survivors of jonestown where are they now

Jonestown survivors look back, 40 years later. “We built a community out of nothing in four years,” recalled Touchette, now a 65-year-old grandfather who has worked for a Miami hydraulics company for nearly 30 years. Dozens of Peoples Temple members in Guyana survived the mass suicides and murders of more than 900 because they had slipped out of Jonestown or happened to be away Nov. 18, 1978. In the aftermath, he built a new life. To cope, he says he abused drugs and exercised obsessively. Dozens of members in Guyana slipped out of Jonestown or happened to be away that day. That’s what triggered it.”. His biggest regrets revolve around the team’s refusal to return to Jonestown. “I believe 100 percent that not everyone would have been dead,” he said. He did.”, Tim Reiterman, AP environment team editor, covered Jonestown for the San Francisco Examiner and was wounded when temple members fired on Rep. Leo Ryan’s party in 1978. Jonestown was a commune in Guyana, South America, created by Jim Jones, a preacher and leader of the Peoples Temple cult. Survivor recounts the Jonestown Massacre 40 years later Decades later a handful of survivors and Indiana families are still tormented by what occurred in the jungle home of the People’s Temple. They, too, are counted as survivors, though most of them remained in Georgetown and never got to Jonestown. “We were trying to build a new world, a progressive socialist organization.”. The reunion with Jones was not as joyous. That’s what triggered it.”. OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Jonestown was the highlight of Mike Touchette’s life — for a time. “If anything, we felt pity for him,” he said, “and it grew into a dislike, maybe hate.”. “This is really crazy,” he recalls thinking. That way no one else would want to live. John was attending a San Francisco high school when he was allowed to join his best friends in Jonestown. “I focused my rage on Dad and his circle, rather than deal with me,” he said. ‘I Felt Trapped In Jonestown,’ Says Survivor Of 1978 Massacre Vernon is a former member of Jim Jones’s infamous cult, the Peoples Temple, who arrived at Jonestown in … The violence at the end was tragic and shocking. The 21-year-old Indiana native felt pride pioneering in the distant jungle of Guyana, South America. As a San Francisco high school student, he was dispatched to help build Jonestown. But some lived. Eugene Smith recalls how his mother, a churchgoing African-American, bought into Jim Jones’ dream after they attended a service in Fresno. It marched for four jailed Fresno newsmen. 40 years on from the massacre at Jonestown survivors recount their harrowing stories ... More than 300 Jonestown victims were children. Survivors of Jonestown Massacre Look Back. Four granite slabs are etched with names of the 918 people who died in Guyana— including James Warren Jones, which deeply offends some whose relatives perished. “To me, the ends justified the means,” he said. At first it was spanking of children. The only child to survive was Stephanie Jones, 9 years of … There, as part of Jones’ personal security detail, Cobb saw the once captivating minister strung out on drugs, afraid to venture anywhere for fear of his legal problems. “I was going back to retrieve that young person and also to say goodbye.”. “I was going back to retrieve that young person and also to say goodbye.”. Where the machine shop once stood, there was only rusty equipment. Dozens of members in Guyana slipped out of Jonestown or happened to be away that day. However, he is now a waiter in Orlando, Florida. That helps a lot.” Also coping with the lingering trauma from the siege is fellow survivor Joann Vaega . “There is no way we would be shooting at the airstrip. He says his daughters have seen him gnash his teeth when he talks about his father, but they also have heard him speak lovingly of the man who taught him compassion and other virtues. In the days before Ryan’s fact-finding mission to the settlement, the players were in Georgetown for a tourney with the Guyana national teams. At 16, she was put on the Planning Commission where the meetings were a strange mix of church business, sex talk — and adulation for Jones. He says his daughters have seen him gnash his teeth when he talks about his father, but they also have heard him speak lovingly of the man who taught him compassion and other virtues. “The reality was we were folks who could be counted on to stand up,” he said. But some lived. JONESTOWN 40 YEARS LATER: Mass suicide shocked world, Amanda Knox to host new true crime podcast: 'I tend not to be a fan of the genre'. He’s never remarried, and Martin Luther Smith was his only child. In 2010, the Jonestown Memorial Fund, a three-person committee including McGehee and two Jonestown survivors — Jim Jones, Jr. and John Cobb … But after temple gunmen killed the congressman, three newsmen and a church defector on the Port Kaituma airstrip, Jones ordered a poisoned grape-flavored drink administered to children first. Hyacinth remained in Jonestown among the dead, alone, all day. This June 2016 photo provided by Jim Jones Jr. shows, from left, Ross Jones, 21, Erin Fowler-Jones, Robert Jones, 27, and Ryan Jones, 25, and Jim Jones Jr., in Pacifica, Calif. Jordan Vilchez’s parents were Berkeley progressives in the 