Up next in 10
We Escaped a Cult… Then I Took Them Down to Save Him | Reddit Story
Jul 31, 2025
#redditrelationship #aita #redditstories We Escaped a Cult… Then I Took Them Down to Save Him | Reddit Story Renee and Justin grew up trapped inside a fundamentalist cult where love was forbidden and freedom was punishable. Forced into a teenage marriage to suppress their independence, they secretly planned their escape and started a new life—until a horrific accident nearly ended it all. When Justin lay in the ICU and the cult resurfaced to reclaim him, Renee took action. With nothing to lose, she launched a calculated campaign to expose every dirty secret their families tried to hide—from IRS fraud to illegal gun sales. This is not just a story about escaping a cult. It’s about courage, chosen family, and how far love will go to protect the people we care about—even if it means setting fire to the past. 🧠 Cult dynamics 💔 Trauma bonds 💪 Resilience and healing 🏳️🌈 LGBTQ+ love and liberation 🕊️ Found family and justice 📌 Subscribe for more powerful true stories.
View Video Transcript
0:00
They were childhood friends, Renee and
0:02
Justin, growing up in the stifling
0:04
confines of an extremely restrictive
0:05
religious cult. Imagine a world where
0:08
reading anything outside of religious
0:10
texts was a punishable offense. Yet,
0:13
despite this oppressive decree, they
0:15
found solace and rebellion in forbidden
0:17
books, clandestine whispers, and shared
0:19
dreams. Their secret literary rebellion
0:22
forged an unbreakable bond, drawing them
0:25
closer until in high school, their
0:27
connection deepened into a forbidden
0:29
romance.
0:31
Their parents, steeped in the cult's
0:33
rigid doctrines, inevitably discovered
0:35
their relationship.
0:37
The fallout was catastrophic.
0:40
A collective mental breakdown ensued,
0:42
culminating in a forced marriage.
0:45
Justin and Renee, barely out of their
0:47
teens, were thrust into matrimony. a
0:50
desperate attempt by their families to
0:51
control their burgeoning independence
0:53
and ensure conformity.
0:56
What their families failed to grasp was
0:58
that forcing them together only
1:00
amplified their strength. Over the next
1:02
two years, in a quiet act of defiance,
1:04
they systematically chipped away at
1:06
their gilded cage. They set up a secret
1:09
bank account, meticulously siphoning
1:11
small, undetectable amounts from their
1:13
parents' paychecks. By the time they
1:16
were 20, they had amassed enough to
1:17
stage their escape.
1:19
Under the cloak of night, with only what
1:22
their car could hold, they vanished,
1:24
uprooting their lives and driving across
1:26
the country to a new, unknown freedom.
1:29
Once settled, a quiet, amicable divorce
1:32
followed. They had never wanted to be
1:34
married, but their bond transcended
1:37
marital vows.
1:39
For a time, they continued to live
1:41
together, morphing into something more
1:43
profound than platonic roommates. They
1:45
became each other's sole family, scarred
1:47
by mutual trauma, but fiercely loyal. As
1:50
they tentatively explored new
1:51
relationships, some partners were
1:53
unnerved by the intensity of their
1:55
connection, mistaking their trauma bond
1:57
for something else. But most understood,
2:00
recognizing the deep, unspoken language
2:02
of shared history that only Renee and
2:04
Justin understood.
2:06
Yet, even a thousand miles away, the
2:09
cult's tendrils reached.
2:12
Their families along with other
2:14
community members waged a relentless
2:16
campaign of harassment. People showed up
2:18
at their new home at all hours, their
2:21
presence a chilling reminder of the
2:22
world they'd left behind.
2:24
There were attempts to steal their
2:26
identities, though thankfully both had
2:29
prudently frozen their credit, thwarting
2:31
any financial damage.
2:33
The harassment was a constant low hum of
2:35
dread, a lingering shadow from their
2:37
past. Then the unthinkable happened.
2:41
Justin on his bike was struck by a car
2:44
that blew through a stop sign, plowing
2:47
directly into him. It was a horrific
2:49
accident. He was rushed to the hospital,
2:52
his life hanging by a thread and landed
2:54
in the ICU.
2:56
Renee, listed as his emergency contact,
2:59
received the devastating call while with
3:01
me and other friends.
3:03
I immediately drove her to the hospital,
3:05
her usual composure shattered by frantic
3:07
tears. Hospital staff, while
3:09
sympathetic, couldn't accommodate all of
3:11
us. Renee, however, was allowed in. She
3:15
emerged periodically, her face etched
3:18
with fear, relaying fragments of
3:20
information.
3:22
Justin, though not unconscious, was
3:24
unresponsive, lost in a haze of pain
3:26
medication.
