A group of individuals who are under investigation for being a likely suicide cult were discovered hanging around outside a school in California. The mysterious find left authorities baffled as they were expecting all the members involved to be killed, fulfilling chilling letters they had left behind for their loved ones of “the end times” and “going to heaven.”
The group is particularly interesting considering their leader is a woman who many say was originally a ‘good mother’ and ‘not the cult leader type.’ These wayward compliments would seem almot humorous if the matter they were referring to wasn’t so perilously drastic. The small cult is organized with Reyna Chicas at the head and 13 followers including several children. The group was in the news not long ago after leaving a parcel for loved ones to intercept that included letters suggesting the group was leaving to go to heaven shortly. Authorities investigating the case then uncovered additional material that suggested the group was planning to kill themselves.
This time when the group disappeared they once again were found unharmed. Authorities were shocked when the entire group was found camped outside of a school where they explained they were simply praying for an end to sexual immorality. Critics have asked if this was all they were planning outside the school.
The charismatic Chicas has been accused of leading the other members of her cult into a nightmarish world where the importance of life is second to her word. But authorities are maintaining that she has committed no crime and therefore will not be prosecuted. Chicas was, however, invited by authorities to discuss the future plans of her group. There is no word on how these talks concluded.
But many are fearing for the cult members’ safety as the mysterious and troubling members suggest they are going to need to somehow find a way to reach out to these members before the cult’s run reaches a potentially deadly conclusion. But are we taking too much on faith in this case? Though the authorities say the cult is moving in a dangerous direction, for privacy reasons and the integrity of their investigation we cannot know the exact details behind this assertion until something happens. And by then it may be too late. Chicas, meanwhile, is being accused of using brainwashing techniques including repeated prayer sessions and isolation from the outside world to gain control of her followers.
Prior to the Heaven’s Gate and several other cult suicides, members would find themselves isolated in a world where contact with the external world was frowned upon and a routine of indoctrinating chants and exercizes. Often after these cases witnesses will declare how there was no warning. We can only hope in this case the outcome will not be so tragic. Will the group turn out to be as dangerous as many suspect? Or will they turn out to be harmless? The most tragic cult stories are always those that involve followers with children, and the feeling of hopelessness in the face of such control over human beings is often heart breaking.