Suicide and Violence: O to Z
BABY WATCHING. When Scientologists have nervous breakdowns (a common occurrence), they are subjected to “baby-watching”. This means you are isolated, for example, in a remote holiday cottage, with nothing to look at except stones and with one other person to keep an eye on you. Lisa McPherson was on baby-watch when she died.
Entries are arranged in alphabetical order according to surname and then by first name.
O for Andreas Ostertag (38), who died at Clearwater in 1985 while staying at the Fort Harrison Hotel. He was head of the Scientology mission in Stuttgart, Germany, and had apparently drowned while swimming to a sailboat anchored off of Fort Desoto Park. Reports published in Germany said Ostertag had been summoned to Clearwater by Scientology bosses to answer questions about financial problems at the Stuttgart mission and raised questions about the death.
O for Ken Ogger (The Pilot), a pioneer of the Freezone, who was found dead on 29 May 2007, in the pool of his house in Los Angeles. His hands were tied together with a wire, and there was a heavy concrete thing attached to his feet. According to Hedrun Beer “Ken Ogger was known as the author of analyses about the Church of Scientology’s mismanagement and authorship of auditing manuals. After his own wife betrayed his identity to the church, he suffered a breakdown and soon afterwards went through a severe health crisis. On 20th of May 2007 he reported back to his newsgroups in his old dynamic way. He published a series of texts in which he told about his physical recovery, about his plans to become active as ‘Pilot’ again, but also about the Church of Scientology’s attacks on his private life. Nine days later he was dead.” The Homicide Department of the LAPD ruled this death was homicide, not suicide.
O for Robert Oakes who made large donations to the “church” and was then excommunicated. See article.
P for Aaron Poulin – “just a kid”, who hung himself at the Holiday Inn in 2003. Born and raised in the Sea Org. He was CMO Int messenger, but was demoted to CCI, and was so caved in by that he committed suicide. He would have been about 20 years old. “I heard that he jumped out a window, not that he hung himself, but I would like to get the story first-hand from someone who was there. This sounds like he was a victim of some harsh ethics cave-in tech. It is so unfortunate. He was such a bright kid.”
P for Brand (Brad) Pince, from Ontario, Canada, husband of Penny Pince (who died of cancer), a former mission ED, who killed himself by asphyxiation in his car, c.1979, overburdened by a huge S.O. (LA) and Mission freeloader debt to the Church, by medical bills, and by disconnection. They were relatives of Bob Mills. This entire family was destroyed by Scientology.
P for Claudia Petschek, c.1995, Canada – suicide. She was a mission staff member and active in Scientology.
P for Don Premarukov who died in a car accident.
P for Elli Perkins, Buffalo, New York, who died 13 March 2003 (that date again). Her son Jeremy Perkins, aged 28, an untreated schizophrenic, killed his mother Elli by stabbing her 77 times. She bled to death on her bedroom floor. Jeremy was found not responsible for his mother’s murder by reason of insanity. His surviving relatives – his father, sister and brother-in-law – are still Scientologists and have disconnected from Jeremy to preserve their hope of eternity.
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/JeremyPerkins/ http://perkinstragedy.org
P for Grant Pool, who was discarded when he grew old. See Golden Oldies.
P for Louis Pagliaro– Louie Pagliaro was a public person taking courses at the Las Vegas Org in 1974. He was a casino pit boss and a professional photographer. He completed his grades and then went on to AOLA (The Advanced Organization of Los Angeles) to take OT I, OT II and OTIII. In 1975 he returned to Las Vegas and, thinking he was “OT”, lost a lot of his money gambling. Furious at being conned, he came screaming into the Org and demanded a refund for all of the money he had paid, over $100,000, from Eddie Walters, his Case Supervisor at the Las Vegas Org. He threatened Eddie Walters that if he did not get a refund he was going to expose the OT Levels. The next day his body was found badly mutilated in his living room. According to his live-in girlfriend, Lisa Gibson, all of his folders were pulled from the Org by the Guardian’s Office and during the police investigation Eddie Walters lied to the police and pretended that Louie Pagliaro had never taken any courses at the Las Vegas Org. His death is an unsolved murder and can be found on the books of the Las Vegas Police Department for the year 1975. Lisa Gibson thereafter married David Sandweiss, who may or who may not have been Quentin Hubbard’s homosexual lover, and who was also murdered two years later.
P for Randy Patterson, former husband of Laurie Best Patterson, who shot himself to death while on a Solo auditing level, probably the ‘clearing course.’ This was in the 70s when AOLA was located at the present celebrity center annex.
P for Remy Petit (25), a French Scientologist who worked as an OSA volunteer, then gave evidence against OSA at a hearing on 25 January 1993. But he was found dead a few days before the confrontation with Patricia Forestier, his OSA boss. Officially suicide, but? http://www.prevensectes.com/edj2.htm
P for the son of Daniele Possebon, OT IV, who committed suicide after his father died.
P for Vicki Payton or Fayton – considered dropping her body after the Key to Life Course but instead divorced her husband and left her job. She is OT V and ex-Sea Org. She was “given a wrong indication” in a Flag Ethics cycle. AOLA audited her for a year after her husband wrote up a complaint and sent it up lines.
P for Wayne Pruitt, from Missouri, believed to be on the upper OT levels, jumped to his death in 1970-71 from the Elks Bldg in Hollywood or the McArthur Park area.
R for Bruce Raymond was the dedicated Scientology thug who among his other achievements collected Paulette Cooper’s fingerprints for Project Freakout. He was also the B1 guy who did the dirty work on the Quentin Hubbard death situation in Las Vegas. Bruce was the most involved in the dirtiest part of the cover-up of the actual murder. He is said in various places to have died in 1975 but if he was involved in events surrounding the death of QH in 1976 this date is evidently wrong.
R for Gary Rist, a staff member at CCLA, had a breakdown in 1975-76. He kept going on drinking binges. HCO asked me to keep an eye on him. I went with him to visit his father one weekend, up at Bear Lake. Gary got drunk and was physically abusive. I had a terrible time getting him back to LA, but I got him there, took him to Sea Org berthing, and dropped him there. Regardless of HCO orders, I wasn’t taking physical abuse. I don’t know what happened to him. HCO never said anything about him again, and I never saw him at CCLA. Scientology – and his untreated alcoholism – ruined what had been a promising acting career.
R for Ilya Rakhmanov, 21, from the Russian town of Saransk, 600 km east of Moscow. He was a former Scientologist, who left the cult about three years ago. Last Friday, 15 October 2004 Ilya announced on several Internet forums that he wants to leave this life. “Ilia was very lonely. He hated totalitarianism, lies and hypocrisy. And he attempted to fight them. All alone. He put upon himself too heavy a burden, and it broke him. His life was very short, and his end was terrible.” Many Scientologists take depression with them as their inheritance from the cult.
R for Jude Richmond (41), a florist and possible Scientologist, who apparently drowned her handicapped daughter Millie (9) on 13-14 March 2009 (a significant date for Scientologists) and then drowned herself in the lake adjoining their luxurious Gloucester (England) home. Ms Richmond suffered from bipolar syndrome and according to the Sun newspaper (quoting a neighbour) ‘had become obsessed with Scientology’. This is not conclusive but there are links with other Scientology deaths by drowning, using cold water spray to purify, the date is suggestive, and Jude might have been distressed by demands to disconnect from her low-tone daughter.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1234242/Florist-drowned-disabled-daughter-bath-accident.
R for Otto Roos, who did not die but was physically attacked by LRH in 1972: “upon entry was hit, kicked, screamed and shouted at...” The blows of an old man did not bother him, he said; but the violence did.
