Richy Maria Jacob
Rebecca Musser is an author and an activist who works against human trafficking and other forms of sexual exploitation. Her 2013 book, ‘The Witness Wore Red: The 19th Wife Who Helped to Bring Down a Polygamous Cult,’ shocked the country as they read on to find out about the lives of ‘sister-wives’ and others in the FLDS, headed by Warren Jeffs. The book cemented speculations of those who witnessed Warren Jeffs go to prison for sexually assaulting minors, along with a similar number of charges that kept piling up against him in the years to come.
Rebecca Musser was a former member of the church, not by choice but by birth. She was born to a family that followed the faith of the FLDS church. As explored in NBC’s ‘Dateline: Unbreakable,’ because she is the daughter of her father’s ‘spiritual wife’, her existence, along with that of her siblings, was once mostly confined to the basement. That is, until the then-FLDS leader married her at the age of 19 despite him being 85 at the time.
Rebecca Musser and Rulon Jeffs Married in 1995
Rulon Jeffs, the former president and leader of the FLDS sect, allegedly got a divine calling to make Rebecca Musser, his spiritual wife – his 19th of the 60 or more he had. Her family gave her away in marriage. Not knowing anything about sex or even her body as a 19-year-old, she was subjected to years of sexual abuse at the hands of her much older husband. Though she did not feel anything for him, it was instilled in her that it was her duty to please him as his wife to obtain divine salvation. In NBC’s Dateline, she said: “He was old, and even though he couldn’t, he did still try.’
She was subjected to this treatment until he passed away in 2002, at the age of 92. Her “ownership,” per inner church ways, was then shifted to Warren Jeffs, Rulon Jeffs’ son, who then not only took her but all of his father’s widows. Soon after, though, he tried to force her to get married to someone else. It was at this juncture that she ran away for good from her life at FLDS. She somehow made her way to Oregon, where she knew her brother was waiting for her.
Rebecca Musser’s Second Husband Was Also a Fellow FLDS Member
Rebecca actually ran away from the FLDS compound with the help of this brother, who had been kicked out much earlier, and his friend Ben. Ben Musser is actually Rulon Jeffs’ grandson, so by extension, he was once her step-grandson as well. This is because he was born to another sister-wife, fathered by senior Jeffs. As per her 2013 book, she quickly fell in love with Ben, knowing he understood at least a little of what she felt. She had penned, “He had shown kindness to me, telling me not to be forced into doing anything I didn’t want to do. Without him, all was lost.”
Rebecca and Ben then set out to find new jobs and restart their lives far away from the oppressive life they once knew. During this period, they even tied the knot in a beautifully cozy ceremony surrounded by their new loved ones before settling down. They have two children together, Kyle and Natalia. She has even mentioned him in the dedication page of her book, writing “I also dedicate this book to Ben Musser, whom I’ve watched become a most incredible and loving father.” Unfortunately, though, they couldn’t make their relationship work in the long run and have since divorced.
Rebecca Musser is a Dedicated Mother of Two
Despite the fact Rebecca and Ben have long been divorced, she continues to use his last name as a way to not only show her appreciation for him but also have the same one as her kids. Her son Kyle and daughter Natalia are arguably at the top of the many things she has been really grateful for over the past few years, which is evident across her social media platforms too. As if that’s not enough, she also doesn’t ever shy away from boasting about them in interviews, which is just another way in which she shows her love.
Rebecca once told Idaho News 6 that she sometimes has flashbacks about her past and horrific realizations, but she continues to power through for the sake of her children. However, they do know about her past and understand what it was. “My son was in second grade; they were learning about the Civil Rights Movement…,” she once said. “And finally, he said, tell me what it was like. And as I described my childhood and a normal day to him, his eyes got bigger and bigger, and he said, Mom! You were a slave!”
Coming to their current standing, it appears as if the family is currently based out of Idaho, where they mostly live together along with their two dogs. We say mostly because while her son Kyle is now an adult and likely attending college, her daughter Natalia is 16 and attending high school.
Read More: Who is Warren Jeffs Now?
