I Was “Turned In” to FLDS Cult Leader Warren Jeffs at 17
Cults to Consciousness
Jun 05
I Was “Turned In” to FLDS Cult Leader Warren Jeffs at 17
I Was “Turned In” to FLDS Cult Leader Warren Jeffs at 17

Cults to Consciousness
Jun 05
In this episode, a former member of the FLDS church recounts her life inside the polygamist community, from a childhood of strict rules and hardship to the traumatic event of being forced into marriage with the prophet Warren Jeffs at the age of 17.
Layla Matson, a fourth-generation FLDS member, describes her upbringing in a polygamist family where financial struggles forced her to start sewing at age four. She details the community's strict modesty dress codes, which became even more restrictive under Warren Jeffs, and the widespread medical neglect that led to high infant mortality rates. The conversation then focuses on the grooming process for young women, where obedience and submission were taught, culminating in her father 'turning her in' to Warren Jeffs. At 17, she was married to the 46-year-old prophet within 24 hours in a secret ceremony in Nevada to bypass state laws. Layla reflects on the betrayal, the pressure to comply, and her eventual escape from the group in 2013, later sharing her story to help others leave high-control environments.
00:01
00:01
Betrayed by her own father into a forced marriage
06:06
06:06
I started sewing at age four to help support the family.
15:57
15:57
Women were not allowed to grieve properly.
29:18
29:18
I was married to Warren Jeffs within 24 hours
1:13:23
1:13:23
Your past does not define you.