R for Rodney G. Rimondo, 22, from San Jose, California, who joined the Sea Org in Los Angeles in January 1986 and jumped, fell or was pushed out of a window at the LA Org on 25 November 1986. A suicide note found on his bunk bed at the Scientology center was a clumsy forgery. It was not in his handwriting, according to his mother, and made reference to a “wife” but Rimondo was single.
R for Ruth Ann Roberts, 58 – died in 2000. Editor would like to know the cause of death.
R for Venus Cecolia Rojo, 4 Jun 1980 – 13 May 1998 (age 17) who died at the Mohave desert before it got moved from LA; cause of death unknown
S for Bob Shaffner, OT3, killed himself in 1987 or 88 by riding his bike under a truck. According to Jesse Prince, Bobby and his wife Cindy were harassed because they wanted to have children, and children were frowned upon.
S for David Sandweiss – “suicide” in 1977. Was GO agent who allegedly confessed to being Quentin Hubbard’s lover. See end of article on the death of Quentin Hubbard.
S for Frank Suarez was an OT (perhaps OT III) who shot himself in late 1991 at his home in Broward County, Florida (near Ft.Lauderdale), leaving a wife and two children aged 9 or 10. The reason appears to be that he had used LSD in his youth and could not do higher levels in this life.
S for James Sharp, 15, murdered in Los Angeles in August 1969, probably by one or more members of the Manson “family”. Charles Manson may have had a grudge against Scientology for rejecting him when he believed he was a very important member. Another victim was Doreen Gaul, aged 19.
S for James Stewart, 36, who suffered from epilepsy, was found dead 50 feet below a window at the Advanced Org in Edinburgh Scotland, in August 1968. He was on OT3, a class 7 auditor, and the Executive Director of the Durban Org. A few days before his death, had completed an Ethics Condition wherein he stayed awake for eighty hours (a punishment which Hubbard inflicted on his second wife, Sara Northrup.) James had a head injury, sustained during a fit. The following notice was posted on the org bulletin board: “James Stewart has been put in a Condition of Doubt for having seizures in public and thus invalidating Scientology. If there is any reoccurrence of these either consciously or unconsciously on his part he will be placed in a Condition of Enemy.” At the time Doubt incurred 48 hours sleep deprivation. One of his tasks during this period was to crawl about the carpets picking out bits of fluff. Stewart’s real crime was telling the hospital that he was a Scientologist, thus supposedly giving Scientology a bad name. He had injured his head, and wore a blood-stained bandage while performing his demeaning “amends project.” It also possible that he was made to crawl across the steep and slippery slates of the Org roof, as a final part of his Doubt Formula. This bizarre practice was quite usual at the time. Jon Atack speculates that Stewart fell from the roof during this penance. This would be the first known death of a Scientologist that can be attributed to the instructions of the organization. Shortly before his death, Stewart had been suspended from his course at the AO. Stewart, described in the newspapers as an encyclopedia salesman, had been a founder of the Cape Town Org, and was a senior executive there. He was a Class VII Auditor, the highest level of training at the time, Clear number 153 (there were over 2,000 by then), and on OT 3 when he died. One of his Success Stories was published in the Auditor magazine at around the time of his death. It was headed, “How Scientology Training Has Helped Me In Life”: “I find that training and auditing experience helps me in innumerable ways – in driving a car (patiently, in heavy traffic), waking up in the morning, confronting anything unpleasant in life, keeping myself occupied in leisure hours, in writing letters, making telephone calls, in chance conversations with strangers – In fact, training helps in every conceivable situation or experience anywhere, any place, anytime – Try it for yourself and see!”
Scientology kills epileptics: http://www.holysmoke.org/cos/kult-epelep.htm
S for Jimmie Spheeris, 34, the musician, died in a motorcycle wreck near Venice Beach, 4 July 1984. At the time he was on the Philadelphia doctorate course and getting auditing. He was being given a lot of stress about being a homosexual and being in Scientology courses. Alternately, he was killed by a drunk driver.
S for Lloyd Speedy, who suicided when he had spent all his money on services, when he was actually Type III (psychotic).
S for Karen Simon-suicide, hung herself in London, May 1991, shortly after she refused to sign a Sea Org contract. She was preparing a negative report on Scientology at the time of her death. A number of critics have died conveniently and unexpectedly.
S for Lloyd Speedy – killed himself c.1989 after spending all of his money on services when he was psychotic.
S for Mark Schaatsbergen – left Scientology beginning 1988, because he felt they were perverting their own goals and didn’t live up to their statements. According to his mother, Mark’s reason to commit suicide in June/July 1998 was the enormous amount of pressure the cult still exerted on him. His father and sister remain members. His mother is still devastated.
S for Meagan Shield’s daughter, who hung herself.
S for Melvin Streim. A former Harvard student who lost his mind in Scientology: by 1981 he “was getting worse and worse, forgetting to shave, dressing in dirty clothes, and generally out-of-touch with reality. They off-loaded him around 1983 or 4. … he was schizophrenic, and broke. How does a former Harvard student end up as a bag boy?” http://www.skeptictank.org/hs/dps-cos.htm
S for Patrick William Salvo, once a great guy, “who seemed to have lost his mind completely before he died about 2005 (ref: Kathy Mace blogspot.com).
S for Paul Schaeffer who killed himself in the early 70s when he had just left the group. At the time, I was told that he got “messed up” because he left the group. Now we can deduce that he was thrown out and denied help because he, like so many others, had been “messed up”.
S for Quentin Schnehager– suicide in Copenhagen. Hung himself.
S for Rita Smith– who killed herself at by hanging at East Grinstead in 1987.
S for Steve Surrey kept having psychotic breaks in 1973, while he was the ED of Alan Walter’s Salt Lake City mission. “He’d be screaming his lungs out during sessions, begging for someone, anyone to help him. His auditor, Geri Knight, swore that he was just running out dramatizations, as if this was really good for him. I think Steve is still happily in Scientology.”
S for Susanne Schroder who went crazy (perhaps in Denmark); her husband put her in hospital.
S for Terri Schiavo, who was taken off life support by judicial order that aroused great controversy; her husband, Michael, a Scientologist, has been accused of influencing the judge.
T for Gene Trout or Traudt – suicide in about 1980. An OT 7.
T for Koos Nolst Trenite – In 1974, when Koos went to work for GO, he was “a normal, fun loving guy”. By 1979 he was dangerously unstable, showing symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia which persisted and which went untreated. On 25 December 1999 his daughter, then 19 years old, died in their home near Forchheim, Germany. Autopsy showed she had drowned. The father had the habit of torturing (or “treating”?) his wife with hot and cold jets of water. It was perhaps his version of the Purification Rundown. An infant daughter died in 1983 ten days after birth of an untreated respiratory infection. As far as is known Koos is still alive and still posting his very bizarre ideas, which identify Hubbard, not without reason, as the Devil.
T for Leah Theriery, a Scientologist, attempted suicide sometime in May 1974.
T for Rob Twedell, New Zealand, suicide.
T for Robert Thorburn, who died after being shot in the head at Las Vegas by James Duchesneau (30) and Frederick Weber (23) who had both been shot in the leg by Thorburn, with the same gun.
V for David Voorhees of Washington State went crazy in 1982 or 1983 in Los Angeles trying to audit the BTs and clusters. He was held captive in a room somewhere in Los Angeles for weeks and injected with Thorazine to calm him. David was told by his captors that he was getting Vitamin B injections. HEW 219.
