Three men are being charged with the kidnapping of a woman in a cult-like church in St. Louis. Police report bizarre actions of the women inside while they were investigating.
Police were called to Mount of Olives church in St. Louis on February 21st to the report of a woman calling out for help from passer-bys. Once on scene, they located a woman whose hands were bound, she also had an obvious head wound. She told police she had been held against her will, beaten, and only given water.
The victim led police to the Mount of Olives church (which is actually listed as a residence) where she pointed out her 3 captors. The men were identified as 25-year-old Mmunga Fungamali, 32-year-old Pasi Heri and 28-year-old Grace Kipendo.
Police gained entry and discovered a room with water and a bucket for using the restroom in which the woman claimed she had been held. Once inside they were able to observe some of the bizarre practices of the congregation. Women are referred to as "Angels" and are veiled. When Police attempted to lift the veils to check the women's welfare ...they would begin to scream. The women who are considered "Good Angels" are in what is called the "White Room".
However, the kidnapped woman was kept in a separate room with the door knob broken off.
One captor, Kipendo, is an active service member in the U.S. armed forces and his lawyer contends his client was pulled into this and was wrongly charged because he was acting as a language interpreter between the victim's mother and police.
There have also been alarming reports of the church members tracking down the hospital that the victim was being treated in and repeatedly trying to gain access to her. Someone even went so far as to pretend to be the Distric Attorney.
The three men are being charged with felony kidnapping and assault and are being held without bond. The next court hearing in this case will be on March 4th.
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