Controversial Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints (FLDS) leader Warren Jeffs’ polygamous sect is accused of sending a cat buried alive in a bucket of concrete to a former church member as a threat. Jeffs was convicted last year on felony charges related to sexual relationships with underage girls, according to The Blaze. A dangerous fast landed the FLDS leader in the hospital in critical condition after his incarceration began. The fundamentalist church once again made headlines after a cat in concrete was sent to a man who had “abandoned the radical sect” as a warning.
AZ Family notes that other former FLDS followers claim to have received similar shocking threats. Isaac Wyler was excommunicated in 2004. He recently discovered the kitten buried in a concrete bucket inside a pipe in his yard. Wyler considers the incident a “threatening message” to “encourage” his silence about the FLDS. Since leaving the FLDS, Wyler has been very outspoken in his opposition to the polygamous sect.
The young cat was still alive when it was found, but according to Wyler’s statements to local media, it was “clearly in pain.” A fellow former FLDS church member Andrew Chatwin helped Wyler remove the cat from the concrete bucket. The men were able to free the cat and take it to a local rescue for aid, but it died several days later. Chatwin claims that when he brought the incident to the attention to the Colorado City Sheriff’s Office, it was “brushed off.” Wyler and Chatwin maintain the local sheriff is also a member of the FLDS. The men claim a law enforcement officer “kind of chuckled” and said “if it was up to him, he’d just throw dirt on the cat.”