One Family- 5 Men Arrested for Child Abuse

[SaraSidle]

http://www.kmbc.com/news/21578135/detail.html

This is pretty sick. I was unable to finish reading the article. IMO

[SaraSidle]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...AXAewD9BTGJ900

Update. More information.

[samanthajane13]

These freaks need to be skinned and tossed into a lime pit.

My god, those poor kids...

[SaraSidle]

Originally Posted by samanthajane13

These freaks need to be skinned and tossed into a lime pit.

My god, those poor kids...

I agree. worse than a horror movie. seems like every article has more sick info in it.

[One2Snoop]

What a bunch of pigs - If the following statement is true why weren't they in jail already?

Court records show that some of the charges against the five men date back to 1991 and 1995, and at least six of the counts date back to 1988.

http://www.kmbc.com/news/21578135/detail.html

[SaraSidle]

the worst part.......I do not think this is the only family like this.

[samanthajane13]

5 men charged with sex crimes against children
By BILL DRAPER and HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH, Associated Press Writer Bill Draper And Heather Hollingsworth, Associated Press Writer – 39 mins ago

LEXINGTON, Mo. – Authorities on Wednesday searched a rural property in western Missouri for bodies and buried glass jars containing notes written more than 15 years ago by children who may have documented sexual abuse by five members of their own family.

Lafayette County Sheriff Kerrick Alumbaugh pleaded for the public's help, saying investigators "believe that there are other victims out there, and we believe people in the public can give us more information."

Alumbaugh said authorities believe there may be bodies buried on the property once owned by two of the five family members arrested Tuesday. He refused to say to whom any of the bodies would have belonged. The property and a nearby home is currently owned by a man unrelated to the case who is cooperating with authorities.

Three of the five men arrested are lay ministers in the Community of Christ church whose licenses have been suspended, church spokeswoman Linda L. Booth said.

The five are charged with several felonies, including forcible sodomy, rape with a child younger than 12 and use of a child in a sexual performance. The allegations, which include bestiality, forcing children into fake marriages with relatives and making an 11-year-old have an abortion, date from 1988 to 1995.

Cpl. Bill Lowe of the Missouri State Highway Patrol said a 26-year-old woman came forward to investigators in mid-August with the allegations. A probable cause statement released by the Lafayette County prosecutor's office says five other siblings of the woman have accused all five men of abuse, but it's unclear whether all the siblings were claiming to be victims.

Lowe said the woman told investigators that she and her siblings had buried glass jars around the property that were filled with messages "about what was happening to them" when they were younger. The woman said she had "suppressed many of the memories of abuse perpetrated on her" and her siblings, according to the probable cause statement.

Sgt. Collin Stosberg of the highway patrol said the adults told the children to write down their bad memories.

"That was what they were told. Write these memories down, put them in a jar and bury it and the memories would go away," Stosberg said. "It was a way for them to cope."

The probable cause statement identifies the relationship between the siblings and the suspects. The Associated Press, however, is not revealing that relationship to avoid identifying the alleged victims of sexual assault.

The woman who came forward also claimed some of the men forced her to have sex with a dog and to watch as her brother was abused.

"She became pregnant and was made to have an abortion at age 11 1/2. She doesn't remember any sexual abuse after that date," the probable cause statement said.

The Lafayette County Sheriff's Department, the Rural Missouri Major Case Squad and the Highway Patrol were investigating, with the help of the Western Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force.

A small excavator could be seen Wednesday moving across the property outside Bates City, which is about 30 miles east of Kansas City. Two ambulances were parked nearby, and crews were searching a creek with metal detectors.

"There has been an indication that there are body or bodies in numerous locations," Alumbaugh said.

The search was halted at sunset and was to resume in the morning.

The suspects were identified as Burrell Edward Mohler Sr., 77, of Independence, and his sons, Burrell Edward Mohler Jr., 53, also of Independence; Jared Leroy Mohler, 48, of Columbia; Roland Neil Mohler, 47, of Bates City; and David A. Mohler, 52, of Lamoni, Iowa.

All five were being held in the Lafayette County jail on cash bonds ranging from $30,000 to $75,000. It was not immediately clear if they had attorneys.

Police in Columbia seized a computer and discs from Jared Mohler's home on Tuesday, police spokeswoman Jessie Haden said. Jared Mohler is a database administrator at Carfax, a company that provides vehicle history reports to prospective buyers, a co-worker said. He was arrested at work.

David Mohler, who has worked for Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa, for 27 years, was arrested on its Independence campus.

Details on the arrests of the other three suspects were not immediately available.

University President John Sellars said David Mohler periodically traveled to Independence to work on Graceland's phone systems there. He described David Mohler as "a very nice person who got along well with his colleagues."

Sellars said David Mohler and his wife have grown children, but he did not know their ages or where they lived.

Deborah Burris, who has lived across the street from Burrell Mohler Sr. for several years, described the suspect as a friendly, helpful neighbor.

Burris said she occasionally saw Burrell Mohler Sr. walking around the neighborhood but he had appeared frail lately. She said Mohler's house has an apartment, and there had been "quite a bit of activity there at different times."

"I had thought maybe someone was moving in or out of there," Burris said.

Booth, the church spokeswoman, said none of the Mohlers served in leadership roles in the congregations they attended "nor did they serve as volunteer youth workers, teach children or youth church school, or work with children or youth."