V for Eric Vigeland who was in Scientology in Boston in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Eric was a psych case. He inherited some money, gave it all to the fund to help Mary Sue in the USGO/FBI lawsuit, and got a bunch of auditing as a “reward.” He was not a very stable person, and even by Scientology standards, he should have been shown the door. Scientology knew Eric was not stable when they took him in, and it’s not right to take every cent from someone who is ill-equipped to survive on his own in society.
V for Frank Vitkovic of Queen Street, Melbourne, Australia. In 1987 Frank Vitkovic opened fire in a business building in Melbourne, Australia, killing eight people and wounding five others before he plunged to his death trying to escape. Two months prior to the attacks he had taken a personality test offered by the Church of Scientology, which was said to mean he was extremely depressed; it was the second-worst test result the Scientology volunteer had ever seen. It was argued at the inquest that the organization had not taken the appropriate measures indicated by their information, which could have prevented the massacre, and that the test possibly contributed to Vitkovic’s mental state at the time of the shootings.
V for Patrice Vic, father of two young children, who died in March 1988 in Lyon, France, when he jumped to his death from the 12th storey window of his children’s bedroom. He had spent all his money on courses with the CoS, and had then borrowed 30.000 FFr (about $5000) to be able to take the Purification Rundown, a process described as ‘dangerous and worthless’. The French court ruled that the local branch had driven Vic to suicide, and found its leader Jean-Jacques Mazier guilty of involuntary manslaughter. Fourteen other scientologists were convicted on related charges. He went to his death believing his debit card had been stolen by prostitutes, when in fact it had been stolen by the criminals running the Lyons Org.
http://www.whyaretheydead.info/Patrice_Vic_31/index.html
V for Suzine Van Sickle of Seattle was murdered in November 1990, when her daughter Jean Shumway, 59, and granddaughter Alexis Shumway, 29, both Scientologists, first tried to kill her with a drug overdose and, when that did not work, they smothered her with a pillow. $13,000 went to Scientology.
W for Bruce Welsch, a crew member on the Apollo, went crazy during the early 1970. He was locked up in a port aft cabin by Stuart Moreau and Ron Anderson, two ship crew members. HEW 204.
W for Gregory Bradford Wisner (27) whose body was found in the surf near Indian Rocks Beach, FL, on 20 January 2001. Reckoned to be an accident but he was a cocaine addict, born into a Scientology family and his father was a spokesperson for Narconon. Gregory attended Narconon in December 1997. Gregory had been raised in various Scientology families but had been disconnected.
W for Jim Whyte who died when train-hopping when drunk.
W for Linda Walicki: “I just butchered my family.” Linda Walicki , an untreated schizophrenic aged 25 killed her father Michael (52), a “Sponsor for Total Freedom”, and her sister Kathryn (15) and seriously wounded her mother Sue (52), at Revesby, Sydney, Australia on 7 July 2007. The cause of the attack was later determined to be a psychotic episode brought on by replacing her prescribed anti-depressants and anti-psychotic medication with the Scientology method of treating psychosis by isolation and vitamins (see McPherson, Perkins). Linda was diagnosed with mental illness at Bankstown Hospital in late 2006 but treatment was discontinued because her parents were Scientologists. At that time a magistrate refused to sign an order to continue her treatment. Three weeks before the killings her parents were apparently worried enough to reintroduce her to the prescription medication but it was evidently too late. Linda was declared not guilty by reasons of insanity. Vicki Dunstan, for the CoS, at first denied the family were Scientologists. Virginia Steward, a local Scientology spokesmen, also denied any knowledge of the family, then claimed the tragedy was all the fault of psychiatrists who had interfered and caused damage. Then she blamed Linda’s breakdown on earlier intervention by psychiatrists. “Church of Scientology denies stabbed man ‘a recruiter'” (Fiona Connolly, Daily Telegraph, News.com.au, 10 July 2007). But it did not take local journalists long to find that a man with the same name as the dead father is listed on the Church of Scientology’s “Honour Roll” in the 2002 Impact magazine which glorifies members worldwide for their efforts in “signing more than 20 members to the church” or for donating $US20,000 ($23,200) or more. The “church” typically tries to disconnect from any potential source of embarrassment such as suicides, murders, and even the death of its members from natural causes. It never offers counselling, shows any respect for the dead or responsibility for what has happened, or helps bereaved families in any way.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22048072-2,00.html
W for Larry Wheaton and 78 other people died when his Boeing stalled and came down crashing its tail on the Potomac River bridge before plummeting into the icy river. Four passengers and one stewardess survived and four car drivers also died. The pilot was a Scientologist who was not doing well on the Bridge. His wife was a pc at Flag and used most of her insurance money to pay for FSO services. An enquiry identified the cause of the crash as pilot error. The pilots had failed to switch on the engines’ internal ice protection systems, used reverse thrust in a snow storm prior to takeoff (against the rules), and failed to abort the takeoff after detecting a power problem while taxiing and visually identifying ice and snow buildup on the wings although there was time and space to do so.
W for Lawrence Wollersheim who attempted suicide immediately after receiving L-12 and other upper level auditing. He later sued the cult and won a major victory.
W for Margarit Winkelman (51), from Zurich, Switzerland, who drowned in 1980 when she walked fully clothed into the sea at Clearwater, Florida. As part of her Scientology course she had stopped taking Lithium and was treating herself with huge quantities of vitamins.
W for Margery Wakefield, who suffered psychosis and neglect during her twelve years in the cult (1968-1980). When she had problems on OT3 the solution was to sell her an even higher level of auditing called New Era Dianetics for 0T’s (NED for 0T’s for short). For weeks she went through indescribable agonies, unable to understand anything she read or heard.
http://www.scientology-lies.com/documents/affidavits/margery-wakefield.html
W for Rudolph Willems of Germany, shot himself in 1987 after his steel company went bust, after he had given millions to the scam.
W for Trevor Woods and Denise Webb, of Cairns, Australia, who were both killed in a motorcycle accident in 2004.
W for Willie B. Wilson, went psychotic on OT 3 in the late 70’s or early 80’s. He was a wealthy Texas oil man. for
Y for Sherry Marie Yearsley, 47 – Murdered. May have an ex-member. [Reno Gazette-Journal, 6/21/2003]
Updated 19 November 2010
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Cancer and Neglect, O to Z
The cult has its own way of looking at things:
Pierre Ethier makes the disturbing claim that the Church’s OT VIII is dangerous in its present form because it is run without being preceded by the “old” OT levels following OT III (OT IV, V, VI and VII) which clear the way for its processes. Apparently running OT VIII in this fashion can and does result in very undesirable consequences for the pre-OT, up to and including serious illness…”
As medical problems such as heart attacks and diabetes are generally neglected, both by staff and by public Scientologists, deaths from general medical causes are included in this category.
O for Steve O’Hara – died of cancer in Salt Lake City.
P for Alain Priouzeau who was hit by a car (or died in a traffic accident) right in front of the Flag land base. “I believe he fell asleep at the wheel driving home from the org to get another 2 hours of sleep, (the 6th time that week he had less than 6 hours a sleep a night)… ” (OCMB 14 September 2006.)
P for Bambi Paul, New Zealand, died of cancer circa 1984.
P for Danielle Pozzebon, who attested OT 8 but who died of cancer a few months later. Her son, an OT 4, committed suicide shortly after.
P for Daphne Parselle was in Scientology in the late 1960s, in London and Saint Hill, East Grinstead. She achieved the state of Clear in 1967 (#382). During her Clear speech, (Clears in those days gave a short speech about their “wins and gains”) in the Chapel at Saint Hill Manor, she claimed, very positively and enthusiastically, that she was cured of the cancer because of her auditing. However, she died of the cancer shortly thereafter. HEW 251.
