had named his eldest son, Arturo LeBaron, as his immediate successor. Arturo was the son of Ervil's first wife, Delfina. Under Arturo, the cult openly embraced the criminal enterprises that they had previously dabbled in, specifically auto theft. Ervil's wife Lorna Chynoweth became disillusioned and decided to leave the cult. On Arturo's orders, she was killed by her son Andrew. Another of Ervil's followers, Leo Evoniuk, also claimed to have been given the authority to lead the church. After months of arguing, the men agreed to meet to resolve their differences. At that meeting, Arturo was murdered, most likely by cult followers Gamaliel and Raul Rios. During Arturo's reign, some of the group's adherents drifted away. Rena Chynoweth moved away with her two small children. Her brothers, Mark and Duane, and their mother Thelma moved to Texas. Daniel Jordan moved his family to Utah. Heber LeBaron After Arturo's death, leadership of the cult fell to the next son on Ervil's list, 20-year-old Heber LeBaron. At this point, the cult primarily comprised the living wives (except for Delfina and Rena), children, and stepchildren of Ervil LeBaron. Heber revived the policy of blood atonement, and over the next few years group members took revenge on those they blamed for Arturo's death. Gamaliel and Raul Rios were killed. Their two sisters who had been married to Ervil LeBaron disappeared. Heber had accused the women of knowing about Arturo's murder in advance, and authorities believe cult members killed them. Evoniuk was killed in 1987 by cult members. Although Heber did not spend a great deal of time proselytizing about religion to his followers, he fully embraced plural marriage and used it to tighten his influence over the group's members. In 1983, he married two women from Guatemela. Within the next few years he also married several of his half-sisters and stepsisters, including Patricia LeBaron. To gain favor with Mexican politicians and get cover for the family's criminal enterprises, he sometimes pimped out his sisters/wives. In 1987, the group ostensibly split into two. Heber took Ervil's wives and the teenage children with him to the United States, where they established a large auto theft ring. The younger children stayed in Mexico with Heber's younger brother Aaron (son of Lorna Chynoweth). In August 1987, Aaron took the younger children to Daniel Jordan's home, asking for shelter and sanctuary from the other family members. Although Jordan did