"The church takes seriously the allegations that have been made and suspended the priesthood licenses of three lay ministers: Burrell Mohler Sr., David Mohler and Jared Mohler," the church said in a statement.

Booth said one of the men, whom she refused to identify, had been registered to work with children but that license has been terminated.

The Community of Christ, headquartered in Independence, split from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1860 and was known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints until 2001. It has about 250,000 members worldwide.

___

Associated Press writers Maria Sudekum Fisher in Kansas City, Mo., and Alan Scher Zagier in Columbia, Mo., contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091112/...ily_sex_crimes


Why does it NOT surprise me that there's a distant link to the LDS???

These pukes are no better than the FLDS!!!

Skin, Salt, Repeat...

[Sherlock]

Wow. I just signed up to this board and am looking forward reading and posting on all things crime. This is one of the first posts I have read....and am sorry that I did. I am LDS. Could you elaborate on that remark?? As the post states....that part of the church broke off from the main church in 1860. I am sure there are good and bad in all churches. I am not here to preach on this board but you can bet I will defend if I think it will help. Anyhow, sorry my first post can't be a wonderful intro that I had planned...but really I won't bother if this is the general feeling here. Thanks.

[SaraSidle]

Sherlock we do not judge people on religion here. I think that remark may be just a connection being made. this board tries to solve crimes.
I welcome you to the board. I am glad you are here. Please continue to post and see how it goes for you...........sara

[Sherlock]

I hope to stay and post and I thank you for your quick response. However, the connection made is clearly a comment that suggests that this church with its distant connections to the LDS church suggests that as an "explanation" for their abusive behavior...there is only one way to take that imo.

[samanthajane13]

When I mentioned the "distant connection" to the LDS, I was referring to the fact that the FLDS also had it's roots in the LDS, and we're now just hearing that one of it's members was found guilty of sex abuse.

I didn't imply that the LDS was involved...rather, it's off-shoots

BTW-Welcome to CL!!

[samanthajane13]

Also-when I read the following, it set off an alarm in my head, and all I could think of was the children from Yearning For Zion Ranch. I had mentioned that to my daughter as i read the article.

"The statement says victims were forced to take part in fake marriage ceremonies with several of their relatives."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...AXAewD9BTGJ900

That was before I ever found the article mentioning the Community of Christ and the connection to LDS.

[samanthajane13]

Mo. cops hunt for child abuse clues hidden in jars
By BILL DRAPER and HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH, Associated Press Writers Bill Draper And Heather Hollingsworth, Associated Press Writers – 57 mins ago

LEXINGTON, Mo. – An excavation was scheduled to resume Thursday at a rural western Missouri property where authorities believe they may find bodies and buried glass jars with notes written by children who may have documented sexual abuse.

The property, about 30 miles east of Kansas City, was once owned by two of five family members arrested Tuesday.

"There has been an indication that there are body or bodies in numerous locations," said Lafayette County Sheriff Kerrick Alumbaugh, although he would not say whose bodies they might be.

The five family members are charged with several felonies, including forcible sodomy, rape with a child younger than 12 and use of a child in a sexual performance. The allegations, which include bestiality, forcing children into fake marriages with relatives and making an 11-year-old have an abortion, date from 1988 to 1995.

Three of the five men are lay ministers in the Community of Christ church whose licenses have been suspended, church spokeswoman Linda L. Booth said.

Alumbaugh pleaded for the public's help, saying investigators "believe that there are other victims out there" and that the public can provide more information.

Cpl. Bill Lowe of the Missouri State Highway Patrol said a 26-year-old woman came forward to investigators in mid-August with the allegations. A probable cause statement released by the Lafayette County prosecutor's office says five other siblings of the woman have accused all five men of abuse, but it's unclear whether all the siblings were claiming to be victims.

Lowe said the woman told investigators that she and her siblings had buried glass jars around the property that were filled with messages "about what was happening to them" when they were younger. The woman said she had "suppressed many of the memories of abuse perpetrated on her" and her siblings, according to the probable cause statement.

Sgt. Collin Stosberg of the Highway Patrol said the adults told the children to write down their bad memories.

"That was what they were told. Write these memories down, put them in a jar and bury it and the memories would go away," Stosberg said. "It was a way for them to cope."

The woman who came forward also claimed some of the men forced her to have sex with a dog and to watch as her brother was abused.

"She became pregnant and was made to have an abortion at age 11 1/2. She doesn't remember any sexual abuse after that date," the probable cause statement said.

The suspects were identified as Burrell Edward Mohler Sr., 77, of Independence, and his sons, Burrell Edward Mohler Jr., 53, also of Independence; Jared Leroy Mohler, 48, of Columbia; Roland Neil Mohler, 47, of Bates City; and David A. Mohler, 52, of Lamoni, Iowa.

All five were being held in the Lafayette County jail on cash bonds ranging from $30,000 to $75,000. It was not clear if they had attorneys.

The Associated Press is not revealing details that could identify the alleged victims.

Deborah Burris, who has lived across the street from Burrell Mohler Sr. for several years, described the suspect as a friendly, helpful neighbor. Burris said she occasionally saw Burrell Mohler Sr. walking around the neighborhood but he had appeared frail lately.

Booth, the church spokeswoman, said none of the Mohlers served in leadership roles in the congregations they attended "nor did they serve as volunteer youth workers, teach children or youth church school, or work with children or youth."

