The raid occurred on a mild September morning, with Naomi Bistline, then 24, in the shower. Housemates included more than a dozen women and girls, some as young as nine. Bateman was later sentenced to 50 years in jail.
Christine Marie, a former Ms. Michigan, escape artist, and ventriloquist, infiltrated Bateman's group with her husband Tolga Katas. According to major media reports, Marie studied cult psychology, earned a doctorate, and moved to Short Creek in 2021. She worked with the FBI with the help of a concerned FLDS mother whose five daughters were wed to Bateman.
[Lud] was like 'I feel impressed that you should...'
Short Creek was founded in the 1930s by fundamentalists practicing polygamy. After Warren Jeffs' imprisonment, Bateman claimed Jeffs was 'speaking through him' and that he was the new prophet. Bateman wed a large number of young women and girls, one as young as nine, and gave wives as 'gifts' to his male followers, claiming divine instruction.
Naomi Bistline was coerced into marrying Bateman by her family's caretaker and cousin, LaDell 'Lud' Jay Bistline Jr. She and her sister wife Moretta were sent to prison for their part in Bateman's crimes. The current status of the children involved remains unclear.