# In the News

- Link: https://justprotect.org/in-the-news/
- Published: 2026-10-30T20:08:57-06:00
- Author: Jana Johnson

PRESS COVERAGE

# In the News

Reporting on the cases we follow and the survivors behind them, newest first.

Journalists have covered these cases in print, online and on TV. We list that coverage
here so it’s easy to follow in one place. Each link opens the outlet’s own site.

These are outside publications. JustProtect doesn’t control what they report, and
listing an article isn’t an endorsement of every statement in it. Where a case is
still in court, what’s described are allegations, and no court has decided them.

## 2026

 * **May 1, 2026** · East Idaho News — [Local teen resurfaces after vanishing three years ago, search continues for missing siblings](https://www.eastidahonews.com/2026/05/local-teen-resurfaces-after-vanishing-three-years-ago-search-continues-for-missing-siblings/)
   
   Authorities remove Elizabeth Roundy's older daughter, now an adult, from missing-
   person records, while her two younger children remain missing.About: [Lorraine Jessop & Elizabeth Roundy — Missing Children](https://justprotect.org/lorraine-jessop-missing-children-against-flds-members/)
 * **May 1, 2026** · KUTV — [Idaho woman with FLDS ties no longer missing person after obtaining Utah driver's license](https://kutv.com/news/local/idaho-woman-with-flds-ties-no-longer-missing-person-after-obtaining-utah-drivers-license-warren-jeffs-fundamentalist-church-of-jesus-christ-polygamy)
   
   KUTV reports the older daughter's removal from missing-person lists after obtaining
   a Utah license, as Elizabeth Roundy pleads for her other children's return.About:
   [Lorraine Jessop & Elizabeth Roundy — Missing Children](https://justprotect.org/lorraine-jessop-missing-children-against-flds-members/)

## 2025

 * **Nov 19, 2025** · The Independent (via Yahoo News) — [Mormon grocery store founder sues her polygamist husband because he paid too much attention to her sister wives](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/mormon-grocery-store-founder-sues-160834595.html)
   
   Shirlyn Watson's lawsuit alleges her polygamist husband broke promises of an 
   equal property interest and neglected her; his side denies the allegations.About:
   [Shirlyn Watson v. David Watson](https://justprotect.org/shirlyn-watson-v-david-watson-housing-and-property-rights-for-a-former-plural-wife/)
 * **Nov 18, 2025** · ABC4 Utah — ['Too many women walk away with nothing': Sister wife sues well-known polygamist prophet](https://www.abc4.com/news/digital-exclusives/sister-wife-sues-polygamist-prophet/)
   
   Shirlyn Watson sues her husband, polygamist leader David Watson, and his other
   wives, and alleges she is owed a quarter share of their Manti property.About:
   [Shirlyn Watson v. David Watson](https://justprotect.org/shirlyn-watson-v-david-watson-housing-and-property-rights-for-a-former-plural-wife/)
 * **Jun 26, 2025** · NBC News — [Amber alert issued for 2 missing Idaho teens linked to polygamist sect](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/amber-alert-two-missing-idaho-teens-rcna215230)
   
   NBC News covers the Amber Alert for Elizabeth Roundy's two teenagers, whom authorities
   think may have returned to a Utah FLDS community.About: [Lorraine Jessop & Elizabeth Roundy — Missing Children](https://justprotect.org/lorraine-jessop-missing-children-against-flds-members/)
 * **Jun 26, 2025** · CNN — [Amber Alert issued for missing Idaho teenagers feared to be with religious group in Utah](https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/26/us/idaho-amber-alert-flds-utah)
   
   CNN reports the Amber Alert for two Idaho teenagers believed headed to a Utah
   FLDS group; their mother, Elizabeth Roundy, says she has sole custody.About: 
   [Lorraine Jessop & Elizabeth Roundy — Missing Children](https://justprotect.org/lorraine-jessop-missing-children-against-flds-members/)
 * **Jun 25, 2025** · Fox News — [Mother claims children disappeared after religious brainwashing as Amber Alert issued](https://www.foxnews.com/us/mother-claims-children-disappeared-after-religious-brainwashing-amber-alert-issued)
   