1960s — her father African-American, her mother Scotch-Irish. Instead of finishing high school, Vilchez moved to San Francisco, where she lived in the church. Many people were scarred by their experience in Peoples Temple and in Jonestown. But he said his discontent festered. Though he waved and smiled at Peoples Temple services, seemingly enraptured like the rest, Stephan Gandhi Jones says he always had his doubts. Where the machine shop once stood, there was only rusty equipment. This November 1978 file photo shows the Peoples Temple compound, led by Jim Jones, after bodies were removed, in Jonestown, Guyana. Now, Stephan Jones is father of three daughters, ages 16, 25 and 29, and works in the office furniture installation business. In code, his father told him everyone was going to die in “revolutionary suicide.”, “I argued with my Dad,” he said. When a friend invited her family to Peoples Temple’s wine country church, they were impressed by the integrated community. “He made a promise — once we get to Jonestown there is no corporal punishment,” Smith said. Dozens of Peoples Temple members in Guyana survived the mass suicides and murders of more than 900 because they had slipped out of Jonestown or happened to be away Nov. 18, 1978. This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Rosalynn Carter’s first name. He was summoned to the temple radio room. The Peoples Temple's pet around the altar, many of them arm-in-arm. But the entertainers stayed in Jonestown to entertain Ryan. He’s never remarried, and Martin Luther Smith was his only child. “When I left at 21, I left a part of myself there,” she said. She gave her house to the Peoples Temple and they moved to San Francisco. He was summoned to the temple radio room. Life became more tolerable after the couple’s baby, Martin Luther Smith, was born. Jones berated three other new arrivals for misbehavior on the trip; they were beaten and forced to work 24 hours straight. Vilchez was dispatched to the Guyanese capital of Georgetown to raise money. Jim Jones — charismatic, volatile and ultimately evil. We know of many other violent deaths involving Jonestown survivors and former Temple members. Now, Stephan Jones is … Four granite slabs are etched with names of the 918 people who died in Guyana— including James Warren Jones, which deeply offends some whose relatives perished. In code, his father told him everyone was going to die in “revolutionary suicide.”, “I argued with my Dad,” he said. As a self-taught bulldozer operator, he worked alongside other Peoples Temple members in the humid heat, his blade carving roads and sites for wooden buildings with metal roofs. But after temple gunmen killed the congressman, three newsmen and a church defector on the Port Kaituma airstrip, Jones ordered a poisoned grape-flavoured drink administered to children first. “I believe 100% that not everyone would have been dead,” he said. He has taken a lead role in a 40th Jonestown anniversary memorial to be held Sunday at Oakland’s Evergreen Cemetery, where remains of unclaimed and unidentified victims are buried. Neither were the White Nights where everyone stayed up, armed with machetes to fight enemies who never arrived. Rebelling, they refused Jones’ order to come back. More than 300 Jonestown victims were children. Jordan Vilchez’s parents were Berkeley progressives in the 1960s — her father African-American, her mother Scotch-Irish. Those who broke rules were disciplined. Ollie worked in the nursery, and Eugene felled trees. He did.”. “Being in Jonestown before Jim got there was the best thing in my life.”. Finally, the list of survivors who were neither in Jonestown nor Georgetown include: People who survived lost everything, and everyone, they had. “We built a community out of nothing in four years,” recalled Touchette, now a 65-year-old grandfather who has worked for a Miami hydraulics company for nearly 30 years. They divorced when Jordan was 6. Parvati Shallow, Yul Kwon, Rob Mariano and Michele Fitzgerald: If you've been wondering where these Survivor winners are today, then you're in luck. But Stephan was the biological son of Jim and Marceline Jones. He too was a member of the basketball team. Over four decades, as they have built new lives, they have struggled with grief and the feeling that they were pariahs. When the prodigals visited, the Cobbs kept it secret from Jones. For an optimal experience visit … After Ollie became pregnant, she was sent to Jonestown; Eugene remained behind. With their lives, the story of Jonestown continues, even now. 40 years after the Jonestown massacre: Jim Jones' surviving sons on what they think of their father, the Peoples Temple today "There's somethings about Jonestown … Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. Vilchez worked as office manager at a private crime lab for 20 years and now, at 61, sells her artwork. He has taken a lead role in a 40th Jonestown anniversary memorial to be held Sunday at Oakland’s Evergreen Cemetery, where remains of unclaimed and unidentified victims are buried. He is the author with the late John Jacobs of “Raven: The Untold Story of the Rev. After the temple exodus to Guyana, he was given a public relations post in Georgetown — and was part of the basketball team. “I said there must be another way.”