Custody hearing continues for teen Jeffs allegedly wed

Published 10:23 pm Monday, August 18, 2008

SAN ANGELO, Texas — The mother of a girl allegedly given in marriage at age 12 to jailed polygamist leader Warren Jeffs refused to answer questions Monday from attorneys for the state child welfare agency that wants to regain custody of the girl and her younger brother.

The state wants to remove the girl, now 14, and an 11-year-old brother from the 55-year-old mother’s care, saying she isn’t a suitable caregiver because her daughter and several other children were involved in underage marriages.

The woman has 10 children, and Ruby Gutierrez, an investigator for the state department of Child Protective Services, testified Monday that two adult sons took underage brides and three daughters were given in marriage when they were underage.

The hearing ended after child welfare attorneys finished presenting their evidence Monday evening and was scheduled to resume this morning with witnesses for the mother.

During the proceedings, Texas Ranger Nick Hannah introduced into the record dozens of documents seized from the Yearning For Zion Ranch in Eldorado showing marriages recorded in certificates, photos and church census documents. He said the 30 documents introduced at the hearing were among “hundreds of thousands” of documents taken from the ranch in April.

The mother refused to answer about 50 questions asked by attorneys for the child welfare agency, including what constituted abuse, the names of her children and her relationship with their father.

“I stand on the Fifth (Amendment),” she said repeatedly in a flat tone.

Child welfare authorities have been investigating the cases of 440 children since the Texas Supreme Court ordered that the children removed from the YFZ Ranch in April be returned to their parents. The state has asked the court to dismiss cases involving 76 children, including nine who have turned 18 since the custody case began; the remaining cases are still under investigation.