Speaker 1 (01:46):
All those years. You know, he was the predator and
I was the prey, and then he became the prey.
Listened to The Turning River Road starting on July eighth
on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
get your podcasts
Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know
Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

The Breakfast Club

The Breakfast Club

The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.