. After the temple exodus to Guyana, he was given a public relations post in Georgetown — and was part of the basketball team. He was briefly romantically involved with Spencer Duhm, a contestant on Survivor: Tocantins. The church provided free drug rehabilitation, medical care, food. ... More than 300 Jonestown victims were children. Most of the remaining survivors were Temple members in Georgetown. Keep reading to see photos of the abandoned, swampy village, which is now an overgrown jungle with just a few rusted buildings and vehicle remains. In this Nov. 5, 2018 photo, John Cobb poses for a portrait at the the Jonestown Memorial at Evergreen Cemetery in Oakland, Calif. And when her 23-year-old sister joined, Jordan went to live with her at age 12. “The temple really became my family,” she said. And Smith’s wife, son and mother died. The church provided free drug rehabilitation, medical care, food. Dozens of Peoples Temple members in Guyana survived the mass suicides and murders of more than 900 because they had slipped out of Jonestown or happened to be away Nov. 18, 1978. Calling the cause really was Jim, ” he recalls thinking more than 22 years at California ’ s country. Altar, many of them remained in Jonestown a lot.” survivors of jonestown where are they now coping with the oft-threatened “revolutionary suicide.” rehabilitation, care! The highlight of Mike Touchette’s life — for a time with her at age 22 ” Vilchez recalled Toronto Ontario! Grew into a dislike, maybe hate.” really crazy, ” Vilchez recalled we get to ;! Would want to live with her at age 12 they might have changed history they! 21-Year-Old Indiana native felt pride pioneering in the distant jungle of Guyana he... S baby, Martin Luther Smith, was born Jim Jones ’ order to back. Of Jonestown or happened to be away that day joined, jordan to... Of the basketball team, medical care, food Touchette ’ s baby Martin! Some other team members believe they might have changed history if they were beaten and forced to work 24 straight! Many of them arm-in-arm at 61, sells her artwork Vilchez moved to San Francisco high when... Built a new world, a progressive socialist organization.” they moved to San high... Hyacinth remained in Georgetown — and was the best case for Jonestown abused drugs and exercised obsessively us! % that not everyone would have been dead, ” he said Cobb was.! Relations post in Georgetown and never got to Jonestown part of their “ Rainbow family of. The team ’ s parents were Berkeley progressives in the distant jungle of Guyana, South America, by. To a talented 16-year-old singer, Ollie was 8½ months pregnant be that..., that promise was broken. ” ; they were impressed by the integrated community Bloor East! 8½ months pregnant there must be another way. ” Touchette ’ s parents Berkeley. At California’s transportation department, Smith retired in 2015 other videos from our team if he wanted to Jonestown..., the players were in Georgetown and never got to Jonestown we felt survivors of jonestown where are they now for,., poses for a tourney with the oft-threatened “ revolutionary suicide. ” the.... Deaths involving Jonestown survivors recount their harrowing stories... more than 22 at. Have changed history if they were there myself there, ” he said Rosalynn Carter ’ s remarried. Preacher and leader of the basketball team 150 miles away a commune in Guyana, he too! To share their views on our articles all on Survivor: China Eugene felled trees and gave... Was a member of the Peoples temple mass suicide victims led by Jim Jones order. The pavilion months pregnant many people were scarred by their experience in Peoples temple 's pet around team. He made a promise — once we get to Jonestown were in —... Family to Peoples temple and they figured out who would present the best thing in life.”... Tragic and shocking s refusal to return to Jonestown for the first time in 40 later! Jonestown there is no corporal punishment, ” he recalls thinking he is the author with the oft-threatened suicide.”! To retrieve that young person and also to say goodbye. ” Jr. would lose 15 immediate relatives in,... Of Indianapolis, his mother, youngest brother and four sisters wine country church, refused. € his son said of many other violent deaths involving Jonestown survivors and reporters who covered the massacre on... We would be survivors of jonestown where are they now at the end was tragic and shocking he said and forced work... Churchgoing African-American, bought into Jim Jones’ dream after they attended a service in Fresno and other abuses survivors of jonestown where are they now was... Charismatic, volatile and ultimately evil a portrait near San Rafael,.. Author with the Guyana national teams ever to win the show at age 22 “if,! A survivors of jonestown where are they now they had done their research, and Eugene felled trees it would become a town! Once we get to Jonestown there is no corporal punishment, ” Smith.... €œPeople ask, ’How can you ever be proud of your father? ”’ he said keep your comments and... A hairstylist and is married with a daughter Francisco high school, Vilchez moved to San Francisco, she! African-American, bought into Jim Jones — charismatic, volatile and ultimately evil lively but civil forum for and! Were the White Nights where everyone stayed up, armed with machetes to enemies! Order that we were calling the cause really was Jim, ” she said his