Be Scofield is a prominent cult reporter whose work has led to coverage on Netflix, Dr. Phil, VICE, Playboy, The Guardian, Daily Mail, CNN and elsewhere. Contact: bescofieldreporter@gmail.com / Follow on Facebook
UPDATE: The Daily Beast has now published a front page article on this story.
UPDATE 5/3: Inside the Crestone Cult Raid that Led to a Deceased Body
April 30th, 2021
The leader of a bizarre cult that was featured on the Dr. Phil Show and VICE was found deceased early Thursday, April 29th in the groups house near Crestone, Colorado, the Saguache County Sheriff’s office has confirmed. A source says the officers were tipped off by a former member who reported them for transporting the body.
Captain Ken Wilson of the Saguache Sheriff’s office told me during an interview that it appeared the body had been deceased for several weeks to a month when found. He told me seven members were arrested in the early hours of Thursday after they were called for a wellness check. The members were transported to neighboring Rio Grande jail because the Saguache facilities were too small to hold them separately he said. The autopsy is being conducted today and the office will soon release a public statement. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is currently investigating the case.
Friday morning, The Rio Grande Sheriff’s office confirmed during an interview the names of the seven members being held: Jason Castillo, Ryan Kramer, John Robertson, Karin Raymond, Christopher Royer, Sarah Rudolph and Ma obdulia Franco-Gonzalez.
Ryan Kramer, John Robertson, Jason Castillo and Ma Franco Gonzalez are all being held on a $50,000 bond each with two counts of “child abuse” and one count of “tampering with deceased human remains.” Christopher Royer and Sarah Rudolph and being held for two counts of “child abuse” and “abuse of a corpse” on a $2,000 bond. Karin Raymond is being held on two counts “child abuse,” “abuse of a corpse” and “false imprisonment” on a bond of $5,000.
Two children that were in the home were taken into protective custody by CPS.
Captain Wilson said other group members who were not home at the time are not being pursued for arrest at this time but they may be as it is an ongoing investigation.
Crestone local Steve Kemp told me he saw eight police cars after midnight on Thursday, April 29th in front of Love Has Won’s home in Casita Park. He posted on Facebook at 3:30 am shortly after he noticed them. The Love Has Won Exposed Facebook page posted a video sent by a local of many police vehicles still at the home as of the late afternoon.
It’s unclear when or where Amy Carlson originally died. Neighbors report the home had been relatively quiet up until a week ago when the group arrived from the Mt. Shasta and Dunsmuir California area where they had been staying in various locations for the last several months. The Mt. Shasta News reported on April 26th that the cult had been kicked out of an RV park in Mt. Shasta and had listed an address in Dunsmuir where activists believed Amy was. A photo of Amy Carlson on April 14th depicts her unconscious in the arms of her boyfriend and group co-leader Jason Castillo.
A neighbor told me that they and one other person saw group members with shovels, wheelbarrows, and wearing masks digging in the field of the home in Casita Park.
On April 16th Amy’s family requested an ambulance, reporting that Amy was having difficulty breathing and that her eyes were rolling in the back of her head. A source says an ambulance did arrive at the cult members rented cabin in Dunsmuir on the 16th but were told Amy was not there and left. Other requests were made for wellness checks including on March 5th. Mt. Shasta authorities told the news there wasn’t enough evidence for other wellness checks. The group also apparently rejected traditional medical care for their leader, whom they believed was God.
“Her vessel is not sustaining,” prominent group member Lauren Suarez stated on April 14th in the groups daily livestream. She and fellow core member Ashley Hope appeared subdued and in shock, a stark contrast to their normal cheerful, happy manner each day. Neither Lauren or Ashley have been seen on the livestream since. The other core team members have also largely disappeared from the livestreams since then, leaving them to the international chapters.
On April 16th group members stated on a livestream that Amy was “very, very, very close to dying.” They also stated that “she’s slowly, slowly going out of her vessel.” At the same time prominent member Ashley Hope posted a comment that Amy was “going through the dying process.” For years the group has been talking about Amy’s “ascension” and has claimed that she was dying, thus making it difficult to discern what has been happening.
In a photo taken around three weeks before she died, Amy Carlson appeared very thin, with purple colored skin, most likely from the large amounts of colloidal silver she was ingesting.
In July 2020, the Love Has Won cult was exposed after a man abandoned his wife and kids to be with them and was found naked, hallucinating in the desert. They then fled to Kauai where locals protested in front of their North Shore beach house, when the Mayor also got involved. The group fled Kauai, leading to widespread news coverage. On September 14th the season premiere of the Dr. Phil show featured a special two-part episode on the cult. In March VICE produced a short documentary on the cult.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned for updates.
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