Body Snatcher: Cult Leader Samuel Bateman Convinced His Wives To Brazenly Kidnap Underage Victims From Arizona Foster Homes

Crazed cult leader Samuel Bateman convinced loyal spouses to allegedly kidnap eight of his underage “wives” from the custody of Arizona Department of Child Safety, RadarOnline.com has learned.

The brazen plot was allegedly hatched by Bateman, 47, in November 2022 when he was being held in federal prison for tampering with evidence following an FBI raid at his Arizona compound where he reigned as the self-appointed “prophet” of the Mormon splinter group.

Nine of the underage victims were assigned to Arizona group homes following the raid but that didn’t stop Bateman from convincing four of his adult wives to literally abscond with the victims, according to the newly unsealed 51-count indictment obtained by RadarOnline.com.

The suspects “assisted eight o the nine minor female victims (three of them under the age of 14) to leave the custody of the AZ (Department of Child Safety) group homes in which they were staying pending delinquency proceedings following the September 13, 2022, arrest of defendant Samuel Rappylee Bateman,” the indictment stated.

The alleged kidnappings occurred between November 26 and December 1, 2022, according to investigators who caught wind of the plot when the boneheaded prophet called the child snatching accomplices from prison – apparently unaware the conversations were being recorded.

In one video prison call, one accomplice told Bateman they were unable to grab one victim – identified as Jane Doe 6 – “but that they had tried and ran for their lives after police were called,” the indictment stated.

As the accomplice panned her the cell phone camera showing the eight kidnapping victims holed out in a hotel room, an undeterred Bateman “told them they needed to get” Jane Doe 6.

The eight victims were found in Spokane, Washington, hiding in an Airbnb paid for by one of the Bateman’s followers, per the indictment.

Bateman was also accused of intimidating and “corruptly” trying to persuade nine of the underage girls to stonewall investigators and keep their mouth shut – especially in front of grand jury. This time the clueless Bateman used a prison email server.

Never miss a story — sign up for the RadarOnline.com newsletter to get your daily dose of dope. Daily. Breaking. Celebrity news. All free

Bateman emerged at the leader of the sect – known as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS) – in 2019 after duping staunch followers into believing its former leader, Warren Jeffs, died in a Texas prison where he is serving life for raping two girls, according to the Salt Lake City Tribune investigation.

Bateman amassed more than 20 wives — half of them under 18 — which he recruited as he shuttled between the states of Nebraska, Utah, Colorado, and Arizona visiting followers known as “Samuelites,” and convincing brainwashed followers to hand over their young daughters.

“His intent was to engage in sexual activity with minor girls, and he did so on a regular basis,” according to a copy of the superseding indictment obtained by RadarOnline.com.