P for Ellen Price, untreated breast cancer. Ellen was in aco – audit for FPRD – class VI, ex-staff auditor, OT IV.
P for Heribert Pfaff (31), a wealthy German who went to Flag to seek a cure for his epilepsy. For a decade after surviving a major car accident, Heribert Pfaff had suffered severe seizures that often came in the middle of the night. In 1988 he traveled from his home in Munich to Clearwater to take courses at the Church of Scientology. His brother, Georg, told the Times that Scientologists in Germany promised a cure for his seizures and took Pfaff off medication that had controlled them. The son of a wealthy German builder, Pfaff checked into Room 758 at the Fort Harrison Hotel. He had brought about $100,000 with him to finance his visit, family members say. On Aug. 28, 1988, Pfaff was found dead with head injuries in his room. An autopsy determined that death was probably due to a seizure. No anti-convulsant drugs were found in his bloodstream. The $100,000 disappeared, says his brother. The family had stopped an attempt by Heribert Pfaff to wire transfer another $150,000 from a family bank account that was requested a few days before his death. Georg Pfaff said he discovered after the death that his brother had paid $26,330 for one Scientology course and $52,000 for another. The church was only interested in his money, says Georg Pfaff. One may well believe him.
http://whyaretheydead.info/room758.html
P for Leslie Platinsky– aged 49, OT4, died on 3 October 1998 at Clearwater FL, of cancer
P for Lex Povall, New Zealand – cancer circa 1980.
P for Marie Passmore was a long term Sea Org member, a Class 8 trained auditor, and on the OT levels exorcising her BTs and clusters. She developed cancer in the late 1970s or early 1980s, and then got auditing in Clearwater. She was convinced that exorcising her BTs on OT 5 would cure her. When the cancer became terminal, she was sent to Europe to die. HEW Whitfield 244.
P for Marla Panda – cancer, in 1985.
P for Misha Priv who survived a heart attack. After he left the Church and disconnected from DM, his heart condition vanished.
P for Penny Pince of Ontario died of cancer of the kidney. She bought some last-minute auditing that she was told would help her but it didn’t. Ex.SO (LA), late 1970s. Wife of Brad Pinch.
P for Thom Page who died in his 40s of a heart attack.
Q for Linda Quay, OTIV, who died of breast cancer early 2010
Q for Paula Quigley (or Ueckermann) who dedicated forty years of her life to Scientology in DC and NY, and died of lung cancer. She was a true believer. She was still trying to ‘recover’ an ex-member who was the only person visiting her when she died in 2007.
R for Brian Roubinek or Rubineck: US GO staff-B-1 exec who is thought to have died of cancer.
R for Captain Bill Robertson, who died in 1991 of brain cancer.
R for Cecilia Rojo, who died at Mojave Desert of cancer; she was only 17.
R for Claire Reppen, a long time CL XII auditor, who was busted by Miscavige to the RPF during the GAT evolution, and died of breast cancer in Aug 2001.
R for David Rossouw – was LRH messenger, last post in ITO died of lung cancer c.2000.
R for Eric Rubio, 36, died of starvation in Copenhagen, January 2002. When he was found, he weighed 45 kilograms for his 167 centimetres. He died in his kitchen but had eaten nothing for several days, and had suffered from malnutrition. When Erik Rubio came to Denmark in 1994, it was to join the Scientology elite: the Sea Org. He was later declared unfit and thrown out, but told he had a huge debt to pay back. At his death, he was still paying money to Scientology. See separate article.
R for Gary Ross over 25 years in CoS, who died of alcohol abuse.
R for Helen Ralston who died of cancer,
R for Jo R. – Switzerland – Solo Nots auditor with advanced cancer. Killed himself c.2010.
R for John Roberts who became comatose and died while on the Purification rundown at East Grinstead. This is typical of extreme heat exhaustion and organ failure.
R for Judy Rosenaum-staff at Stevens Creek Org-injured her leg, went untreated by proper medical, result was a blood clot or perhaps a stroke. Either way, it appears her death could have been prevented by proper care.
R for Judy Rosenbaum – Deceased 2006 in her early 50s was Stevens Creek Staff and Delphi Staff before that. She died from a stroke in her sleep. Story of a neglected leg injury: “Judy-injured her leg, went untreated by proper medical, result was a blood clot or perhaps a stroke, either way, the result was from lack of proper care, I believe SNR C/S was comm ev’d over this.
R for Marcy Rogers – long term telex operator at External Comm FLO, died in the 90s of cancer OT.
R for Mary Lou Reilly who died on OT levels. “I believe it was cancer due to my last comm with her. She refused any treatment from docs and did natural treatments.”
R for Paul Rendall – cancer.
R for Romano Romanini who had a major stroke at age 40 six months after attesting to OT VIII. He had been a Cadillac pc all along, had never been overweight and still had a stroke at 40.
R for Rosa Rodriguez, who was Flag course supervisor in the 80s died from cancer.
R for Stan Rogers died of a heart attack in a solo NOTS session, trying to handle severe chest pain.
S for Ashlee Shaner, 16, who died on 17 May 2000, at Scientology’s Golden Era Production location in Hemet, California, when the car she was driving ran into a heavy vehicle parked on the road. There were no warning lights, flares, or construction workers on the road to guide motorists around the vehicle. There are no street lights in the area. The driver Thomas Nove “told officers he was working late the night Ashlee died to finish some work for the Church of Scientology’s Golden Era Productions.” His driving licence had expired in 1992.
http://www.holysmoke.org/cos/shanner-nove.htm
S for Bob Sheckler (lung cancer), husband of Dolores Sheckler, husband and wife publics.
S for Bradlee Sweigart died of cancer c.2009. His wife Kathy, auditing on solo nots, was quite obsessive on the subject of cancer while vigorously defending Tommy and DM.
S for Brook Shackleton – Gold staff. Died of brain tumor.
S for Cam Solari – Class VI auditor, tried to handle cancer “naturally’, with auditing, died on OT 7 in 1992.
S for Carol South: cancer; worked at AMC Publishing from 1990. She may have been out of the cult when she died.
S for Carrie Slaughterbeck, died at Clearwater on 27 March 1997 aged 23 while taking huge doses of Blue Green Algae, which a CoS front group sells as a dietary supplement. Super Blue Green Algae is popular among Scientologists in Clearwater. Sales literature promotes it for everyone — pregnant women, newborn babies and the family pet. Detractors describe it as “pond scum.” Carrie took as many as 30 algae capsules at a time. Slaughterbeck was 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighed 101 pounds when her body was found. Family members said she had liked being slim because she thought it would help her gain modeling jobs. She had a congenital heart problem which may have contributed.
S for Charles Sheahan, died of natural causes in 2000; noted because even so he was only 60.
S for Dan Sigal, longtime Flag public, passed away 2009 from cancer. He was in his fifties.
S for David Scott Sutter – Clear, late 40’s, died c.2008 of a cancer.
S for Gretchen Schwartz, NOTS case level, 40 year Registrar for FSO who died of a brain tumor.
S for John Robert Smith, who died of a heart attack aged 54,
S for Kirsty Schofield (2½), sister of Lauren, who died after swallowing potassium chloride – a substance used in the Purification Rundown. Mr Schofield alleges the cover-up of child abuse by Scientology and admitted being part of a campaign to cover up the facts surrounding the deaths of his two daughters.
S for Lauren Schofield (14 months), sister of Kirsty, who was in the creche at the organisation’s building in Sydney while her parents were involved in courses. She was allowed to wander the stairs by herself and fell. She died in hospital two days later. Mr Schofield said he felt pressured by Scientology executives not to request an inquiry, and was told if he sought compensation he and his wife would be ineligible for any church services.
