How Many Wives and Kids Does Warren Jeffs The Outlaw Prophet Have?

Warren Jeffs The Outlaw Prophet has 78 wives and more than 60 children. The United States can be a strange place when it comes to its laws as nothing is ever this or that. Murder is illegal but you can get away with it in some states if you’re “standing your ground.” Polygamy is illegal under state and federal law in the U.S. but a few people still practice it, like Warren Jeffs who has 78 wives and more than 60 children.

Jeffs is the president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He believes and preaches that a man should marry as many women as possible to make heaven. Because of his links to religion, his situation was considered sensitive by the authorities; they don’t want to look like they are interfering with religious freedom. It was only when it could be proved that the women and children in his home were abused that legal action was instituted and he was sentenced to life in prison.

How Many Are Warren Jeffs’s Spouses?

There is an official and speculated estimate of the number of wives Warren Jeffs has. Officially, Warren Jeffs is known to have 78 wives. Former members of his church dispute these figures, saying he has at least 87 wives.

Regardless of the actual number of the wives he has, more than two dozen of them were inherited from his father, Rulon Jeffs. Jeffs was quoted as saying: “hands off my father’s wives” to high ranking church members upon the death of his father. He went on to marry all but two.

Warren Jeffs wives comprised of both young and old women. When we mean young, we mean very young as he married one at 12 years old and another at 15 years old. Many of these girls were forced to marry him and he was known to be controlling and abusive towards them. According to reports, he made them participate in orgies he called “heavenly sessions.”

What We Know About Warren Jeffs Wives

Vicki Thompson

Vicki Thompson is one of the wives of Warren Jeffs to have run away. While they were together, he separated her from her children; Wendell and Sarah. The trio were eventually cut off from the church but they managed to get by thanks to Wendell. Vicki’s son worked hard to save money and rented a home for the family. Vicki has since reportedly remarried.

Naomie Jessop

Naomi was one of the women Warren Jeffs inherited from his father. She would later become his favorite wife, evident from the fact that she went into hiding with him while he became a fugitive. She would later provide the information authorities needed to send Jeffs to jail for his crimes.

Merianne Jessop

Merianne is the younger sister of Naomi, Jeffs apparent favorite wife. The church leader reportedly married Merianne when she was 12 years old. She was last seen in Texas but her current whereabouts are unknown.

Margaret Thomas

Margaret Thomas was married to Warren Jeffs but didn’t like it. In a book written by Daphne Bramham titled The Secret Lives of Saints: Child Brides and Lost Boys in a Polygamous Mormon Sect, Margaret revealed that she was raised to be obedient and so could not willingly go against what she was taught all of her life. All that would, however, change after Jeffs was arrested and she was one of the wives who testified at his trial.

Alyshia Rae, Nolita Colleen, and Millie Blackmore

Millie, Alyshia, and Nolita are three sisters from the polygamous Blackmore family in Canada who were reportedly married off to Warren Jeffs at ages 12 and 13. Their whereabouts are unknown and all three sisters are believed to still be loyal to Jeffs.

Lynette Warner

Lynette Warner was the 65th wife of Warren Jeffs. She stuck around for about eight years before running away. She literally ran away barefooted after climbing out of a window of their home. After getting to safety, Lynette legally changed her name to Brielle Decker. She now works as a counselor and runs The Dream Center, a non-profit organization that provides a safe haven for abused women and children.

Barbara Jeffs

Barbara was noted as being the second woman Warren Jeffs married. She must have seen it all with her husband as many more came after her. Jeffs was reported to have been a cruel person and Barbara felt this first hand. She was ill for a long time and he denied her permission to see a doctor.

Barbara eventually passed away in 2004. Her burial was a church affair, and her children and family members were prohibited from seeing her corpse. She was initially buried at the Yearning For Zion ranch in Texas but her body was later exhumed and relocated to Arizona.

Where Are Warren Jeffs’s Wives Today?

While some of Warren Jeffs wives have run away and started living free, more than a few are still very much loyal to him, trapped in the cycle of abuse and control. They mostly live in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints compound.

Mildred “Millie” Blackmore, who was 13 years when she married Jeffs, is said to remain one of his most loyal wives. She lives in a polygamist compound in Canada, where she continues to support her husband. Two others, whose names are not known to the public but have continued to live at the church compound, have been arrested trying to smuggle in contraband to Jeffs in prison. Another one of his wives was denied entrance after a metal detector picked up on something hidden in her hair.

Among those we know that are free today include Brielle Decker, formerly known as Lynette Warner. Decker runs The Dream Center in the home she once shared with Jeffs. She purchased the 44-room mansion at a discounted price from the government and now devotes her time to helping those in need.

Jeffs former wife Vicki Thompson was able to find love again, this time in the hands of Aaron Thompson, a police officer. The got married and now have their own child.

How Many Are Warren Jeffs’s Children?

A man with 78 wives is bound to have many children and Warren Jeffs did not disappoint. While the exact number of his children are unknown, they are estimated to be more than 60. While some have left and others have remained in the church, little is known about many of them.

Two of his children who left the church were instrumental in exposing his crimes. They have also gone on to achieve great things.

Where are Warren Jeffs’s Children Now?

Roy Jeffs

As soon as he came of age, Roy Jeffs left the church. He was one of the first to summon the courage to do so. In a 2016 interview with CNN, Roy described how his father isolated him from others and said he was much happier away from him. Three years later, Roy committed suicide. His death was reported in a Facebook post by his sister, Rachel.

Raymond Jeffs

Raymond Jeffs is another Jeffs child who left FLDS and has spoken about it. He left with his brother Isaac after their compound was raided by the authorities. Speaking to USA Today, Raymond said that he does not regret his decision to leave, describing it as “…going into a whole new world.”

Rachel Jeffs

Rachel Jeffs is doing very well and has authored a book about her ordeal. She has also started a blog about life in the FLDS. In an interview with Megyn Kelly, Rachel revealed that she was also a victim of her father. She alleges that he sexually assaulted her when she was eight years old.

Naomi Jeffs

Naomie Jeffs, now known as Jaska, hasn’t spoken to her father since she was 11 years old and has no desire to do so. She changed her name after leaving and attended Dixie State University where she is reportedly studying physical therapy.

Wendell Jeffson

Wendell changed his last name to Jeffson after leaving the church with his sister Sarah and mother Vicki. He acquired his GED before beginning a career in insurance. He played a huge part in helping his family survive outside of the church. It was announced in 2021 that he was getting married to Yolanda Nosakhare. The life and struggles of his family is captured in the documentary – Preaching Evil.

Table Summarizing the Known Wives and Children of Warren Jeffs