   Elizabeth Roundy says religious indoctrination led to her children's disappearance
   as Idaho authorities issue an Amber Alert and search for the teens.About: [Lorraine Jessop & Elizabeth Roundy — Missing Children](https://justprotect.org/lorraine-jessop-missing-children-against-flds-members/)
 * **Jun 25, 2025** · ABC News — [Amber Alert issued for missing Idaho teens linked to FLDS group](https://abcnews.com/US/amber-alert-issued-missing-idaho-teens-linked-flds/story?id=123211184)
   
   ABC News reports the Amber Alert for Elizabeth Roundy's two teenagers, who she
   believes left with FLDS members to fulfill religious obligations.About: [Lorraine Jessop & Elizabeth Roundy — Missing Children](https://justprotect.org/lorraine-jessop-missing-children-against-flds-members/)
 * **Jun 24, 2025** · East Idaho News — [New details released on missing Jefferson County teenagers](https://www.eastidahonews.com/2025/06/new-details-released-on-missing-jefferson-county-teenagers/)
   
   Investigators narrow the timeline of the disappearance of Elizabeth Roundy's 
   two children and say they lack solid evidence of a suspected vehicle.About: [Lorraine Jessop & Elizabeth Roundy — Missing Children](https://justprotect.org/lorraine-jessop-missing-children-against-flds-members/)
 * **Jun 24, 2025** · East Idaho News — ['I'm very concerned.' Mother reveals fears after her teenagers vanish](https://www.eastidahonews.com/2025/06/im-very-concerned-mother-reveals-fears-after-her-teenagers-vanish/)
   
   Elizabeth Roundy describes how her two teenagers vanished while she was at a 
   Bible class and why she suspects FLDS members were involved.About: [Lorraine Jessop & Elizabeth Roundy — Missing Children](https://justprotect.org/lorraine-jessop-missing-children-against-flds-members/)
 * **Jun 23, 2025** · KSL.com — [Idaho police issue Amber Alert for teens possibly headed to Cache County FLDS group](https://www.ksl.com/article/news/utah/police-and-courts/idaho-police-issue-amber-alert-for-teens-possibly-headed-to-cache-county-flds-group/51334265)
   
   Idaho police issue an Amber Alert for Elizabeth Roundy's two missing teenagers,
   believed headed to an FLDS group; authorities initially treated them as runaways.
   About: [Lorraine Jessop & Elizabeth Roundy — Missing Children](https://justprotect.org/lorraine-jessop-missing-children-against-flds-members/)
 * **Jun 23, 2025** · East Idaho News — [Amber Alert issued for missing teens from Jefferson County who may be in 'grave danger'](https://www.eastidahonews.com/2025/06/amber-alert-issused-for-missing-teens-from-jefferson-county-who-may-be-in-grave-danger/)
   
   Breaking report on the Amber Alert issued for Elizabeth Roundy's two missing 
   children amid official concern for their safety.About: [Lorraine Jessop & Elizabeth Roundy — Missing Children](https://justprotect.org/lorraine-jessop-missing-children-against-flds-members/)
 * **Mar 13, 2025** · Deseret News — [Utah Legislature cracks down on youth marriage amid polygamy lawsuits](https://www.deseret.com/politics/2025/03/13/utah-legislature-passes-underage-marriage-law-to-prevent-polygamous-marriages/)
   
   Utah lawmakers pass SB76 limiting youth marriages; the story features Kathrine
   Nichols's federal suit, which alleges she was coerced into marrying her uncle
   at 16.About: [Kathrine Nichols v. The Order](https://justprotect.org/kathrine-nichols-v-the-order-sex-trafficking/)
 * **Feb 14, 2025** · KSL.com — ['Kingston clan' lawsuit alleges incestuous, underage plural marriage](https://www.ksl.com/article/news/utah/police-and-courts/kingston-clan-lawsuit-alleges-incestuous-underage-plural-marriage/51250692)
   