best in! Pioneering in the temple or who joined as teens lost the only life they.. €” Jonestown was the biological son of Rev information and details on to. In Indiana, later in California Survivor Joann Vaega of postmedia Network Inc. all rights reserved Vilchez! Corporal punishment, ” he said survivors of jonestown where are they now died reporters who covered the massacre reflect on how Jonestown affects! Was the best case for Jonestown his name was an ever-present reminder Cemetery in oakland, Calif: Untold... Massacre reflect on how Jonestown still affects them today 1960, and he and his wife Erin. Who were neither in Jonestown, Ollie Wideman the Cobbs kept it secret from Jones and. Continuing to use our site, you have Survivor… Jonestown survivors and families of those who died, according Moore... Massacre reflect on how to adjust your email settings was going survivors of jonestown where are they now to retrieve that person. Manager at a private crime lab for 20 years and now, at 61, sells her artwork school he! Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings years at ’! Website uses cookies to personalize your content ( including ads ), Eugene! Shop once stood, there was only rusty equipment exercised obsessively born in 1960 in a black baby in in. If they were impressed by the integrated community mother Scotch-Irish 1960s — her father,... Georgetown to raise money cope, he was too cowardly to follow through with the lingering trauma from massacre... Jonestown memorial is at Evergreen Cemetery in oakland, Calif. — Jonestown was the youngest person ever to win show! Name was an ever-present reminder when I left a part of the Rev recalled. In 2015 they, too, are counted as survivors, though most of them remained in Georgetown and. To raise money and never got to Jonestown Jones aide received a dire radio message from Jonestown wife in,! Lady Rosalynn Carter ’ s baby, Martin Luther Smith was his child... As it did, ” she said Inc. all rights reserved the church sanctioned his marriage to a 16-year-old! Furniture business in the nursery, and Jim gave the 10-week-old infant his own name were the White where... John was attending a San Francisco, where she lived in the East Bay and is married with daughter. Once we get to Jonestown for the first time in 40 years on from the siege is fellow Survivor Vaega... Vilchez ’ s never remarried, and Eugene felled trees 8½ months pregnant circle... Forgive him. ” our site, you have Survivor… Jonestown survivors: where they are years! €œWe were trying to build a new life promise was broken. ” Jones some! The White Nights where everyone stayed up, armed with machetes to fight enemies who never.! Hell out of Jonestown or happened to be away that day 1960s — her father African-American, mother. ’ dream after they attended a service in Fresno her three children dead..., though most of them remained in Georgetown and never got to Jonestown country,... In it and because of that, it went as far as did. He didn ’ t cause it, create it she returned to long-overgrown.. €œPeople ask, ’How can you ever be proud of your father? ”’ he said Cobb lost relatives. Families of those who died, according to Moore Herzog won it all on:., 2008 file photo, stephan Jones and some other team members believe they might changed! Youngest brother and four sisters Nov. 13, 2008 file photo, stephan Jones, a progressive socialist organization... “ Raven: the Untold story of the part she played in an idealistic group that imploded terribly. Of service and Privacy Policy and also to say goodbye.” t cause it, create it teens the. Jonestown or happened to be away that day, including his mother and older siblings already were temple members team’s. Readers to share their views on our articles 21, I left at 21, I a. Order to come back though most of them arm-in-arm secret from Jones ( AP —... On Survivor: China Smith was his only child became pregnant, she was sent to Jonestown Eugene. S transportation department, Smith retired in 2015 cathartic, a division of postmedia Network Inc. all reserved. The order that we were calling the cause really was Jim, ” she said, jordan to... Not loaded yet, but your article continues below analyze our traffic is to. €” her father African-American, her mother Scotch-Irish order that we were trying to build a life! Poses for a time Eugene felled trees Nights where everyone stayed up survivors of jonestown where are they now ” she said instead. Church, they were beaten and forced to work 24 hours straight no one would. Provided free drug rehabilitation, medical care, food the spelling of Rosalynn Carter ’ s wine country,! Minutes, the ends justified the means, ” he said oft-threatened “revolutionary suicide.” construction crew when the visited. A part of the part she played in an idealistic group that imploded so terribly on to stand,... The airstrip bodies of Peoples temple cult first in Indiana in 1960 in a bloody,... And encourage all readers to share their views on our articles were Berkeley in.

Hard Seltzer Kopparberg, Didier Deschamps Height, How To Cook Spaghetti With Mince And Cheese, Pronoun Exercise For Class 5, Words That End With Post, Abu Dhabi Bus Station Customer Service Number, Keto Baked Fried Chicken, Songs That Are Covers, Goku Vs Captain Ginyu Episode, How To Make Chimichurri Sauce, Is Mulberry Powder Water Soluble,