Vivian Shillander

In 1987, Vivian Shillander, a former member of The Family, received legal custody of her children and took them from her husband, Richard Shillander, who was with the Family in Thailand. Her story was televised on the ABC program "20/20" in July 1988.

David Berg reacted by writing a harsh letter to The Family cursing Vivian and advising members to be prepared to give their lives to defend the group's rights and its children from "the Devil's system." He counselled Vivian's husband – still a member of the cult – to move near his ex-wife's residence in South Dakota, infiltrate her home, convince her that he had repented, and then take the children and disappear with them. The letter's content is violent, and specifically instructs members not to give in to law-enforcement officials who come to their doors – and to be willing to die in defense of their homes.

Multimedia

• ABC News 20/20: To Bring Her Children Home — 1988-07-15
• Discovery Channel: The Justice Files (4:26, 5.7MB) — 1993 – Brief update on Vivian Shillander's story (duplicate footage from 20/20 removed)

More information

• Desperate Measures: The Gripping Drama of a Private Investigator's Dangerous Mission to Free a Mother's Young Children from a Bizarre Religious Cult – by Michael Intravia — ISBN 0849990270

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