3:28
Renee, distraught, was convinced he had
3:31
sustained permanent debilitating brain
3:33
damage. We, our small circle of friends,
3:36
desperately tried to soothe her,
3:38
reassuring her that he would be okay.
3:41
A friend who worked at the hospital as
3:42
an MRI technician, bless her heart, even
3:45
stopped by on her breaks to offer
3:47
comfort and calmer updates. We'd been
3:50
there all night and most of the day, and
3:52
the medical staff, despite the gravity
3:54
of the situation, offered glimmers of
3:56
hope. But then the nightmare escalated.
3:59
To this day, we don't know how they
4:01
found out, but 14 hours after Justin's
4:04
accident, his parents, uncles, and
4:06
grandfather descended upon the hospital
4:08
like a dark cloud. They immediately
4:10
demanded we be removed from the ICU,
4:13
Renee included. It was a brutal blow. As
4:16
his ex-wife Renee was no longer his
4:18
legal next of kin, holding no rights
4:21
against his blood family, she became
4:23
hysterical, inconsolable, convinced
4:26
Justin's family would hurt him. I'm
4:27
ashamed to admit the three of us with
4:30
her thought she was overreacting.
4:33
We knew their past was messed up, but
4:35
surely his own family wouldn't actively
4:37
impede his recovery.
4:39
Renee, furious at our attempts to calm
4:42
her, tried to explain the insidious
4:44
logic of their cult. According to their
4:46
twisted interpretation, she and Justin
4:49
deserved divine punishment. Only the
4:51
greatest suffering could prompt true
4:53
repentance and redemption.
4:55
Their families, she explained, embraced
4:58
this thinking. They wanted them to
5:00
suffer. It would prove leaving the cult
5:02
was wrong and drive them back into the
5:04
fold. As long as Justin is with his
5:07
family, she screamed. He won't be safe.
5:10
Our MRI tech friend, finding Renee in
5:12
this distraught state, pulled her aside.
5:15
She made Renee promise not to tell
5:16
anyone, warning her that releasing
5:18
privileged information could cost her
5:20
job. But she had caught wind of
5:23
something terrifying. Justin's parents
5:25
were aggressively demanding his release
5:27
into their care, even involving lawyers.
5:30
The hospital was currently refusing,
5:32
citing Justin's unstable condition.
5:36
But our friend warned, as soon as he
5:38
stabilized, or if the lawyers pressured
5:41
the hospital enough, his parents could
5:43
take him. This revelation hit us like a
5:46
physical blow. The cold, calculated
5:48
malice of it all. His parents were not
5:51
only willing to remove him from the very
5:53
hospital that had saved his life in his
5:56
fragile state, but were actively trying
5:59
to do it. For the first time, we truly
6:03
understood the depth of Rene's terror.
6:05
In that moment, Renee snapped, "Do or
6:08
die!"
6:09
Convinced Justin was literally on the
6:11
brink of death if she didn't act, she
6:13
decided she would ignite a fire that
6:14
would force his family to abandon their
6:16
hospital siege and run back to
6:18
extinguish their own burning empire. And
6:21
Renee had the ammunition. She possessed
6:24
a treasure trove of damning dirt on the
6:26
cult and its members. Like a woman
6:28
possessed, she unleashed her campaign.
6:31
She called the IRS fraud hotline,
6:33
detailing every intricate way the family
6:36
business was committing tax fraud.
6:38
She submitted an ATF tip exposing their
6:41
illegal firearm sales, unlicensed,
6:43
unchecked, and knowingly selling to
6:45
convicted felons. She reported one of
6:48
Justin's uncles for possessing multiple
6:50
firearms as a convicted felon. Then she
6:53
turned her attention to Justin's
6:55
mother's unlicensed daycare, a truly
6:57
shady operation. Over 30 children
7:00
crammed into one house. Justin's mom the
7:03
only adult with 12 and 14year-old
7:05
sisters farmed out for child care
7:07
duties. She called child protective
7:10
services on both Justin's uncles and his
7:12
parents providing extensive meticulous
7:14
details in every report. She finished
7:16
her calls and emails then waited. We all
7:20
waited for hours nothing. Then
7:23
miraculously Justin became lucid enough
7:26
to understand his situation and make his
7:28
own decisions. His first act, he kicked
7:31
his family out. From there, a slow,
7:34
steady path to recovery began. In the
7:37
whirlwind of relief and excitement over
7:39
Justin's recovery, we almost forgot
7:41
about Rene's desperate campaign until a
7:44
couple of weeks later. The screaming
7:47
voicemails began to pour into both their
7:49
phones. First, the business was being
7:51
investigated by the IRS, then illegal
7:55
firearms dealing, then the daycare.
7:59
Renee initially felt a pang of guilt but
8:02
quickly dismissed it. "No regrets," she
8:05
declared. "They would have unalived
8:07
Justin. In the year and a half since,
8:09
the cult's business has gone under." The
8:11
daycare shuttered.