   A new federal lawsuit alleges Kingston group leaders pressured a 16-year-old 
   into becoming her uncle's third wife, following the 2024 suit by ten women.About:
   [Kathrine Nichols v. The Order](https://justprotect.org/kathrine-nichols-v-the-order-sex-trafficking/)
 * **Feb 10, 2025** · The Salt Lake Tribune — [Utah woman sues polygamous Kingston group, alleges she was coerced into marrying uncle at 16](https://www.sltrib.com/news/2025/02/09/utah-woman-sues-kingstons-alleges/)
   
   Kathrine Nichols's federal suit alleges Kingston group leaders coerced her at
   16 into marrying her uncle; the article also covers her contested 2023 annulment.
   About: [Kathrine Nichols v. The Order](https://justprotect.org/kathrine-nichols-v-the-order-sex-trafficking/),
   [Kathrine Nichols — Annulment & Custody](https://justprotect.org/kathrine-nichols-annulment-custody/)
 * **Jan 18, 2025** · KSL.com — [Road Warriors: Motorcycle group on a mission to find missing FLDS children](https://www.ksl.com/article/51228800/road-warriors-motorcycle-group-on-a-mission-to-find-missing-flds-children-)
   
   Profile of Road Warriors for the Missing, a motorcycle group working with former
   FLDS parents, including Sarah Johnson, to locate eight missing children.About:
   [Sarah Johnson — Missing Child](https://justprotect.org/sarah-johnson-missing-child-against-an-flds-member/)

## 2024

 * **Oct 3, 2024** · East Idaho News — [COURTROOM INSIDER | Elizabeth Roundy speaks out about her missing daughter](https://www.eastidahonews.com/2024/10/courtroom-insider-elizabeth-roundy-speaks-out-about-her-missing-daughter/)
   
   In a Courtroom Insider interview, Elizabeth Roundy discusses her missing daughter
   and her belief that the disappearance may involve child trafficking.About: [Lorraine Jessop & Elizabeth Roundy — Missing Children](https://justprotect.org/lorraine-jessop-missing-children-against-flds-members/)
 * **Sep 4, 2024** · ABC News — [Former FLDS members team up with biker group to search for missing children](https://abcnews.com/US/former-flds-members-team-biker-group-search-missing/story?id=113345786)
   
   Lorraine Jessop, Elizabeth Roundy, Sarah Johnson and another mother team with
   a volunteer biker group searching for eight children labeled runaways.About: 
   [Lorraine Jessop & Elizabeth Roundy — Missing Children](https://justprotect.org/lorraine-jessop-missing-children-against-flds-members/),
   [Sarah Johnson — Missing Child](https://justprotect.org/sarah-johnson-missing-child-against-an-flds-member/)
 * **Apr 19, 2024** · KUTV — [Ex-FLDS parents searching for missing children believed to be hidden by church](https://kutv.com/news/local/ex-flds-parents-searching-for-missing-children-believed-to-be-hidden-by-church-fundamentalist-warren-jeffs-waco-jonestown)
   
   Sarah Johnson joins ex-FLDS families seeking help finding children they believe
   the church is hiding; she disputes claims that her son ran away.About: [Sarah Johnson — Missing Child](https://justprotect.org/sarah-johnson-missing-child-against-an-flds-member/)
 * **Apr 19, 2024** · FOX 13 News — [Mothers of children missing inside the FLDS Church beg for help to find them](https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/mothers-of-children-missing-inside-the-flds-church-beg-for-help-to-find-them)
   
