Om episode
*****CONTENT WARNING*****In 1984, the beautiful, tranquil area of Burnt River in Ontario, Canada, attracted the attention of the free-spirited, organic-food-growing faith community called the Ant Hill Kids. Along an isolated road on August 16th, 1989, it was here that a member of that faith community hitch-hiked her way to a hospital, protecting the stump that used to be her right arm. A former nurse herself, Gabrielle Lavallee knew only too well the horrors that could befall an untreated amputation. But any horror that could result from rampant infection was mild compared to the horror she’d already endured.Gabrielle, determined to leave the "utopian" community behind, eventually spilled her story to the police. Gabrielle had existed in conditions far from utopian. She had been living in an absolute sadistic hellscape, controlled and manipulated by the Ant Hill Kids leader, a Quebec man named Roch Theriault. Join Jen and Cam as we discuss a case that is so heinous and bizarre that if it were a work of fiction, the author would be taken to task for making up such an unbelievable story.If you or any loved ones need help with either leaving a cult or are in need of therapy to recover from your experiences, you can visit the International Cultic Studies Association’s website at https://www.icsahome.com/supportPromo by Tales From the Darkside. Be sure to check out Season 5Thank you to Edward October for the Listener Discretion. Check out his YouTube ChannelNico at We Talk of Dreams for editing and theme.Lauretta Allen for research and writingSources:https://www.newspapers.com/image/466768310/?terms=Roch%20Theriault&match=1https://www.newspapers.com/image/743679526/?terms=Roch%20Theriault&match=1https://www.newspapers.com/image/50184105/?terms=Roch%20Theriault&match=1https://www.newspapers.com/image/730036276/?terms=Roch%20Theriault&match=1https://www.newspapers.com/image/743686544/?terms=Roch%20Theriault&match=1https://www.newspapers.com/image/503365026/?terms=Roch%20Theriault&match=1https://www.newspapers.com/image/503737823/?terms=Roch%20Theriault&match=1https://www.newspapers.com/image/423673939/?terms=Roch%20Theriault&match=1https://www.newspapers.com/image/733562728/?terms=Roch%20Theriault&match=1https://www.newspapers.com/image/503747306/?terms=Roch%20Theriault&match=1https://www.newspapers.com/image/423672635/?terms=Roch%20Theriault&match=1https://www.newspapers.com/image/735333684/?terms=Roch%20Theriault&match=1https://www.newspapers.com/image/503992547/?terms=Roch%20Theriault&match=1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roch_Th%C3%A9riaulthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NOobUNHNVchttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1vnaYiNH-ohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wBXOkcvhDg&t=889shttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cw8Xeb3zFYhttps://morbidology.com/the-ant-hill-kids/https://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/canadian-messiah-formed-doomsday-cult-ulcer-problems-article-1.3797931https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/crimefeed/murder/roch-theriault-the-horrifying-savagery-home-surgery-of-canadas-most-violent-cult-leaderhttps://www.namnab.com/post/the-canadian-cult-you-ve-never-heard-of-the-ant-hill-kidshttps://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/chilling-insight-doomsday-cult-members-13995059https://archive.macleans.ca/article/1983/1/10/the-reactionary-face-of-catholicismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilgrims_of_Saint_Michael#:~:text=the%20economic%20field.%22-,The%20Pilgrims%20of%20St.,to%20the%20present%20economic%20injustices%22.https://murderpedia.org/male.T/t/theriault-roch.htmhttps://archive.macleans.ca/article/1993/2/8/the-ant-hill-kidshttps://www.worldatlas.com/cities/kawartha-lakes.html