8:13
One of Justin's uncles is 6 months into
8:15
a 5-year prison sentence for firearm
8:17
possession.
8:19
CPS investigations terrified the family,
8:22
though nothing legally came of it.
8:24
However, the parents are now too scared
8:26
to keep the kids home from school. And
8:28
with the daycare gone, the mom has no
8:31
incentive to exploit her daughter's
8:32
labor. Justin's younger siblings are
8:35
finally getting an education. Justin,
8:38
though he'll never fully recover from
8:40
the accident. He has permanent
8:41
neurological damage resulting in
8:43
tremors, is ecstatic to be alive.
8:46
He works full-time, remains physically
8:49
active, and in my eyes, he's a profound
8:51
winner. Renee and Justin are happy,
8:54
thriving, and stronger than ever. Since
8:56
my last post, life has continued to
8:59
unfold for our resilient duo. Renee and
9:02
her girlfriend got engaged at the end of
9:03
2019, planning a fall 2020 wedding. The
9:07
pandemic intervened, but they held a
9:09
small outdoor elopement that summer with
9:12
about 10 witnesses, including me and a
9:14
few others from our tight-knit chosen
9:16
family.
9:18
Justin, ever the supportive friend, even
9:20
got ordained online through the
9:22
Universal Life Church and performed the
9:24
ceremony.
9:25
It was a truly beautiful day. Rene's
9:29
family predictably ramped up their
9:31
harassment between the engagement and
9:33
the wedding. Cult members showing up at
9:35
her house, leaving creepy repent notes.
9:39
After the wedding, though, the contact
9:41
thankfully dropped off considerably.
9:43
Justin is also doing incredibly well.
9:46
He's been in a serious relationship for
9:48
2 years with a wonderful woman who has
9:50
seamlessly integrated into our chosen
9:52
family. His neurological issues have
9:54
seen amazing progress. Doctors say the
9:57
effects won't completely vanish, but
9:59
he's adapted remarkably well, working
10:01
full-time and cycling daily.
10:04
The harassment continues for him, too.
10:07
Phone calls and doorbell rings, but it
10:09
never escalates beyond that, and he
10:11
never answers.
10:13
The mystery remains. How do their
10:16
families keep finding them? They've
10:18
lived in our city for over a decade,
10:20
moved residences several times, and
10:22
changed their numbers repeatedly.
10:25
Yet, the cult seems to gain access to
10:27
their new information almost
10:28
immediately, resuming calls and visits
10:30
to new addresses. We've done forensic
10:33
sweeps of their devices and accounts.
10:34
Nothing. Their social media is heavily
10:37
locked down. I've even Googled their
10:39
names. No private database info. It's a
10:42
baffling, persistent threat. The
10:44
biggest, most heartwarming update,
10:46
however, is that Justin and Renee have
10:48
become an informal lifeline for others
10:50
trying to escape their creepy hometown.
10:53
Justin's oldest little sister was the
10:55
first. She turned 18 last year, reached
10:59
out on Instagram, and despite her
11:01
parents forbidding her college
11:02
acceptance, Justin sent her a plane
11:04
ticket. She packed essentials, got out,
11:07
stayed with Justin, and is now thriving
11:09
in college dorms with a permanent open
11:11
invitation to stay with him during
11:13
breaks. Next was a 19-year-old boy, a
11:17
friend of Justin's sister whom they
11:18
barely knew. Justin bought him a plane
11:21
ticket, too. He stayed with me for a few
11:24
months, a really cool kid. I helped him
11:27
find a job and he's now in a house share
11:29
with roommates his own age exploring the
11:31
casual dating scene with Gusto. The most
11:34
recent recipient of the Justin and Renee
11:36
Instagram DM Foundation for cult
11:38
escapism is Rene's 25-year-old cousin
11:42
stuck in an abusive marriage with the
11:44
cult and her family telling her to suck
11:46
it up and be a submissive godly wife.
11:49
Renee helped her escape. This has been a
11:52
bit challenging as the cousin is still
11:54
more or less a true believer, leaving
11:56
only because she feared for her life.
11:58
She's been somewhat homophobic about
12:00
Renee's wife. But Renee, ever the angel,
12:03
insists deprogramming takes time.
12:07
It's unclear how the cult feels about
12:08
Justin and Renee becoming an escape
12:10
route for others. Curiously, Rene's
12:13
cousin and the friend have both started
12:15
receiving the same harassment as Justin
12:17
and Renee, but Justin's sister hasn't
12:19
heard a peep, either here or at college.
12:23
The reasons for this difference remain a
12:25
mystery to us. But for now, our chosen
12:28
family is growing strong and resilient.
#Accidents & Disasters
#Violence & Abuse