"The church takes seriously the allegations that have been made and suspended the priesthood licenses of three lay ministers: Burrell Mohler Sr., David Mohler and Jared Mohler," the church said in a statement.

Booth said one of the men, whom she refused to identify, had been registered to work with children but that license has been terminated.

The Community of Christ, headquartered in Independence, split from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1860 and was known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints until 2001. It has about 250,000 members worldwide.

___

Associated Press writers Maria Sudekum Fisher in Kansas City, Mo., and Alan Scher Zagier in Columbia, Mo., contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091112/...ily_sex_crimes

[samanthajane13]

5 charged in child sex abuse case appear in court
By DAVID TWIDDY and BILL DRAPER, Associated Press Writers David Twiddy And Bill Draper, Associated Press Writers – 11 mins ago

LEXINGTON, Mo. – Five family members charged in a child sex abuse case in western Missouri made their first court appearance Thursday while crews resumed scouring property where some of the abuse allegedly occurred years ago.

The five men, wearing orange jumpsuits and shackled at their wrists, waists and ankles, appeared downcast as Associate Circuit Judge John Frerking of the Lafayette County court read the charges against them, including forcible sodomy, rape with a child younger than 12 and use of a child in a sexual performance.

Burrell Edward Mohler Sr., 77, of Independence, looked ill, keeping his eyes closed during much of the proceeding and coughing several times.

The other suspects are Mohler's sons, Burrell Edward Mohler Jr., 53, of Independence; Jared Leroy Mohler, 48, of Columbia; Roland Neil Mohler, 47, of Bates City; and David A. Mohler, 52, of Lamoni, Iowa.

The allegations, which include bestiality, forcing children into fake marriages with relatives and making an 11-year-old have an abortion, date from 1988 to 1995.

The men did not enter pleas Thursday and said little during the 20-minute hearing. They did not appear to have legal representation. The men are being held on cash bonds ranging from $30,000 to $75,000. Their next court hearing is scheduled for Nov. 17.

Authorities resumed a search Thursday at a rural property where members of the family once lived. They believe they may find a body or bodies and buried glass jars with notes written by children who may have documented sexual abuse.

"There has been an indication that there are body or bodies in numerous locations," said Lafayette County Sheriff Kerrick Alumbaugh, although he would not say whose bodies they might be.

Three of the five men are lay ministers in the Community of Christ church whose licenses have been suspended, church spokeswoman Linda L. Booth said.

Alumbaugh pleaded for the public's help, saying investigators "believe that there are other victims out there" and that the public can provide more information.

Cpl. Bill Lowe of the Missouri State Highway Patrol said a 26-year-old woman came forward to investigators in mid-August with the allegations. A probable cause statement released by the Lafayette County prosecutor's office says five other siblings of the woman have accused all five men of abuse, but it's unclear whether all the siblings were claiming to be victims.

Lowe said the woman told investigators that she and her siblings had buried glass jars around the property that were filled with messages "about what was happening to them" when they were younger. The woman said she had "suppressed many of the memories of abuse perpetrated on her" and her siblings, according to the probable cause statement.

Sgt. Collin Stosberg of the Highway Patrol said the adults told the children to write down their bad memories.

"That was what they were told. Write these memories down, put them in a jar and bury it and the memories would go away," Stosberg said. "It was a way for them to cope."

The woman who came forward also claimed some of the men forced her to have sex with a dog and to watch as her brother was abused.

"She became pregnant and was made to have an abortion at age 11 1/2. She doesn't remember any sexual abuse after that date," the probable cause statement said.

The Associated Press is not revealing details that could identify the alleged victims.

Booth, the church spokeswoman, said none of the Mohlers served in leadership roles in the congregations they attended "nor did they serve as volunteer youth workers, teach children or youth church school, or work with children or youth."

"The church takes seriously the allegations that have been made and suspended the priesthood licenses of three lay ministers: Burrell Mohler Sr., David Mohler and Jared Mohler," the church said in a statement.

Booth said one of the men, whom she refused to identify, had been registered to work with children but that license has been terminated.

The Community of Christ, headquartered in Independence, split from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1860 and was known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints until 2001. It has about 250,000 members worldwide.

___

Associated Press writers Maria Sudekum Fisher in Kansas City, Mo., contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091112/...FyZ2VkaW5jaA--

[SaraSidle]

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/cri...ex.arrests.cnn

video

[samanthajane13]

Family: Mo. child sex abuse claims are `repulsive'
By DAVID TWIDDY and BILL DRAPER, Associated Press Writers David Twiddy And Bill Draper, Associated Press Writers – 1 hr 18 mins ago

LEXINGTON, Mo. – Family members of five men charged in a bizarre child sex abuse case reacted with disbelief and sadness Thursday to the "unspeakable" string of alleged atrocities spanning two decades.

"It's unspeakable. I can't think of words that would put this in perspective. I find it repulsive if it's true," said Darrel Mohler, a brother of one of the five men charged.

The men — a father and his four adult sons — were dressed in orange jumpsuits and shackled at their wrists, waists and ankles on Thursday when they made their first court appearance. Associate Circuit Judge John Frerking read the charges against them, including forcible sodomy, rape with a child younger than 12 and use of a child in a sexual performance.

Burrell Edward Mohler Sr., 77, of Independence, looked ill, keeping his eyes closed during much of the proceeding and coughing several times.

