Regarding the State of New Mexico’s investigation into alleged sexual contact with minors by church leader Wayne Bent, much has been said/written about the child known as Healed. Letters and e-mails written by Healed have recently been published here.
Healed was also very much a topic of discussion in a recent Beyond90Seconds.com interview with Bent’s attorney, Sarah Montoya.
This morning, Healed’s mother wrote the following comments in an e-mail to Beyond90Seconds.com. She also provided a copy of a court document. The text of the e-mail is published below in-full and is done so with the mother’s permission. She has also given Beyond90Seconds.com permission to publish the court document (yellow highlighting was already on the document when received by Beyond90Seconds.com):
I would like to clear a few things up about what Sarah Montoya said.
About the earlier molestation, when the FBI came out to Strongcity in 2002 with The CYFD (Children Youth an Families Department) to make sure all was well with every one out there. LS told the CYFD worker then about her molestation. The DA office has asked if LS would cooperate in prosecution against this man and she has said she does not want to press charges.
LS is free to go on walks almost anywhere, I just ask she let me know where she is going and about how long she will be gone.
As for her conscious she has told me that she doesn’t feel molested other than not being able to talk to the land or live on the land. I do not want her living on the land because Wayne and the people on the land saw that it would be ok for LS and AS to consummate (have sex) if it was Gods will, I am not ok with that. I do not want her talking to anyone associated with Strongcity as I believe their commutations encourage her to starve herself and also go without water as a way to get us to let her go back to the land, Again I am not ok with this.
As for the alleged beating, why is Sarah Montoya so concerned and the CYFD is not. The CYFD is welcome in my home anytime and I have told them that.
As for our family going out to the land or talking to anyone from the land, we are under a court order to not communicate with anyone associated with Strongcity.
See as follows:(note: initial post of this document was missing last line on page 1. Image updated to include final line at 3:23 PST)
I would urge my child to press charges against anyone who harms children, what will they do to another child next if they knew they could get away with such?
And if were my child, I wouldn’t let them out of my sight knowing they are “bent” on doing anything to get back “home” (SC)…who knows what they would do should they get their hands on her now.
Her life may be in danger, who knows what “god” may tell them to do next!
It’s actually quite common and not unusual at all for the victim of child molestation to earnestly wish to protect the perpetrator. Healed obviously thinks of this man as a father figure, even calling his “daddy”. She cares about him and doesn’t want to cause him to suffer punishment for what he has done. It likely won’t be until later that she will begin to realize how completely she was used and manipulated in all this and the damage it has done to her psyche. She is still a child and the way she was raised has increased her naivete regarding these sexual issues. She’s never been allowed the slightest male attentions from anyone her own age. The bottom line is her present state of mind is irrelevant as to whether or not a crime was committed and the court is right to protect her from further attempts on the part of accomplices to the crime, which the other Strong City residents are, to influence the outcome of this case. I applaud Healed’s mother for her current efforts to protect her daughter even though her daughter doesn’t realize she needs protecting.
As a parent, I would just like to offer my support to Healed’s Mom. Caring for children is not an easy task, ever! From the moment they are conceived a great responsibility is placed on the parents and very few people can ignore the feeling of love and concern that God gives them for their children.
You are doing your best to protect LS and it looks like another child as well from what you and many others perceive as a very real threat to their lives, physically and emotionally. Keep it up! You have lots of support from people you don’t even know. I’ll be praying for His protection for you and your children during this difficult time.
And when this is resolved my prayer is that you and your family will be brought closer together to share the wonderful life God has given you.