S for Lucy-Lorraine Smith – leukaemia.
S for Mary Stouffer, GO, (AG Sacramento at one point) died of breast cancer in the early 1980s. She was in her early 40s. She rejected effective treatment in favor of auditing.
S for Paul Schobel who died of renal failure after a prolonged illness; he routed out of S.O. and died in Sydney, Australia.
S for Peter Sparshot who was the C/S at AOSH ANZO and died of cancer when about 60 years old. He C/Sed folders of people up to OT5.
S for Ruthie Silverman, ASHO registrar for 32 years, died of lung cancer.
S for Tim Skog who died from emphysema in the fall of 2010.
S for Uwe Stuckenbrock who used to be security Chief International and was sent to the RPFPAC in 2001 even though he was suffering from MS. He died on the RPF in October 2008 aged 46. He was an OT. His wife Lurisse Stuckenbrock divorced him. She is still in a high position in the organisation.
S for Van Seffers who died on or as a consequence of the Purification Rundown in the 1980s.
T for Chuck Toftness Flag FSM, diabetic, artificial leg, died 1995.
T for Craig Tomlinson, former Sacramento Org Intern Sup mid-late 1970’s, brain cancer.
T for Dave Tomberlin, former Purif I/C, Auditor, Public, Miami: died by drowning perhaps from a seizure caused by a complication of diabetes. One could also class his death as suicide.
T for Frank Thompson, who died of a heart attack.
T for Guissepe Tomba, 26, of Solaro, Milano, Italy, died February, 1995 of heat exhaustion and organ failure incurred during the Purification rundown. Just beginning Narconon treatment, he endured days of agony including vomiting and diarrhea. Then his heart stopped.
T for Ian Tampion, OT 5, died of lung cancer around 1996 at the age of 59. In 1973 he was president of the Church of the New Faith in Victoria, Australia.
T for Jett Travolta (16), the untreated autistic/epileptic son of John Travolta, who died alone as the consequence of an seizure, in a bathroom at the family holiday home in the Bahamas on 1 or 2 January 2009. The circumstances of his death have never been properly investigated but an alleged blackmail attempt can be linked to discrepancies between the state of the body when found and what the family claimed. It appears that Scientology intelligence was consulted several hours before local services were contacted. (WWP Wiki Timeline)
T for Susan Todd-Hunter, OT5 – died in 1992 at age 46. Wealthy public. Sister of Beverly Carter.
T for Ted Talbot died of advanced lung cancer – he just dropped dead one day, didn’t even know he had cancer. He went into Scientology to give up smoking. Twenty years later, with his family torn apart, he died. He was also, at the time, being pressured to go back into St. Hill to do services and was told “Come back to the church and we will let you see your daughter Mandy Kember”
V for Mario Villareal, an older man, who commited suicide on Solo NOTs in Acapulco, Mexico
V for Phil Valinski, died at La Quinta base in 1977, either in his sleep (the official version) or while he was being audited by Dan Koon, as some say, or as a consequence of the Purification rundown. Apparently he had a heart attack in session, and the auditor kept on auditing him, reportedly for many minutes, not doing CPR and not going for help. Dan is said to have used Hubbard’s nonsensical process to “bring him back” of telling him to think of his poor auditor.
http://www.skeptictank.org/hs/mbunker8.htm
V for Ruth Valko-Burness, aged 48, died suddenly of cancer around 1999, doing OT levels at Flag. A Big Thetan who gave them Big Bucks.
V for Ruth Valko, OT – died sudden of cancer around 1999.
W for Bo Wennberg who died of diabetes. No-one today needs to die of diabetes.
W for Dabney Taliaferro Waring, aged about 30, joined the Sea Org straight from school and lived 10-12 years in the Fort Harrison Hotel, was hospitalised and died in Tampa General Hospital overnight, of what was diagnosed as leukemia c.1994. “He was definitely trying to break with them during this period … he was scared of something he couldn’t discuss, saying “It’s too big.”
W for Jerry Whitfield of Cape Coral, Florida, did the Purification Rundown in 1997 and later discovered he had permanent liver damage.
W for Laura Wolfe, worked on Freewinds and died of cancer.
W for Lori Greene Wood, Clear, OT, SO, daughter of long term Scientologists, Peter and Doran Greene. She served aboard the “Avon River” in the Mediterranean under HEW as captain. She was at the Clearwater HQ in 1978 or 1979, receiving auditing on OTV or “NOTS”. She got ill during her auditing and was sent to the Ethics Officer. The ethics matter escalated but, a short while later, without recovering, Lori died.
W for Marjan Witte, Dutch, about 40, who died of cancer end 2003.
W for Tony Whitington – used to be CO FOLO WUS, later posted in FLO died a few years ago of stomach cancer. OT
W for Virgil Wilhite — OT VII, collector and seller of LRH autographed works, found LRH tapes all over the country, turned them over to archives. Died of leukemia 2000-2005 doing OT levels. He is said to have had tremendous debts.
Y for Beth Yamaguchi who died of cancer.
Y for Robert Vaughn Young, long time Ex, who died on 15 June 2003 from cancer of the prostate.
Y for Tracy Kathleen Yeich, 55, a teacher (keen supporter of Applied Scholastics), of Las Vegas, died 17 April 2010 of untreated cancer. Her husband contributed this insight: “Just as she was a success in this life she will go on to her next life and be successful in that one too. She loved to organize things, it was her forte. While I’m not worried about her moving on and doing well it would comfort me to know where she is. So, if you see a young girl in a couple years with all her toys lined up and very efficiently organized that very well could be Tracy. I’d appreciate it if you’d let me know that you found her.”
Y for Tracy Yeich (55) died of cancer.
Z for Barbara Zizik, a Chicago dentist who did the Purification Rundown in the late 1990s and when she tried to renew her health insurance discovered she had irreversible liver damage.
Z for David Ziff, Saint Hill (pre-KSW), Snr CC/S FLB and Universe Corps, who died of cancer in 1994.
Z for Syma Zimmer, worked at Flag and died mysteriously without warning in 1999, leaving two children to be adopted by other Sea Org. Cause of death not known.
Z for Yvonne Zentz who is rumoured to be in disagreement with “what was happening in Mexico”. The next thing we hear, she is dead from a brain aneurysm. I have also been told she died of cancer.
—————————–
Dennis Ehrlich on Quentin Hubbard
END OF THE Q.
by Dennis Erlich
For those readers who never knew cult-talk, I apologize for the following. But since the story is absolutely true and occurred while I still was, as salesmen put it, “under the ether,” I will write it as I lived it. If you don’t understand the words I use, as the chinaman said, “You betta off!”
I have commented previously that leaving scientology and re- entering society was like landing on a different planet. I had to learn the customs and language of the “natives,” adopt their manners [or lack of] and hope there was a place for me to fit in.
But an even greater shock was going to Flag [in Clearwater] when it first opened for business in 1976, to become Sea Org crew in the “Mecca of Technical Perfection.”
First of all there was the matter of deceiving the “local wogs” with our shore story. All staff and students were told exactly what lie to tell any Clearwater residents who asked about our presence: we were all religious students on retreat at the new United Churches facility in the Fort Harrison Hotel. Fortunately for us, few of the locals even cared to talk to the staring, stiff, and sullen students and staff. But still, it didn’t take long for them to realize we were not who we claimed to be. It became very unfriendly in town.