The other suspects are Mohler's sons: Burrell Edward Mohler Jr., 53, of Independence; Jared Leroy Mohler, 48, of Columbia; Roland Neil Mohler, 47, of Bates City; and David A. Mohler, 52, of Lamoni, Iowa.

Missouri State Highway Patrol arrested a sixth suspect late Thursday, a 55-year-old man from Kansas City. The man is suspected in the rape of a child less than 14 years old, the highway patrol said in a statement. The suspect is an "associate" of the Mohler family, the statement said.

The allegations against the Mohlers — including bestiality, forcing children into fake marriages with relatives and making an 11-year-old have an abortion — date from 1988 to 1995.

The men did not enter pleas and said little during the 20-minute hearing. They did not appear to have legal representation. The judge told them they could apply for public defenders.

The men are being held on cash bonds ranging from $30,000 to $75,000. Their next court hearing is scheduled for Nov. 17.

Darrel Mohler, brother of Burrell Mohler Sr., said Thursday that he hasn't seen his brother for years and the two were never close. "I'm 72, and this kind of struck me right in the gut," he said.

Merrill Clark, 63, a cousin of Burrell Mohler Sr.'s, said he attended the men's hearing hoping to get a sense "of their guilt or innocence."

"But I went away not much better than I was before," said Clark, of Lenexa, Kan. "Burrell looks like a broken old man. ... His hearing aid wasn't turned up quite enough. He never looked at me."

Clark said he did, however, make eye contact with David Mohler.

"I wanted to cry, and he appeared to be about the same way," Clark said. "But again, was he glad to see me for support, or was he embarrassed to see me? I can't really believe it. But I know it could be true."

Clark said when he heard about the charges against the five men his "chin kind of hit the floor."

"As far as I know they have been very upstanding citizens. It's just hard to believe," he said. "But anything is possible in this day and age."

Authorities resumed a search Thursday at a rural property outside Bates City, about 30 miles east of Kansas City, Mo., where members of the Mohler family once lived. They believe they may find a body or bodies and buried glass jars with notes written by children who may have documented sexual abuse.

"There has been an indication that there are body or bodies in numerous locations," Lafayette County Sheriff Kerrick Alumbaugh said Wednesday, although he would not say whose bodies they might be.

Cpl. Bill Lowe of the Missouri State Highway Patrol said Thursday that about 50 law enforcement officials are involved in the case, and that several leads have come in since the arrests Tuesday.

"It's 55 acres, so it's quite a bit of land," Lowe said. "We're still searching the area and doing lead follow-ups. We're getting substantial amount of leads that we need to track down and verify."

Alumbaugh earlier pleaded for the public's help, saying investigators "believe that there are other victims out there" and that the public can provide more information.

"The case has taken 100 turns since our last news conference," Alumbaugh said Thursday. He wouldn't discuss what, if anything, investigators have found on the property, except to say that authorities may have another suspect. He wouldn't elaborate.

On Thursday afternoon, crews dug with a backhoe in front of a garage on the property. The excavation previously had taken place about 200 yards from a house in a wooded area.

Authorities said a 26-year-old woman came forward to investigators in mid-August with allegations of sexual abuse that began in the 1980s and continued until about 1995. A probable cause statement released by the Lafayette County prosecutor's office says five other siblings of the woman have accused all five men of abuse, but it's unclear if all the siblings were claiming to be victims.

"Each of the victims is being interviewed, and we're still collecting all of that," Lowe said Thursday.

Highway patrol said Thursday night it had identified "additional victims in the case."

Lowe said the woman told investigators that she and her siblings had buried glass jars around the property that were filled with messages they had written "about what was happening to them" when they were younger. The woman said she had "suppressed many of the memories of abuse perpetrated on her" and her siblings, according to the probable cause statement.

The Associated Press is not revealing details that could identify the alleged victims of sexual abuse.

Three of the five men are lay ministers in the Community of Christ church whose licenses have been suspended, church spokeswoman Linda L. Booth said.

Booth said Wednesday that none of the Mohlers served in leadership roles in the congregations they attended "nor did they serve as volunteer youth workers, teach children or youth church school, or work with children or youth."

"The church takes seriously the allegations that have been made and suspended the priesthood licenses of three lay ministers: Burrell Mohler Sr., David Mohler and Jared Mohler," the church said in a statement.

___

Associated Press writer Maria Sudekum Fisher in Kansas City, Mo., contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091113/...ily_sex_crimes


WTF???

None of the family members even SUSPECTED this has happening??

None of the kids exhibited signs of abuse???

I DO NOT BELIEVE IT FOR ONE MINUTE.

[SaraSidle]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/13/...use/index.html

Another arrest!!!!!!!!!!!

[samanthajane13]

Thanks for the update, Sara!!!

[samanthajane13]

6th relative charged in Mo. child sex abuse case
By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH, Associated Press Writer Heather Hollingsworth, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 22 mins ago

LEXINGTON, Mo. – A sixth member of a family facing multiple child sex abuse charges in western Missouri was charged Friday with raping two children in 1986.

Darrel Wayne Mohler, 72, of Silver Springs, Fla., was charged with two counts of forcible rape. Court documents say Mohler was charged in Lafayette County, Kansas, but authorities said he was not in custody Friday.