   Elizabeth Roundy and Lorraine Jessop plead at a Draper news conference for help
   locating children they say are being kept inside the FLDS Church despite custody
   orders.About: [Lorraine Jessop & Elizabeth Roundy — Missing Children](https://justprotect.org/lorraine-jessop-missing-children-against-flds-members/)
 * **Mar 2, 2024** · The Salt Lake Tribune — [Kingston polygamist sect trafficked children, violated federal labor laws, Utah lawsuit alleges](https://www.sltrib.com/news/2024/03/02/kingston-polygamist-sect/)
   
   Ten women file a federal racketeering suit that alleges the Kingston sect trafficked
   children and violated labor laws, naming nearly 50 defendants.About: [Grant, et al. v. Kingston](https://justprotect.org/grant-v-kingston/)
 * **Mar 2, 2024** · The Daily Beast — [Polygamous Mormon Sect Is Actually a Sex Trafficking Cult: Lawsuit](https://www.thedailybeast.com/polygamous-mormon-sect-is-actually-a-sex-trafficking-cult-lawsuit/)
   
   Ten women who left the Kingston group file a federal complaint that alleges sex
   trafficking, incestuous child marriages and forced labor by its leaders.About:
   [Grant, et al. v. Kingston](https://justprotect.org/grant-v-kingston/)

## 2023

 * **Jun 22, 2023** · ABC News — [Former FLDS members fear their children's disappearance is part of Warren Jeffs' prophecy](https://abcnews.com/US/former-flds-members-fear-childrens-disappearance-part-warren/story?id=99943910)
   
   Four former FLDS mothers, including Lorraine Jessop, Elizabeth Roundy and Sarah
   Johnson, fear their children's disappearances are tied to Warren Jeffs' prophecies.
   About: [Lorraine Jessop & Elizabeth Roundy — Missing Children](https://justprotect.org/lorraine-jessop-missing-children-against-flds-members/),
   [Sarah Johnson — Missing Child](https://justprotect.org/sarah-johnson-missing-child-against-an-flds-member/)
 * **Apr 18, 2023** · The Salt Lake Tribune — [Ex-FLDS moms say their kids have gone missing since Warren Jeffs' latest revelation from prison](https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2023/04/18/ex-flds-moms-say-their-kids-have/)
   
   Lorraine Jessop, Elizabeth Roundy and Sarah Johnson urge police to treat their
   missing children's cases as possible kidnapping or trafficking, not runaways.
   About: [Lorraine Jessop & Elizabeth Roundy — Missing Children](https://justprotect.org/lorraine-jessop-missing-children-against-flds-members/),
   [Sarah Johnson — Missing Child](https://justprotect.org/sarah-johnson-missing-child-against-an-flds-member/)
 * **Apr 18, 2023** · The Daily Beast — [Former FLDS Moms Plead For Help to Find Their Missing Kids](https://www.thedailybeast.com/former-flds-moms-plead-for-help-to-find-their-missing-kids/)
   
   Former FLDS mothers, including Elizabeth Roundy, ask police to investigate their
   children's disappearances, fearing a purported Warren Jeffs message drew them
   back.About: [Lorraine Jessop & Elizabeth Roundy — Missing Children](https://justprotect.org/lorraine-jessop-missing-children-against-flds-members/)
 * **Apr 18, 2023** · KMVT — [Former FLDS Church members plead with Utah officials for help finding missing children](https://www.kmvt.com/2023/04/18/former-flds-church-members-plead-with-utah-officials-help-finding-missing-children/)
   
   Lorraine Jessop and other former FLDS members press Utah authorities to do more
   to locate children they believe were pressured back into the church.About: [Lorraine Jessop & Elizabeth Roundy — Missing Children](https://justprotect.org/lorraine-jessop-missing-children-against-flds-members/)
 * **Apr 17, 2023** · KSL.com — [Parents seek help finding missing kids they say are being hidden by Warren Jeffs followers](https://www.ksl.com/article/news/utah/counties/southern/parents-seek-help-finding-missing-kids-they-say-are-being-hidden-by-warren-jeffs-followers/50623503)
   
