Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
Associated Press
Spokane, Wash.

Sex abuse victim worried about relocation of religious sect

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

A victim of sexual abuse by the leader of a religious sect in Minnesota spoke out Wednesday amid concerns that its members have relocated to the state of Washington.

Lindsay Tornambe, 30, and two of her attorneys held a news conference and urged any other possible victims to come forward.

In October, Victor Barnard, 55, longtime leader of the River Road Fellowship, was sentenced to 30 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting two teenage girls, including Tornambe, who were members of his sect in Minnesota.

Tornambe has filed a lawsuit in Minnesota against leaders of the sect for failing to protect her when she lived as a young girl at the River Road Fellowship near Finlayson.

"Our concern is that children are at risk today because of this cult," said Leander James of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, an attorney for Tornambe.

Barnard was the only sect member charged in Minnesota with sex crimes. Lawyers for Tornambe said they were not aware of any abuse occurring in Washington. They did not know why members had moved to the Spokane and Bellingham areas.

The Associated Press generally does not name victims of sexual abuse, but Tornambe has said she wants her name used when she speaks out against the sect.

In 2012, two women, including Tornambe, came forward and told authorities that Barnard began assaulting them when they were as young as 12.

The women said they were among about 10 girls and young women chosen to live in a camp apart from their families as part of Barnard's "Maidens Group."

Barnard kept the girls secluded, using religious coercion and intimidation to maintain his control over them, authorities said.

"I cried myself to sleep a lot," Tornambe said. "Everything was totally taken away from me."

Barnard was a fugitive when he was charged in 2014 with 59 counts of criminal sexual conduct. He was arrested in Brazil in 2015 after an international manhunt.

James and fellow attorney Patrick Noaker said members of the sect, including Tornambe's mother and sister, were living in Spokane and the suburbs of Liberty Lake and Cheney.