"I don't believe he's on the run and I urge him to turn himself in so I can talk to him," Lafayette County Sheriff Kerrick Alumbaugh said at a news conference. It wasn't immediately clear whether Mohler had an attorney.

Five other members of the Mohler family were charged earlier this week with several felonies, including forcible sodomy, rape with a child younger than 12 and use of a child in a sexual performance.

When asked to comment on the case Thursday before he was charged, Darrel Wayne Mohler told The Associated Press from his home in Florida that he found the reports of child abuse "unspeakable."

"I can't think of words that would put this in perspective. I find it repulsive if it's true," he said Thursday.

The other men charged are Darrel Mohler's brother, Burrell Edward Mohler Sr., 77, of Independence and his four adult sons, Burrell Edward Mohler Jr., 53, of Independence; Jared Leroy Mohler, 48, of Columbia; Roland Neil Mohler, 47, of Bates City; and David A. Mohler, 52, of Lamoni, Iowa.

The original complaint — including allegations of bestiality, forcing children into fake marriages with relatives and making an 11-year-old have an abortion — date from 1988 to 1995.

The men have not entered pleas and did not have lawyers listed with the court clerk's office. The five other Mohler men have been held on cash bonds ranging from $30,000 to $75,000. Their next court hearing is scheduled for Nov. 17.

Darrel Wayne Mohler said Thursday that he never had been close to his older brother and been "appalled by the allegations." He said he has a 16-year-old granddaughter "and that'd be like me messing with her, and the thought is repulsive. I'm glad I don't have that gene, God darn."

Alumbaugh also said Friday that a search on the property formerly owned by family members had been completed and that he expected additional charges against the suspects.

"We've run through a lot of leads," he said at the news conference, adding that he could not comment about any evidence found on the 55-acre property.

The probable cause statement against Darrel W. Mohler accuses him of raping two girls between the ages of 5 and 9 at an abandoned house in Bates City.

The Associated Press is not revealing details that could identify the alleged victims of sexual abuse.

On Thursday, police also arrested a man they identified then as a possible suspect, but did not charge him. He has since been released.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091113/...ily_sex_crimes

[samanthajane13]

Fla. suspect in Mo. child sex case 'devastated'


SILVER SPRINGS, Fla. – A sixth member of a family facing multiple child sex abuse charges in western Missouri said he is "devastated" and had "no idea" about the rape allegations against him.

Darrel Wayne Mohler, 72, of Silver Springs, Fla., made the remarks outside the makeshift courtroom at the Marion County Jail where he made his first appearance in front of a judge Saturday afternoon, The Ocala Star-Banner reported in its Sunday editions.

During the hearing, a handcuffed Mohler said he was retired, owned his home and receives $2,000 a month as his retirement.

Judge Frances King told Mohler, who is charged with two counts of forcible rape in Lafayette County, Mo., that he was not eligible for a public defender and set bail at $40,000. Asked if he wanted to waive extradition back to Missouri for being a fugitive, Mohler told the judge he did not know.

Five other members of the Mohler family were charged earlier this week with several felonies, including forcible sodomy, rape with a child younger than 12 and use of a child in a sexual performance.

The Associated Press is not revealing details that could identify the alleged victims of sexual abuse.

The probable cause statement against Darrel W. Mohler accuses him of raping two girls between the ages of 5 and 9 at an abandoned house in Bates City. Mohler told the Star-Banner he had "no idea" about the allegations and said he has lived at his Silver Springs home since 1984. Mohler was arrested Friday night at the home as he was pulling out of his driveway, officials said.

"If I was there long enough to rape them (the children), I would've known about it," Mohler said while seated on a bench, waiting to be transported back to his cell.

Asked about the allegations, Mohler said if his brother or any family members are involved, then the authorities should "prosecute them."

The other men charged are Darrel Mohler's brother, Burrell Edward Mohler Sr., 77, of Independence and his four sons, Burrell Edward Mohler Jr., 53, of Independence; Jared Leroy Mohler, 48, of Columbia; Roland Neil Mohler, 47, of Bates City; and David A. Mohler, 52, of Lamoni, Iowa.

The original complaint — including allegations of bestiality, forcing children into fake marriages with relatives and making an 11-year-old have an abortion — date from 1988 to 1995.

"I've no contact with him or his family," Darrel Mohler said about his brother and his extended family.

He said he and his brother "grew apart" and that aside from one of his nephews calling him every Christmas and birthday, "he has nothing to do with" his brother.

Darrel Mohler said he served in the U.S. Navy, worked as a corrections officer at the Marion Correctional Institution for a decade and then as an electrical contractor in Key West for several years.

He said he was placed on suicide watch because when he arrived at the jail, he was asked if he was depressed and said "yes," he was "devastated." He said he was asked if he had ever contemplated suicide and said "most of us have" and that it has "crossed our minds one way or another."

Asked whether he will sign the extradition papers to head back to Missouri, Darrel Mohler said he "doesn't know what to do."

"I'm dumbfounded. I thought I would retire and take it easy," he said.

No one answered at the Marion County Jail Sunday night to confirm that Mohler was still being held.

On Thursday, police also arrested a man they identified then as a possible suspect, but did not charge him. He has since been released.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091116/...ily_sex_crimes

[One2Snoop]

Well I don't know what to think about old Darrel. Is this a case of a family grudge because he has no contact with them or, are the accusations true?

