How the 2×2 sect silenced Central Valley sexual abuse survivors and their fight for justice across the globe
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Sheri Autrey, a survivor who was part of the Visalia congregation in the 1980s, is now aiding the FBI in their investigation. She has also hired a PR team to secure media coverage, leading to an investigation by Nightline and ABC in the Bay Area, which later became a Hulu documentary on the sect.
Hundreds of reports have surfaced worldwide since 2023, from New Zealand and Australia to Canada and the United States, including the San Joaquin Valley. The exact number of reports remains unknown.
The nameless church, commonly referred to as “The Truth,” “Two by Twos (2x2s),” and “Christian Conventions,” operates without official registration, guided by hymns, Bible verses, and unwritten rules.
Its decision-making hierarchy is unclear, and membership statistics are not officially documented by the sect. The Truth is estimated to have fewer than 75,000 current members worldwide, with roughly more than 50 members in the Central Valley, according to Cynthia Liles, a private investigator specializing in child sexual abuse and assault cases. Liles is currently investigating the group as part of her advocacy work with survivors.
The estimate is based on an unofficial count of convention participants in 2022, shared with Liles by a member.
In 2023, Liles, along with Autrey and Lauren Rohs—both survivors of Lauren Rohs’ father, Steven Esteban Rohs—co-founded Advocates for the Truth (AFTT). Together, they work to identify survivors and perpetrators, provide support, and pursue justice, while also assisting the FBI’s investigation.
Before the investigation was announced in February, many sect perpetrators avoided legal charges due to statutes of limitation, leaving survivors without justice. In California, survivors can file criminal charges for child sexual abuse until they turn 40 or within five years of discovering the abuse.
At least 982 perpetrators have been reported to AFTT, and over 2,000 survivors have reported their abuse as of the most recent count in August, according to the group.
Lauren Rohs said survivors frequently experienced abuse from the same perpetrators. These perpetrators often move around and change locations within the community, making it difficult —and frequently impossible— to track reports.
“These people in power, which are by and large doing a vast majority of the abuse, are white men who have leadership roles,” said Lauren Rohs. “These are men of God.”
Liles said maintaining a record is crucial, even if the abuse falls outside the statute of limitations, as it may still aid future cases.
Content retrieved from: https://fresnoland.org/2024/09/24/how-the-2×2-sect-silenced-central-valley-sexual-abuse-survivors-and-their-fight-for-justice-across-the-globe/.
