CultNEWS101 Articles: 4/2/2026
Patrick Ryan
She was given the pseudonym XC, by a court, to protect her identity. And she’s never spoken publicly about her experience. But the court documents from her case against Ken Dyers reveal a harrowing set of allegations.At the age of 14, she says that Dyers, the leader of the performing arts and social organisation, Kenja, sexually abused her. And she alleges that nine other members of his organisation – all but one of them, women – helped him do it. Dyers was in his early 80s at the time.Today, investigations reporter Harriet Alexander, on why Kenja – which police have called a cult – is still operating in cities across Australia.
ABC17: Leader of ‘cult-like’ Amish community arrested on suspicion of sexual abuse, forced labor
"The leader of an Amish community in Cooper County was arrested Wednesday on claims of sexual abuse and forced labor at a rural retreat.
Cooper County Sheriff Chris Class said Sam Shetler, 42, was arrested after executing a search warrant in the 11000 block of Hidden Valley Court at the Mercy and Truth-Amish and Mennonite Retreat between Boonville and Prairie Home.
Prosecutors filed charges on Wednesday, which became available on Friday, for two counts of trafficking for forced labor and one count of sodomy. Shetler is due in court on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. for a counsel status hearing.
At least three witnesses spoke to deputies in early 2026 about their experiences at the retreat, describing abusive and controlling conditions.
Court documents show that the sheriff's office had received numerous tips from 2022 to 2026 about "cult-like" behavior at the retreat in rural Cooper County. Witnesses, many of whom stayed at the retreat as teenagers, described working on the property without pay. Children would be "leased out" for work in town, a witness said, with any pay due going directly to Shetler. Some were made to sleep in the cold or have pepper put in their eyes as punishment.
One witness reported Shetler rubbed oil on them as a means of "healing" prior sexual abuse. The witness said Shetler touched them inappropriately during one encounter. The same witness also allegedly told deputies that they woke on night after taking pills given to her by Shetler to someone holding their legs and arms down, but they couldn't figure out who it was.
According to court documents, Shetler convinced at least three women they were possessed by demons, and that only his massages could heal them."
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