[SaraSidle]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/14/...ily/index.html


neighbors and co-workers shocked

[samanthajane13]

More charges against dad, sons in child sex case

LEXINGTON, Mo. – Prosecutors in Missouri have filed 15 additional charges against a father and his sons who are all accused of sexually abusing children.

The additional charges against 77-year-old Burrell Mohler Sr., and his four adult sons include rape, sodomy and use of a child in a sexual performance. The new charges were filed Monday.

All five men are to be arraigned Tuesday on the earlier charges. The men are being held in the Lafayette County jail. It's not clear if any of them had lawyers. No attorneys were listed on any of the court documents.

No additional charges were filed against the sixth defendant in the case, Darrel Mohler. He is being held on rape charges in Marion County, Fla. It also was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091117/...JlY2hhcmdlc2E-

[samanthajane13]

Warrant: Mo. sex abuse case could include slayings
By MARIA SUDEKUM FISHER, Associated Press Writer Maria Sudekum Fisher, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 39 mins ago

LEXINGTON, Mo. – Prosecutors in western Missouri filed 15 additional sex charges against a family already accused of sexually abusing children as a newly released search warrant claims some of the suspects forced their victims to help kill and bury a man in 1988.

The new rape and sodomy charges stem from 1984 to 1989 and accuse Burrell E. Mohler Sr., 77, of Independence, of rape, sodomy and use of a child in a sexual performance. His four sons, Jared Leroy Mohler, 48, of Columbia; Roland Neil Mohler, 47, of Bates City; and David A. Mohler, 52, of Lamoni, Iowa, were charged with rape.

The original complaint, which has allegations that date from 1988 to 1995, includes charges of forcible sodomy, rape with a child younger than 12 and use of a child in a sexual performance.

During a brief court appearance Tuesday, four of the five men said they were still working to find attorneys. Only Jared Leroy Mohler said he had hired a lawyer.

No additional charges were filed against the sixth person accused in the case, Darrel W. Mohler, 72, who is being held in Marion County, Fla. on two counts of rape stemming from 1986. He waived extradition Tuesday, but it was unclear when he would come to Missouri.

The Associated Press is not identifying the children in the case.

The new charges, filed Monday, stemmed from accounts of a 29-year-old woman, who told investigators she and three other children were bound at the wrists and blindfolded while three men raped them.

Authorities last week searched a rural property outside Bates City, about 30 miles east of Kansas City, Mo., where members of the Mohler family once lived. Lafayette County Sheriff Kerrick Alumbaugh said then he believed they may find a body or bodies and buried glass jars with notes written by children who may have documented sexual abuse.

Adults allegedly told children to write down bad memories and bury them there and "the memories would go away," Sgt. Collin Stosberg, spokesman for the Missouri State Highway Patrol, said last week.

The case took another bizarre turn with the release of a search warrant indicating that three of the alleged abuse victims observed "several murders" and were forced to help kill and bury a man.

According to the warrant, a man abducted from his Independence, Mo., home was brought to Mohler Sr.'s property in Bates City. There, the warrant states, Mohler Jr., ordered the children to attack the abducted man and stab him, and threatened to kill the children if they refused.

One of the children then jumped on the man's back and stabbed him, but it was a stab wound from the adult that actually killed the victim, according to the warrant. The children were then forced to help dig a grave for the man and bury him.

The affidavit offers no details about the stabbing victim.

Investigators say they are taking the claims seriously, but insist they are focused on the sexual assault case.

Meanwhile, one of several women who came forward to police told investigators that she twice became pregnant and the men buried her first baby in their basement, according to court documents.

An investigator's affidavit released Monday said a radar used to search the rural property where Burrell Mohler Sr. and his sons lived in the 1980s found an object "consistent with the shape of a box" under the basement's concrete floor.

The woman told investigators that she was locked in the basement and raped in 1988.

She said the baby was buried in a box under the basement's only window. The affidavit said the basement floor was dirt at the time, and "following the delivery of the first baby, Burrell E. Mohler Sr. and Burrell E. Mohler Jr. buried the infant in the basement." The floor was later covered in concrete.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091117/...ily_sex_crimes

[SaraSidle]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/17/...use/index.html

It is getting worse

[samanthajane13]

When the Hell is this kind of crap going to STOP???

[SaraSidle]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/17/...use/index.html

More crimes reported

[samanthajane13]

Relatives of Mo. family doubt sex abuse claims

By MARIA SUDEKUM FISHER, Associated Press Writer Maria Sudekum Fisher, Associated Press Writer – Tue Nov 17, 8:54 pm ET

LEXINGTON, Mo. – If the tales they told police are true, a group of children in rural Missouri grew up in a house of horror, where some were raped by relatives, then told to write down their memories in little glass jars and bury them in the ground.

Two decades later though, as authorities work to piece together what happened, there's no evidence the jars have been found and other relatives say police have offered little evidence to support their accusations.

Burrell Mohler Sr., 77, and his four adult sons appeared in court in western Missouri on Tuesday where they were charged with additional sex crimes including rape and sodomy, and in a bizarre twist, a search warrant claims one of the suspects forced their victims to help kill and bury a man.

"These fellas have all had respectable jobs, and for this to come up so many years later," Ron Gamble, a relative of the accused family members said after Tuesday's hearing. "In this country, you're innocent until proven guilty. ... Have they found any evidence? I haven't heard of any."

