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Family Searches For Way to Regain Daughter They Fear Lost to Cult

KCRG-TV9 News, USA
Ocxt. 23, 2005
www.kcrg.com

ReligionNewsBlog.com • Monday October 24, 2005

(Dubuque – KCRG) — Nearly nine weeks ago, 19-year-old Ashley Fahey left her family in Dubuque. They say she wanted to become a sister in the religious group – Love Holy Trinity Blessed Mission. But now her family members are reaching out in new ways to get her back.

They say they lack knowledge of cults, and if they knew more it would be easier to figure out a way to bring Ashley home. Ashley’s mother Lora Knott says, “I haven’t heard from her. Haven’t talked to her. I think she’s in Chicago.”

Ashley’s father, Ron Fahey, introduced her to the group. Today, his wife Tamee Fahey took part in the family’s latest effort to retrieve Ashley. “I love them both dearly. I’d like to have both of them back.”

The family invited a nationally known speaker of cults and high control groups to Dubuque.

Mary Kochan was once a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and wants Ashley’s family to understand the way such groups operate. “When it comes to cults, education and awareness is the key this to protecting people.”

She explained these groups work off of dependency and deception. “It’s like being alerted to how a con artist operates. Once you’re alerted to how he operates, he can’t pull the wool over your eyes anymore.”

Tamee Fahey says, “The reason that I came today was to try to find some answers and some ounce of hope. I love Ashley and I need to see her again.”

It’s not just her family either. Friends and people from the community want to know why this happened. Her friend, Heather Rosenthal, says, “I knew she was very religious, but I had no idea it would come to this.”

Another friend, Chelsea Kuenster, says, “Now that she is brainwashed, she thinks that this is the right way of doing things. She thinks that she’s closer to God by doing this, but it’s going to take a lot to bring her home.”

The lecture taught those once close to Ashley the truth about what she’s going through. Her mother says, “I love her and I won’t give up on her.”

And they say they won’t settle for the speaker’s toughest tip – it’s easier to join a cult than it is to leave one.

Ashley’s family members say the speaker helped, but they still need more information. They urge anyone who knows anything about the Love Holy Trinity Blessed Mission to come forward.