Kriti Mehrotra
As a Sara Mast-directed documentary series living up to its title in every way conceivable, Hulu’s ‘Daughters of the Cult’ can only be described as equal parts baffling, intriguing, and haunting. That’s because it comprises not just archival footage but also exclusive interviews to really underscore the way polygamous Mormon group leader Ervil LeBaron affected the lives of countless individuals. Amongst them were actually his granddaughters Emily and Lisa Chynoweth-Davis, who were just young children when they lost both their mother as well as father in the worst ways imaginable.
Who Are Emily and Lisa Chynoweth?
Although born within the Church of First Born of the Lamb of God to Ervil’s daughter Lillian LeBaron and her husband Mark Chynoweth, Emily and Lisa admittedly grew up in a different environment. After all, despite the fact their parents were devout followers of the teachings, they were monogamous — they’d fallen so in love at a young age that even their beliefs couldn’t push them to waver. It was thus no surprise to many when these once high-ranking members began deviating altogether following Ervil’s 1979 apprehension for murder, unaware it would ultimately lead to their deaths.
The truth is neither Mark nor Lillian were naive enough to believe there wouldn’t be a possibly brutal retribution for their actions, yet they never expected it to come in the manner it did in broad daylight. The former was assassinated right in his Houston, Texas, appliance store office at 4 pm on June 27, 1988; the exact time as which two of his former acquaintances were also killed in the same manner. This hit was actually demanded by Ervil prior to his 1981 demise in prison, only to be carried out by his successors — Mark was initially targeted because he’d refused to break the so-called Prophet out.
Then there was the bubbling anger amongst some of the still devout members because not only had Mark and Lillian left their community behind, but they were also genuinely helping others escape. In the end, though, the loss of this 36-year-old was too much for his wife to bear, and she took her own life — she left behind five kids, two younger half-sisters turned family, plus over 50 other siblings. According to reports, it was her own half-brother William Heber LeBaron who’d pulled the trigger on his brother-in-law, yet the plan was orchestrated by another half-brother Aaron Morel “Mo” LeBaron.
These passings have obviously impacted Emily as well as Lisa a lot, but the fact Heber later wrote them an apology letter from jail to acknowledge his role in both deaths did help them attain closure. “I will never forget; our mother, in her deepest grief, prayed and forgave him,” Lisa conceded in the aforementioned original. “[She even] told us, you have to forgive him and like release him, that God will handle it. We did not grow up with the burden of unforgiveness, and it’s the most tremendous gift our mother really could’ve ever given us.” She then indicated that although they lived in fear for a long time, the values their parents had instilled in them enabled them to finally move on.
Where Are Emily and Lisa Chynoweth-Davis Now?
From what we can tell, while Emily is currently based in Barcelona, Spain, alongside her loving family, Lisa is an incredibly proud wife, mother, sister, plus alchemist residing in Dallas, Texas. The former had actually tied the knot with her husband turned father of five, Tom Davis, back in 1995, whereas the latter married her life partner, Brandon Davis, relatively recently in 2019. As for their professional standings, it appears as if Emily is a writer, entrepreneur, as well as blogger with BarcelonaMama, while Lily is an alchemist — but more importantly, they’re sisters, friends, and aunts who remain as close as ever to this day.
Read More: Where is Anna LeBaron Now?