Since authorities began their search of the Mohlers' former rural property outside Bates City on Nov. 10, the case has moved nearly every day to a new and sometimes darker place. One early court record detailed allegations of rape that included claims the children were assaulted with sharp objects and one girl was forced to have sexual contact with a dog.

As crews began their search for evidence, Lafayette County Sheriff Kerrick Alumbaugh said he believed they may find a body or bodies and buried glass jars with notes written by children who may have documented sexual abuse. The children were told to write down bad memories and bury them there and "the memories would go away," said Sgt. Collin Stosberg of the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Even more shocking claims lay ahead.

A search warrant, filed Nov. 9 but released to The Associated Press on Tuesday, stated three of the alleged children observed "several murders" and were forced to help kill and bury a man in April 1988.

The warrant said one of the accused, Burrell E. Mohler Jr., and the children followed a large man from an Independence shopping center to his home. They parked outside, then the children lured the man over to their car by telling him that their father was having a heart attack. When the man leaned over to help, Mohler Jr. allegedly "wrapped his arms around the victim's neck" and subdued him, the warrant said.

Mohler Jr. then drove the man to his father's property in Bates City. There, Mohler gave knives to the children and ordered them to attack the man and stab him, the warrant said.

One of the children then jumped on the man's back and stabbed him, but it was a stab wound from the adult that actually killed the victim, according to the warrant. The children were then forced to help dig a grave for the man and bury him.

But the warrant offers no details about the stabbing victim or why he was targeted. Independence police say their department had no information about a person disappearing in April 1988 after driving away from an Independence mall. Nothing in the warrant suggests where the man lived.

The Highway Patrol's online "missing adults" Web site lists only one active case from 1988, involving a man reported missing Dec. 11 of that year from the eastern Missouri town of Union about 200 miles to the east.

Authorities also have not provided additional details about the alleged stabbing and have declined to say what has been found on the property.

Authorities said they are taking all the accusations seriously, but they insist their focus is on the sexual abuse case and refuse to comment on the murder allegation. "We are focusing on the sex crimes investigation," Stosberg said.

On Tuesday, relatives of the Mohler family were in the crowded courtroom as a judge read 15 new sex charges against the five men.

The charges added to 14 filed last week, accusing Mohler Sr., of Independence, of rape, sodomy and the use of a child in a sexual performance. His four sons, Mohler Jr., 53, of Independence; Jared Leroy Mohler, 48, of Columbia; Roland Neil Mohler, 47, of Bates City; and David A. Mohler, 52, of Lamoni, Iowa, were charged with rape.

During their brief court appearance, four of the five men said they still were trying to find attorneys. Jared Leroy Mohler said he had hired a lawyer, who did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

Meanwhile, one of several women who came forward to police also told investigators that she twice became pregnant and the men buried her first baby in their basement, according to another search warrant.

That warrant released Monday said a radar used to search the rural property where Burrell Mohler Sr. and his sons lived in the 1980s found an anomaly "consistent with the shape of a box" under the basement's concrete floor.

The woman told investigators that she was locked in the basement and raped in 1988.

She said the baby was buried in a box under the basement's only window. The affidavit said the basement floor was dirt at the time, and "following the delivery of the first baby, Burrell E. Mohler Sr. and Burrell E. Mohler Jr. buried the infant in the basement." The floor was later covered in concrete, according the warrant.

Gamble however, said none of the charges seemed plausible to him.

"Believe me if these things would have happened when Alice was alive she would have been on top of this," Gamble said. Alice Mohler was Burrell E. Mohler Sr.'s wife and died in 1991, he said.

No additional charges were filed against the sixth person accused in the case, Darrel W. Mohler, 72, who was being held in Marion County, Fla., on two counts of rape stemming from 1986. He agreed to be extradited to Missouri, but his arrival wasn't immediately clear.

Various documents in the case identify the relationship between the siblings and the suspects. The Associated Press is not revealing that relationship to avoid identifying the alleged victims of sexual assault.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091118/...ily_sex_crimes

[SaraSidle]

http://www.wftv.com/news/21652317/detail.html

incest pornography now found

[Marian Paroo]

Originally Posted by SaraSidle

the worst part.......I do not think this is the only family like this.

I can think of a family where the men (grandad, dad, male kids) were like that down the line

Originally Posted by samanthajane13

When the Hell is this kind of crap going to STOP???

Honey, you know it won't. It has always been there , and always will be -- we are just more aware of it now and less willing to look away.

[grneyes]

Originally Posted by Marian Paroo

I can think of a family where the men (grandad, dad, male kids) were like that down the line

Yeah I know a couple families like that too I'm sorry to say.

[samanthajane13]

Police seize more vids in Mo. sex abuse case
By ALAN SCHER ZAGIER, Associated Press Writer Alan Scher Zagier, Associated Press Writer – Thu Nov 19, 6:35 pm ET

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Several family members who say they were sexually abused as children by adult relatives remember being taken to various locations and photographed with naked men, police investigators said in a search warrant released Thursday.

The family members, who are now adults, told Columbia police investigators they remembered being taken to "various locations and having to pose for pictures in a sexual and provocative manner," according to the Nov. 10 warrant.

"They also recall pictures being taken while they were placed on a bed with naked men climbing onto the bed," the warrant states.

The warrant did not specify how many of the alleged victims said they had to pose for the photographs, nor did it identify a location.

