Salt Lake City • A daughter of polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs tells NBC News he sexually abused her when she was a child.
Rachel Jeffs spoke about her life within the secretive group during a Friday appearance on "Megyn Kelly Today."
The 33-year-old woman says the abuse began when she was 8 and continued until she was 16, after she wrote her father a letter about it and he responded with an apology.
She left the group as an adult, after her father sent her away from her children over sins he'd accused her of committing.
Other children, including son Roy Jeffs, have also accused him of sexual abuse.
Warren Jeffs is serving a life prison sentence for assaulting girls he considered wives. He does not have a lawyer and did not respond to NBC's request for comment.
The Salt Lake Tribune on Sunday
will publish an excerpt of Rachel Jeffs’ book, “Breaking Free: How I Escaped Polygamy, the FLDS Cult, and My Father, Warren Jeffs.”
Get Top Stories newsletter. The day’s biggest stories every morning, delivered right to your inbox.
sltrib.com is now free to access — no subscription required. We made this decision because we believe access to trustworthy, independent news shouldn’t depend on what you can afford — especially as misinformation and AI-generated content continue to rise.
Free to read doesn’t mean free to produce. Our reporters show up every day to ask hard questions and hold powerful institutions to account. That work takes resources. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on support from people who believe it matters. Make a donation today to fund local news that serves Utah communities.
You can help us bring more local news to more communities today.