Lost and Found "Boys"

Beginning mid 2002 to mid 2003 there was a split in the FLDS church. Winston Blackmore, the Bishop in Canada was demoted, and his brother Richard was asked to be the Bishop. Winston then held a gathering in Canada announcing he would not step down and his brother and about half of the residents joined his new church. There was a few from the Colorado City area who also agreed with Winston, and among them was Doug Cook. Doug Cook was a tile contractor who had just recently split up with his wife. Doug had a few young men working for him when he left the FLDS, among them were two of my brothers. They were all at least 18 except Doug’s own sons. He rented a house in the town of Hurricane, about 20 miles from the FLDS towns of Hildale and Colorado City. This became the first “Lost Boy” party (safe?) house. Literally dozens of boys, some as young as 13, would catch a ride down to this house every night. I don’t know what they were doing to gain such recognition, but the Hurricane police department got rather tired of going over there. Although this was not the only place to disappear to, it was well known by many parents who drove down there every night looking for their sons and sometimes daughters.

If a girl leaves, she “escapes” If a boy does he is “kicked out” if you ask the activists. Neither one is true.

Over the next few months I went there twice to pick up my sister Fawn, and look for some of my minor aged nephews who had caught a ride with my brothers and their friends. Later Doug moved his house and crew to St George. Other older guys got thier own place, but my brothers nephews, and their friends lived at Doug's. The “Lost Boy” term was invented by Dan and Shem Fischer. Dan Fischer a wealthy dentist and former member, and his younger brother Shem who had just recently left the church, paid these guys to come to Salt Lake for a party, and on July 31, 2004 they all gathered on the steps of the Capital building. Most of them, including my brothers, were rather embarrassed and to this day refer to being called a “Lost Boy” as an insult.

One month later Dan Fischer got six of the young men to sue Warren Jeffs and the United Effort Plan (the trust the people of the FLDS held their homes and property in together) I am really grateful that my brothers refused to be a part of the lawsuit even when their friends were. Thanks for not hurting your parents more, guys!

The Six “Lost Boys” were: (ages in 2oo4)

Richard Gilbert (19) – Whose parents had left the FLDS several years earlier
Richard Ream (21) – Who joined the church headed by Winston (truck driver)
Walter Fischer (2o) – Who was asked out of the house for advances to his step sister
Don Fischer (18) – Walters’s younger brother, both worked for Doug Cook
Dean Barlow (18) – (Can’t remember him, lots of Barlow’s :>)
Thomas S Steed (18) – Whose parents had left the church several years before

There were quite a few minor boys in the news articles about the “Lost Boys” but none were included in the lawsuit because their parents would have made them come home. Most of the underage boys I saw were living with their older brothers. One of my sisters did give custody of her 15 year old son to one of my uncles who had left the church long ago. I am sure there are others like him, but I don’t know them. She got tired of chasing him home, and let him go. It is hard enough to keep wayward teenagers in the house at night, and it became practically impossible when bitter anti-FLDS people are “rescuing” them from you on top of that.

I want to address the ridiculous story that these guys were “kicked out” to reduce competition for brides. I am sorry, I am laughing just to type this. If it wasn’t all over the news I would think it was a silly joke. If these guys wanted to compete for the girls, they sure didn’t try very hard. All you had to do was obey the doctrines of the church. I am sure some men in the FLDS have as many wives as they do because there weren't enough young guys who would settle down and obey the church doctrines. Two of my brothers are now married to young ladies who left the FLDS, and one (I hope) is getting married soon. Be a man, Brig!

Now I don't have much criticism for the Diversity Foundation that Dan Fischer has created, nor the charity schooling that he is doing for some of these guys, but the lawsuit was like suing their own parents. I think that was awful, and led (among the other three lawsuits paid for by Dan Fischer) to the seizure of the UEP Trust and all of the homes on it.