Authorities seized more than 60 videos and computer equipment from the home of 48-year-old Jared Mohler, according to the warrant. Mohler, his father, three brothers and uncle are accused of raping and molesting several young relatives over roughly a decade beginning in the mid-1980s. They have not entered pleas.

Prosecutors added to the rape charges Thursday against Jared Mohler, his 53-year-old brother, Burrell Mohler Jr., and his 77-year-old father, Burrell E. Mohler Sr. Prosecutors say Mohler Sr. repeatedly raped some of the children and that his two sons forced two of the children into sexual contact with an animal.

The probable cause statement from those charges also said one of the victims reported the abuse to another law enforcement agency in August of 2008. The statement did not name that agency or say if the report had been followed up on.

Jared Mohler's lawyer, Tim Larimore, did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment. The Lafayette County clerk said the other men charged did not have attorneys.

Other relatives of the men charged said earlier this week they do not believe the accusations.

Investigators said in the warrant that the mother of the children was told about the alleged abuse but that she didn't tell authorities. They say she instead told church leaders. The warrant did not identify the church.

The warrant said the mother has been cooperating with the investigation. Attempts to reach her have been unsuccessful; a phone listing under her name in Missouri appears to have been disconnected.

Three of the men charged in the case have been suspended from their duties as lay ministers in the Community of Christ church, which is based in Independence.

A Community of Christ Church spokeswoman, Linda Booth, said Thursday that the parents of those alleged to have been abused left the church in 1982, before it is alleged to have occurred. She also said a review of internal records found no reports of alleged abuse.

(This version CORRECTS that the search warrant was dated Nov. 10, not Nov. 12.)


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091119/...ily_sex_crimes

[samanthajane13]

Homicide claim could hinder Mo. incest, rape cases
By BILL DRAPER, Associated Press Writer Bill Draper, Associated Press Writer – Fri Mar 5, 4:43 am ET

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Bizarre allegations of rape, incest and bestiality in western Missouri led to the arrests of six family members last fall and unleashed public scorn over the unthinkable acts they are accused of committing two decades ago.

But one of the more sensational claims — that one of the suspects forced their young victims to help kill a man — is creating an uphill climb for prosecutors that could sink the rest of their case, legal experts say.

Investigators say the sexual abuse allegations have been corroborated by six siblings, at least three of whom say they were raped and molested over a 10-year period beginning in the mid-1980s on a farm east of Kansas City.

Still, the case against Burrell E. Mohler Sr., 77, his brother and four adult sons could be compromised by the homicide claim. Authorities have yet to produce a victim or file homicide charges, and officials are mum about whether a homicide investigation is even under way.

Without a body, prosecutors could face larger doubts about victims' stories that defense lawyers could exploit.

"It's easier to discredit what victims are going to say, given the circumstances, than to prove it," said Thomas Nolan, a criminal justice professor at Boston University. "If I'm the prosecutor, I've got my work cut out for me."

In November, Lafayette County prosecutors unleashed waves of sexual abuse allegations against the Mohlers. Probable cause statements described how one girl was forced into sexual contact with a horse, while another said a dog was forced onto her.

The case took a drastic turn when another search warrant revealed three victims said they observed "several murders" and were forced to help kill and bury a man in April 1988.

The warrant said Burrell E. Mohler Jr. and the children followed a man from a suburban Kansas City shopping center to his home. After abducting the man, Mohler Jr. drove him to his father's Bates City property, where he gave the children knives and ordered them to attack the man, the warrant said.

One child stabbed him, but a stab wound from Mohler Jr. killed the victim, according to the warrant.

The warrant offered no details about the stabbing victim or why he was targeted. No body has been found, and no one was reported missing from the area during that time, investigators said.

If the women's allegations of rape and other atrocities were enough to bring sexual abuse charges against the Mohlers, questions could emerge as to why they weren't enough to also bring homicide charges.

"There are victims in the sex case, but no identifiable homicide victims," said Lafayette County prosecutor Kellie Wingate Ritchie.

Dozens of sex abuse charges have been filed against Mohler Sr., of Independence, Mo.; his four sons, Mohler Jr., 53, of Independence, Jared Leroy Mohler, 48, of Columbia, Mo., Roland Neil Mohler, 47, of Bates City, Mo., and David A. Mohler, 52, of Lamoni, Iowa; and his brother, Darrel W. Mohler, 72, of Silver Springs, Fla.

Darrel, Jared and David Mohler have posted bond; the other three remain jailed. All have denied the accusations.

The Associated Press generally doesn't identify victims of sexual crimes and is not reporting the relationships between the children and the accused.

Cynthia Orr, president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, suggested that even without the homicide claim, doubts may linger about the sex abuse case, such as allegations that young girls had to wear special dresses and marry adult family members to have sex.

Victor Vieth, director of the National Child Protection Training Center at Winona State University in Minnesota, said he's rarely surprised by what sex offenders do.

"Sex offenders are only limited by their creativity and what their minds can fantasize," Vieth said.

But even Vieth acknowledges the homicide claim could be a burden for the prosecution if allowed in court. Prosecutors' best bet could be to have testimony about the homicide claim barred as irrelevant to the sex charges, he said.

Nolan agrees.

"I would fight like crazy to have anything about statements about killing a guy excluded from the trial," he said.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100305/...crimes_defense