Meantime, “The Friendliest Place on Earth” was also proving to be something less than that. For me it was more like basic training in concentration camp management. New staff and students were packed like sardines, twelve to a tiny hotel room, in bunk beds four high with barely enough room to squeeze between them. Any time the income fell below half a million dollars a week everyone was assigned to “Rice and Beans.” On these numerous occasions, all we were fed was spanish rice and boiled beans. This was all part of showing the new recruit what he was worth. The spiritual pecking order was energetically applied and strictly enforced. Anyone new to Flag began as low man on the scrotum pole.
Flag crew considered all “outer org” students or staff to be DBs [degraded beings.] The fact that I had a wonderful reputation in the field and had run the most successful Internship in the history of the cult, made no difference. When I arrived at Flag I was treated like scum. Everyone was.
Brian Livingston [Class XII] was the Intern Sup and Jeff Walker [Class XII] was Cramming Officer. What a line-up!
Brian, who has since blown the Sea Org and is no longer a scieno, made a habit of getting up on a chair and screaming his lungs out at individual interns. The standard message was that they were squirrels, out-ethics or just plain stupid. His bellowing could be heard all over the tenth floor ballroom of the Fort Harrison and the HCI [Hubbard College of Improvement.] Students would hear him and go silent with terror at the thought of having to confront Brian’s wrath when they finally arrived on the internship. But this was just fine with Brian. It made them a more cowed and compliant [than they already were], when eventually he did have to deal with them.
Brian was the “nice” one of the two. Walker was the most feared. He didn’t have any completion statistic or bonus to contend with. He had no vested interest in seeing that interns survived his “handling” of them. Thus, he could act like the ruthless little prick he was.
Walker was famous for getting right up inches from your face, poking you in the chest and screaming “PIG SHIT!” when he didn’t like your answer to his questions and wanted to show his disgust for you. One intern [who eventually ended up in the galley], reported to cramming on a session she’d done. After Jeff read the errors in the folder, he threw open the 10th floor windows next to his desk [which had no screens], pointed outside and commanded her to jump. She talked about the incident for years afterwards, claiming she barely had enough self-control to withstand his control. This kind of thing was a joke to Jeff. He never failed to show his disdain for people. Usually disgust was the kindest emotion he exhibited when dealing with outer-org interns. They just weren’t up to his standard or that of Flag auditors. Those few who survived the indoctrination, gruelling hours, retreads, retrains and the constant shifting politics of being Flag crew were at least treated like they were somebody. Outer org students and interns were not.
Brian and Jeff were the two individuals who trained me when I first arrived on Flag. They were my “models” of how staff were to behave. I won’t go into any detail on what it took to survive this indoctrination, win their respect and become a valuable member of the “team.” It did, however, take some severe personality readjustment.
While I was still “green” at Flag, having only been there less than a year, I was posted as Jeff Walker’s junior: Intern Cramming Officer, FSO [Flag Service Org]. What a thrill! Imagine getting to be trained by the most senior Cramming Officer in the world! It had been my dream before coming to Flag, to be trained in Cramming by Jeff. Here I was! Right under him. Oh, what I would learn!
Well, the arrangement was a lot better for Jeff than it was for me. He got to stop handling those stupid outer-org interns, and I had to start.
He didn’t even talk to me for several months, except to grunt his disgust at me and the scum I was handling. I had to fend for myself, which was fine with me because Jeff was [and is] one of the most unpleasant individuals I had ever met and I didn’t miss his charming repartee.
Apparently LRH didn’t think much of him either, because two months after I was on post as Intern Cramming Officer, Hubbard busted Jeff and posted me in his place as Chief Cramming Officer, Flag. I was totally unprepared for what was to follow.
I had to cram every auditor in the HGC including the Class XIIs. Since I was only a class IV, I had to quickly study and check out on all of the material up through Class XII. I had a person posted as my junior to handle the interns, who was even greener than I. What a responsibility! I was now the most senior Cramming Officer in all of Scientology. It was just what I had wanted . . .
I found out what was meant by the saying “Be careful of what you want . . . you just may get it.” What a nightmare! The pressure was so great on me that I don’t think I said more than a 12 sentences to my wife during my first month on post. At the end of my 18 hour day, I would drag myself to my room, too overwhelmed to speak to or be touched — a total vegetable.
Then the disaster happened. It was bad enough to have to confront and cram the likes of Brian Livingston [who had since been busted to HGC auditor] and Jeff Walker [who had worked his way back up to the HGC after his LRH bust], but finally the supreme test — I had to cram the Commodore’s own son, Quentin, who was also one of the Class XIIs.
Quentin was sent to Cramming by the HGC C/S for failing to get all the reads on a C/S Series 53 when he first assessed it to an FNing list. PC didn’t progress, so the C/S ordered him to go back and assess it again. He found the 53 still reading, which indicated that reads had been missed the first time he FNed it. [Those of you who don’t understand what this was all about, are, as I said before, better off. Suffice it to say that he’d goofed up on someone paying many hundreds of dollars an hour for his “counselling.”]
I was supposed to check his TRs, assessment and metering and see why he messed up. It was a routine cram, but having to do it on LRH’s son made it something more.
Quentin, or “Q” as his friends called him, was 22 at the time. He looked 15 and acted 5. He was slight, blonde and effeminate in manner. While he sat if front of me in Cramming, he was constantly zooming his hand through the air between us and making noises simulating, much as a 5 year old would, the sound and motion of an airplane. I had been told that he was infatuated with flying, but I was unprepared for this: he did not stop his motions or noises through the entirety of our conversation.
That conversation was, to the best of my recollection, as follows:
DENNIS: “I see that you got some more reads on the 53 after it had FN’d.” [swallowing] “How do you think this happened?” Q: “I false reported.” [still zooming his hand through the air]
DENNIS: “You . . false . . . reported?” [beginning to stutter] “Uh-on the w-worksheets?” [knowing that this was one of the highest crimes an auditor could commit, and would require ethics handling and retraining “from the bottom up”]
Q: “Yea. I false reported that the 53 FNed.” [this said as casually as if telling me he ate cereal for breakfast]
DENNIS: “Uh . . . ” [struck with the import of the moment] Q: “I always do.”
DENNIS: “You mean . . .”
Q: “I mean I always false report when I have to FN a 53. I disagree with having to do that on pcs. It never does anything for the pc and it costs him hours of auditing. I think it’s better to just false report and get on with it.”
DENNIS: “?…….” [dumbstruck]
Q: “I think a lot of my father’s stuff doesn’t work. So I false report whenever I need to. Personally, I think my father’s crazy.”
[By this time, I had turned white and was sure that saliva was dripping out of my now cavernous mouth.]
DENNIS: “Uh . . you know . . . I’m going to have to re- train you . . . don’t you?” [hoping, beyond hope that it would be ok with him]
Q: “That’s fine.” [zoom goes the hand in the air] DENNIS: “. . .from the bottom up?”
Q: “Ok.” [paying little attention now]
DENNIS: “Well . . .[glancing at my watch and praying it was dinnertime]. . it’s almost four . . . why don’t you come back tomorrow . . . after I’ve had a chance to go over the folder more carefully, [trying to give any excuse for delaying the ethics routing form and retrain order] . . . then we’ll get you started on your retrain.” [said under my breath as he got up to leave] Q: “Ok.”
By the time this short conversation was over, I was gasping for air and my heart was pounding so loudly I could barely hear the thought screaming inside my head: “THAT’S LRH’S SON YOU’RE ABOUT TO RETRAIN FROM THE BOTTOM!!!!”
I went running out of the Cramming room looking for the only Class XII friend I had who had not yet blown, Ron Shafran. I found him near the swimming pool and he made me calm down enough to tell him the story. I asked him what I should do and he gave me the type of profound and deeply meaningful answer for which Class XII’s were famous. “I d’know. Do what you hafta!” and walked quickly away. [He and his wife Linda left within the year.]
