Documented Incidents

News Reports of Deaths Involving Religious Cults in Oklahoma

Melinda James Damelio was not charged after her son, Troy Damelio, died of Rocky Mountain Fever in rural Lincoln County, Oklahoma, in 2012.

Patricia Dobbs does not appear to have been charged after her son, Silas, died in childbirth in Oklahoma City in 2011. The child weighed 1.3 pounds and was a breech birth. No medical professional was called. Dobbs died at 25 in 2012 after not receiving medical care for acute osteomyelitis and a blood clot.

Gregory and JaLea Swezey took a plea deal after their son, Zachery Swezey, died of appendicitis in 2008 in Washington state. The Swezeys previously had a child die in childbirth in Oklahoma in 1985.

Susan Grady, a single mother, was convicted of manslaughter after her 9-year-old son, Aaron, died of diabetic complications in 2009 in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

Palmer Dean and Patsy Ann Lockhart were acquitted in the June 16, 1982, death of their son, Jason, who died from peritonitis in Enid, Oklahoma.

Troy Lee Barnes, 21, and his 16-year-old wife, Brenda Nadine Barnes, were charged with first-degree manslaughter in the death of their son, Trent, who died hours after he was born in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, around 1982. The two midwives who delivered the baby, Olivi Hays of Norman and Euna Fitzjarrell of Bakersfield, California, were charged with second-degree manslaughter.

Angie and Michael Sandefur did not face charges after their daughter, Alexis, died in Tulsa in 1999, following the state taking custody so she could receive treatment. She had cystic fibrosis and had undergone surgery for a perforated bowel. Alexis died two days after a judge let her parents take her home.

Claude and Christine Clark’s 15-year-old daughter, Kelly Clark, of Mutual, Oklahoma, died of infection from a chronic kidney problem in 1982. A spokesperson in the medical examiner's Oklahoma City office said medical reports indicated the death could have been prevented with medical care. The death was ruled a homicide, according to reporting from The Oklahoman.

Dean Joseph and Sheila Corene Camren of Cushing, Oklahoma, were charged with second-degree manslaughter after their 3-month-old daughter, Desiree, died of acute pneumonia in 1987. Dean and Sheila were sentenced to four months in prison in May of 1989.

Elizabeth

Needs Us

Elizabeth deserves the same protections every child deserves.The religious group involved, the Church of the First Born, has faced longstanding concerns including:

When children are involved, these concerns deserve independent oversight and transparency.

Elizabeth deserves to grow up safe, healthy, and free. No child should be beyond the protection of the law.

OARC’s Mission

Oklahomans Against Religious Cults exists to shine a light on cults that exploit faith to control, abuse, and isolate vulnerable people. Our mission is to educate the public, support victims, and advocate for transparency and accountability so that no organization operating in Oklahoma can hide abuse behind claims of religious authority.