An investigative report by ProPublica published on July 20, 2026, reveals a disturbing cycle of child sexual abuse within families associated with the Old Apostolic Lutheran Church (OALC) communities in Washington state and South Dakota. Two sisters, raised in a family of 11 children moving between these states, recounted how the danger they faced did not come from outsiders, contrary to warnings from their church, but from within their own family.

The sisters described instances where older siblings caught one of their brothers touching a younger sister. Despite being informed, their mother took no action, and the abuse persisted until the brother was 16 and the sister was 10. Years later, the family believed the brother’s abusive behavior stemmed from his own sexual abuse by a neighbor. Similarly, Katherine, the family’s second-youngest child, reported being abused from around age two by an older cousin. She also recalled abusing a nephew at age five.

Lynn, one of the sisters, shared that at age 10 she took her younger brother behind a shed and pulled his pants down, indicating the continuation of abusive behavior among children.

Experts cited in the report highlight the role of cultural and religious factors in perpetuating abuse. Victor Vieth, a former prosecutor and trainer of child-abuse investigators, stated, “If you’ve got a culture of child sexual abuse and looking the other way and brushing it off and forgiving quickly and not truly engaging in repentance, it certainly can contribute to sexual behavior problems of children, including kids sexually assaulting others.”

Sandy Stevens, executive director of the North East Wyoming Advocacy Resource Center, a nonprofit near an OALC community, explained that the use of Scripture is often employed to assert authority and prolong abusive relationships in religious communities, which can also constitute spiritual abuse.

The investigation further notes that some individuals who were abused as children continued abusive behaviors into adulthood, underscoring the long-term impact of unaddressed abuse within these communities.

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