The next day was more or less routine, except for my underlying dread of having to bust the Commodore’s son back to the HAS course. I went about my business and didn’t notice the day had flown by without Q reporting in, until the late evening. I decided to let it slide.
By the afternoon of the next day, he still hadn’t shown. My conscience was beginning to give me pressure. I felt guilty about my relief at his not showing up. Was this some kind of overt I was committing? No doubt! Better get out and do something about it.
By now Quentin’s retrain was the talk of the Tech and Qual divisions. I knew most people were betting he’d get off scot-free. He seemed to be in no trouble at all. But I had a job to do and policy to follow. I’d get it done.
I went looking for anybody who might know where Quentin was. Nobody did. Finally, I bumped into one of his few close friends. I believe it was Cathy Cariotoki who finally told me: Quentin had left for the West Coast to enroll [finally] in pilot school to learn how to fly.
I felt cheated. How could he be allowed to just skate out of the ethics trouble he was undoubtedly, but not visibly, in? In the back of my mind the thought: “Get real!! He’s the Commodore’s son, that’s how.”
I should have been screaming to the Qual Sec and Senior C/S about Q’s out-ethics. But instead I justified my cowardice in allowing him to walk away with his certs not pulled, by saying, “Well, he’s probably not going to be auditing, anyway.”
I was relieved, ashamed and shocked.
But, then, things had a tendency to move quickly from one emergency to another on Flag. “On with life!” or so I thought.
A couple of weeks later I arrived in the crew dining room for dinner to find the whole place quietly a-buzz with the news: “QUENTIN’S DEAD! NO ONE KNOWS HOW HE DIED. HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN MURDERED!”
At that moment, hand to the Lord, I thought, “Rumor has it that LRH was really pissed at Q. It was a huge loss of face for “the boss” having a gay son. This most recent disgrace — the false reporting — was the last straw. I bet he was murdered.”
We learned later that he was found in his car in the desert near Las Vegas airport. All the windows were closed and there was a tube from the tail pipe into the car. The car and his person had been stripped of all evidence such as licenses, which would identify the occupant. He was still alive, but unconscious when he was found. Something happened in the hospital and he died two weeks later without regaining consciousness. His death was listed as a “possible suicide.” There are obviously a few questions still unanswered about his death.
For instance, we never did find out the cause. Neither did the police.
But, when you think of the kind of life he was facing, with a megalomaniac father who considered him a liability in a grand scheme for world domination, there’s one thing we do know about his death:
“HE BETTA OFF!”
SOURCES
http://brainz.org/16-victims-church-scientology/
http://ocmb.xenu.net/ocmb/viewtopic.php?t=20521&postorder=asc
http://warninglabel.wetpaint.com/page/Scientolgy+%26+Suicide
http://whatstheharm.net/scientology.html
http://whyaretheydead.info/jed/informer.html
http://www.american-buddha.com/cult.thefable.12a.htm
http://www.arrogantatheist.com/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=302&Focus=27603
http://www.factnet.org/Scientology/bob_mill.htm
http://www.factnet.org/Scientology/suicide.htm
http://www.factnet.org/Scientology/suicide1.htm
http://www.forum.exscn.net/showthread.php?t=7122
http://www.holysmoke.org/sdhok/purif.htm
http://www.naderlibrary.com/cult.thefable.12.htm
http://www.raids.org/pofdeath.htm
http://www.rantrave.com/Rave/French-case-reveals-Scientology-secrets.aspx
http://www.skeptictank.org/hs/dps-cos/htm http://www.whyaretheydead.info/
http://www.xenu.net/archive/projects/qd-leaflets/d2-2.txt
http://www.factnet.org/discus/messages/26600/1367.html?1177378621
Supplement
WHY DID THEY DIE?
We know their names but sometimes nothing more. Any further information about these individuals would be welcomed.
25 January 2011
From ESMB:
Jorge ARROYO committed suicide on Freewinds while in RPF, 2010-2011:
Carol MILES witnessed it and has now disappeared
A for James F. Aubrey, Jr., from Sacramento, CA, died on 17 September 2009. Class VI, on staff in the 70’s and early 80’s. Survived by his sister Kelli, a New OT VIII.
A for Michael Adams, 49, died in 2002
A for Paul Armstrong, CosMod, Davis and Sacramento.
B for Catherine A. Baird who died 7 May 2009. She had been in Scientology 17 years.
B for Dot Bolstad, Sea Org, a ‘beautiful person’, who fell foul of DM and died “of a broken heart”.
B for Gail Botta, died 2010, C/S at the Long Island org
B for Harry and Pat Bloomberg, Sea Org. Pat and Harry were among the stalwarts attacked during DM’s reign of terror. Pat achieved the distinction of being declared after her death.
B for Henry Bartnik
B for Jack Becker, FCDC
B for Jim Bostrom, 44 – is this the guy the cult entrapped and then sued for copyright infringement?
B for Michael Bonnin who died while auditing on the upper levels.
B for Rick Bannerman, FCDC
B for Ros Bisbey, C/S Foundation, ST. HILL. UK
B for Suzanne Beals, FCDC
C for Beverly Carter, sister of Susan Todhunter – died in 1992 at age 51. Wealthy public.
C for Don Cooper, FCDC
C for Gib Campion who peacefully departed his body in January, 2007.
C for Joao Cancela
C for Ray Cross
C for Thelma Cusworth, UK: perhaps elderly
E for Alex Eenkhoorn 53, who died of “natural causes” in 2001
F for Mary Florence
F for Eunice Ford, who died of “natural causes” in 2002.
F for Karen Fuller, died while on OT3 -?
F for Lauren Fafard in 2003 -?
G for Alastair Guy who was Treasury Secretary at AOSHUK
G for Chez Glickman.
G for Larry Gentry, died 2010
G for Mark Gale, OT VII, worked at the Scientology ranch/school/prison in New Mexico.
H for Pamela Harris (formerly Flood, Thompson), was originally staff at Leeds Mission, U.K.
J for Fenton Jones.
H for Larry Horton who died 14 December 2009. Larry first discovered Scientology through the Phoenix Org with his wife Barbara Horton in 1976.
K for Ray Kundel.
K for Robert Kaufman (mentioned by Paulette Cooper).
L for Andre La Chambre, died aged 45 in 2002, possibly from kidney disease. Does anyone know?
L for Cesar Lavado
M for Claudio Mole, died 22 May 2010 aged 37, born in Argentina, and a Scientologist for over 20 years. How did he die?
M for Eric Malm died on 20 July 20th, 2009. He was a long-time Scientologist and Class IV auditor. He was introduced to Scientology in the 70s while attending UCLA.
M for Gitte Mogensen
P for Chris Probert
P for Dan Perz, 50, died in 2003; cause of death not known.
P for Larry Pollock, OT8. When and how did he die?
R for Corry Ryke, in since 1967, died 2010, Class VI and OT VIII
R for Howard Rower – said to have died from “natural causes”.
R for Ilya Rakhmanov
R for Myron Robinson who died in 2010. Does anyone have further information?
R for Cecelia Rojo, known as ‘Venus‘, 14 June 1980-13 May 1998. How did she die? (OCMB/ESK enquiry). http://ocmb.xenu.net/ocmb/viewtopic.php?t=27046&view=next
R for Nancy Kuever Richardson who died 5 December 2009. Nancy was from St. Louis Missouri and was previously an auditor and a Case Supervisor.
R for Ruth Ann Roberts, who was 58 when she died in 2000.
S for Andy Simson (or Simpson), who died of “natural causes” in 2000.