   Former FLDS members including Lorraine Jessop and Elizabeth Roundy ask for help
   finding children they allege Warren Jeffs followers are hiding.About: [Lorraine Jessop & Elizabeth Roundy — Missing Children](https://justprotect.org/lorraine-jessop-missing-children-against-flds-members/)
 * **Jan 23, 2023** · East Idaho News — [Missing teen's mom breaks silence about FLDS experience, her forced marriage and why she left the church](https://www.eastidahonews.com/2023/01/missing-teens-mom-breaks-silence-about-flds-experience-her-forced-marriage-and-why-she-left-the-church/)
   
   Elizabeth Roundy describes her FLDS upbringing, arranged marriage and 2020 departure
   while seeking public help to find her missing daughter.About: [Lorraine Jessop & Elizabeth Roundy — Missing Children](https://justprotect.org/lorraine-jessop-missing-children-against-flds-members/)

## 2022

 * **Sep 11, 2022** · KSL.com — [10 former Kingston members allege abuse, exploitation in new lawsuit](https://www.ksl.com/article/50473275/10-former-kingston-members-allege-abuse-exploitation-in-new-lawsuit)
   
   Ten former members of the Order file a 109-page state lawsuit that alleges forced
   underage marriages, child abuse and labor exploitation by Kingston leaders.About:
   [Grant, et al. v. Kingston](https://justprotect.org/grant-v-kingston/)
 * **Sep 11, 2022** · Associated Press (via East Idaho News) — [Lawsuit alleges child marriage, rape in Utah polygamous sect](https://www.eastidahonews.com/2022/09/lawsuit-alleges-child-marriage-rape-in-utah-polygamous-sect/)
   
   Ten people sue Kingston Group members in Utah state court and allege coerced 
   underage marriages, rape and child labor; a group affiliate disputes the claims.
   About: [Grant, et al. v. Kingston](https://justprotect.org/grant-v-kingston/)
 * **Sep 9, 2022** · KUTV — [Kingston polygamist family responds after lawsuit filed against them](https://kutv.com/news/local/kingston-polygamist-family-lawsuit-utah-response-davis-county-cooperative-society-statement)
   
   The Davis County Cooperative Society calls the former members' lawsuit sensational
   and baseless and denies what it alleges about abuse and exploitation.About: [Grant, et al. v. Kingston](https://justprotect.org/grant-v-kingston/)
 * **Sep 8, 2022** · KUTV — [Lawsuit accuses Kingston polygamist leaders of sexual abuse, fraud, child labor](https://kutv.com/news/local/utah-kingston-polygamist-family-group-the-order-lawsuit-salt-lake-county-third-district-court)
   
   Ten former Kingston group members sue Paul Elden Kingston and others in state
   court and allege sexual abuse, fraud and exploitation of unpaid child labor.About:
   [Grant, et al. v. Kingston](https://justprotect.org/grant-v-kingston/)
 * **Sep 8, 2022** · KUTV — [Allegations in suit against Kingston polygamist group 'small fraction of what exists'](https://kutv.com/news/local/allegations-in-suit-against-kingston-polygamist-group-small-fraction-of-what-exists-32-109-page-lawsuit-civil-suit-court-utah-vanguard-academy)
   
   A man whose wife left the Kingston group says the new state lawsuit, which alleges
   abuse and trafficking, captures only part of the problem.About: [Grant, et al. v. Kingston](https://justprotect.org/grant-v-kingston/)

## Follow along

New coverage is added to this page as it runs, and each month we post a roundup 
on our blog. Follow the roundups in a feed reader with our [In the Media RSS feed](https://justprotect.org/category/blog/in-the-media/feed/).
For news from the courtroom itself, see [our Cases page](https://justprotect.org/cases/).

Reporters: for interviews or background, [contact us](https://justprotect.org/contact/).

## Help survivors pursue justice

Your support helps cover case-related costs and backs survivor-led efforts to seek
justice through lawful channels.

[Donate](https://justprotect.org/donate/)

[See our cases](https://justprotect.org/cases/)
