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ST. GEORGE — Three women have been charged in the kidnapping of eight underaged girls in connection with a federal case filed against Samuel Rappylee Bateman, an Arizona polygamous leader who remains in federal custody without bail.
And the details compiled by federal investigators suggest a pattern of deceit and cover-up, including the shredding of potentially vital evidence, over a period of years.
According to a 22-page complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Arizona Dec. 1, all three women – Donnae Barlow, 24, Moretta Rose Johnson, 19, and Naomi Bistline, age not available – are in federal custody facing one count of obstructing a federal prosecution and a second count of kidnapping in connection with a federal case against Bateman.
The complaint says that between May 2020 and November of this year, the suspects were involved in transporting the underage girls between four states, including Arizona, Utah, Nevada and Nebraska.