S for Corriere Della Sera.
S for Charles Sheahan who died aged 60 of “natural causes” in 2000.
S for Janice Savoie aged 60, who died of “natural causes” in 2001.
S for Phil Stannard, UK
S for Suzanna Sudalnik who died on 19 September 2009. In CoS 35 years.
T for Howard Thompson, who was ED Leeds Mission, UK.
T for James Twyman.
W for Daniel Wagner, who was 45 when he died in 2003.
W for Jane Winkler, OT7 – does anyone know anything more about this lady?
W for Jon Wootten, FSO NOTs FESer.
Y for Murray Youdell.
o0O0o
There are also 100 names of Sea Org members (not listed here) on their commemorative website which does not give ages or cause of death, only the date if known.
o0O0o
More information is always welcomed, particularly relating to the age and cause of death of any Scientologist or former Scientologist. The Editor has taken pains but apologises for the errors that inevitably arise in any such listing.
o0O0o
Golden Oldies
Old Scientologists are rare birds. There are so few of them. Even rarer are old Scientologists who die gracefully and with dignity. It is Church policy to neglect them and ignore pleas for even the most basic spiritual help.I have read that certain of those who died in the UK – John Harvey, John Cox, Thelma Cusworth and others – fared better and were cared for within the organisation at the end of their lives. But elsewhere it has been a different and truly terrible story.
In Their Hour of Greatest Need, Valerie Stansfield wrote: “Unbelievable but true – there is a church in the United States that refuses to succor those who are ill unto death. In their hour of greatest need, members of the Church of Scientology, by policy and practice are refused services, counselling or spiritual care from the spiritual body to which they have declared their allegiance.”
This is official policy, laid down by Hubbard. On 6 December 1976, he published a Policy Letter stating: “It shall be a Committee of Evidence offense… to accept for processing and process any PC (parishioner) … who is terminally ill, regardless of what the org. may have promised or asserted. Such diseases as advanced cancer are included.”
This may have been prompted by the fact that, only a few days earlier, on 17 November, he had received the unwelcome news that his estranged son, Quentin Hubbard (22), had died in hospital at Las Vegas, and that he had been identified before his death, despite all the precautions taken to remove identification from his body and his car. No service was held for him then or later and no public announcement of his death was ever made. Church members learned about it through newspaper reports and rumor.
By grim but appropriate irony, Hubbard himself died incognito, in a motor-home, neglected and deranged, after a series of strokes, in January 1986 aged 75. His body was cremated with indecent haste and the ashes were dumped without ceremony in the ocean.
--------------------------------------
B for Faith Banks, aged 71, in 2001 – her age is only remarkable because she was a Scientologist.
B for Louie Belucci, who died aged 74 from “natural causes”, in his case, uncontrolled diabetes.
D for Hank Deneke, 82, died around Christmas of 1985. He gave 23 years of his life on staff being paid a fraction of the minimum wage. He couldn’t get money for his Advanced Levels so no spiritual help was given. When he became terminally ill, he was ignored. Not one staff member attended his memorial service.
F for Donella Frost, 76, who was involved with Joan Lonstein in APUME. Cause of death not known.
H for John Harvey, John Harvey, AOSHUK, who spent 38 years in the Sea Org.
H for Marjorie Hunt, who died of “natural causes” in 2002 at the age of 84.
J for Fenton Jones, aged 88, died in 2000 – is more information available?
J for Laverne Jardine, who died aged 77 from “natural causes”.
K for Alfred W. Kozak who died 7 November 2009. He was in Dianetics, and Scientology from day one. In 1950, he read Dianetics and immediately joined the local Philadelphia Dianetics group and started co-auditing. Al followed LRH 59 years in this life. He made it up The Bridge to NED for OTs Case Level Completion.
L for Joan Lonstein, super-wealthy public, who died in 2010, probably of cancer, age unknown but certainly more than the Biblical span. She had gone OTVIII twice, in 1998 and 2004.
N for Marie Nollenberger, aged 95, in 2002. Does anyone know more about this lady?
O for Robert Oakes gave over 20 years of his life to forward and improve the Church. When he had severe heart trouble, only his friends offered help. At his passing only a private funeral was held. Only one Church staff member, an old friend, attended and there was no church officiation and no spiritual guidance offered his grieving widow.
P for Ed or Howard Pughes, 82, who died 1976, was exploited to the end. “In San Francisco or Sacramento in 1976, I recall an old man Ed or Howard Pughes being made to pay the totality of his savings for Flag services. He was an 82 year old man who knew he had little time to live and he was made to spend all of his money in a few months. The main motive was: to get his money. The registrar (Felice Brand) said: “He is a sweet old man who wants to give us all of his money before he dies.”
P for Grant Pool had routed on to begin the Special Briefing Course to further his ministerial training. He had been devoted for around 30 years. He was told he had to produce money to take a prerequisite course and being unable to do so, as age and severe physical problems plagued him, quietly hung around the Church unable to participate. When he died, the organization did nothing – his friends had a private memorial service for him.
R for Bob Ross: “natural causes”. If this is B. Robert Ross, Indie, born 1921, he was 79 in 2000 and is listed here because he lived to an unusual age for a Scientologist.
S for Idella (Ikey) Stone – Over 80 years old in 1983, when she became ill she wrote the Founder L. Ron Hubbard who ordered the Advanced Organization in writing to give her processing (counselling) at no charge. She got none. Idella started the first center for Hubbard in the world. She travelled and lectured for him since 1950. The newspapers gave her death front page exposure due to her general fame. No mention of it was made by the Church. When the Advanced Organization had refused her a minister, she and her friends requested a student Minister be dispatched to aid her – in her hours of greatest need after 35 years of devotion. They were told it would upset the Church’s plans for the students. Her funeral also had no official Church minister present.
S for Julia Salmen who started the Los Angeles branch of the Church and administered it for nearly two decades. She started many of the programs now permanently incorporated into their Scriptures. When she knew she was dying after a long illness several years ago, she called the Church’s Advanced Organization and asked for help. They refused to send a minister. Word passed among her friends and one of them came to counsel and prepare her, for which she was very appreciative. After her passing, the Church claimed that she died as a result of his faulty processing. A paragraph was published honoring her contributions (which was more than any of the others got). No official service was held.
S for Luzette Sparrin – This elegant Victorian lady in her 90s was heralded as “the oldest Minister in the Church.” She was almost blind and had no money. To her last she was writing to L. Ron Hubbard, asking for the return of money she had loaned him when he was poor and she an affluent opera singer. The letters were never acknowledged. When her house burned down in the 70’s no help from the nearby Church was given and she moved into a sleazy downtown hotel, until her final days at a welfare convalescent home. The Church had an official group called “The Gerus Society” which visited convalescent homes to cheer up the non-Scientology elderly, promoting the Church’s “charitable” ideals. When asked to visit Luzette they refused, stating it was “not our purpose.” Luzette had spunk, even to her last week talking of going back on stage. No official Church service, or even mention of her passing was ever done.
T for Lavina Timmons – this gracious former Executive of the New York C of S for years, active for decades, developed a rash under her arm while taking Advanced Ministerial Studies at the Church. She went to a doctor,who said she had cancer. She asked the church for help and as reply was declared “an illegal PC,” then refused further help or even further study. She went home and cried, passing away in 6 months with no Church support. Private friends gave her limited counselling and a private memorial. She had no family.
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Corrections, further information and new entries welcomed. In particular the Editor would like further information about cause of death where this is referred to officially as “natural causes”. In practice this has been found to include uncontrolled diabetes and cancer.
27 November 2010
They Should Not Have Died 