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In the wake of child sex abuse incidents at southwest Missouri’s Kanakuk Christian sports camp, Branson-area lawmakers are filing bills in the Missouri House and Senate aimed at making it easier to file lawsuits seeking damages from perpetrators.
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Dozens of criminal charges for abuse have been filed against operators of Christian boarding schools in Missouri. Survivors say it was only because of TikTok that law enforcement and the Missouri Attorney General finally took action.
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Logan Yandell, a survivor of sexual abuse at Kanakuk Kamps in Branson, Missouri, alleges that the camp’s CEO misrepresented prior knowledge of past misconduct allegations in order to convince his parents to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
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A new federal lawsuit filed against Circle of Hope Girls Ranch, a now-shuttered Christian boarding school in Missouri, says a 13-year-old girl faced “abuse, harassment, forced servitude, assault, fraud” and other mistreatment by the camp owners.
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Stephanie Householder, who ran Circle of Hope Girls Ranch with her husband Boyd Householder, faces 21 charges of child abuse and neglect alleged by former students. Her husband, who died last month, had nearly 80 charges that include allegations of sexual abuse.
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Clay County Prosecutor Zach Thompson announced Tuesday that Timothy Haslett Jr. is charged with first-degree murder for the killing of Jaynie Crosdale. Haslett was previously accused of kidnapping a Black woman and holding her in his basement.
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Boyd Householder faced 78 felony charges — including rape — stemming from his years directing the Circle of Hope Girls Ranch near Humansville. Householder’s wife, Stephanie, is scheduled for her own trial in late October on 21 similar charges.
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Sarah Gonzales-McLinn was 19 when she murdered 52-year-old Harold Sasko in January 2014. He had allegedly raped her, controlled her financially, coerced her into getting plastic surgery, and held her captive in his Lawrence home for months. She is now seeking clemency on her sentence from Gov. Laura Kelly.
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Domestic violence victims are utilizing hotlines more often — but experts say this likely reflects a growth in awareness of assistance options as well as courage.
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A group is demanding Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey begin investigating facilities accused of abuse, like Agape School in Stockton, Circle of Hope Ranch in Humansville and Kanakuk Kamps in Branson. The group is also advocating to extend the statute of limitations.
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Under current Missouri law, survivors of sexual abuse must take legal action before they turn 31. New legislation would expand that limit to age 41, to give victims “more time to work through their own pain and suffering."
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Holy Trinity Catholic Parish announced earlier this month that Father John Pilcher had been appointed as its senior associate pastor. Pilcher was accused of sexual assault of a minor while working in Topeka, but the Kansas Bureau of Investigation could not substantiate the claims and no charges were filed.