A Utah mom, Kimberly Dell Davidson-Drolet, is accused of kidnapping her 5-year-old daughter for over a year in the middle of a divorce, taking the girl to a cult in Missouri known for advocating bitcoin as a cure for government control. Davidson-Drolet spent 14 months planning the abduction, selling her car, withdrawing money from her bank account, and leaving her cell phone behind to remain untraceable. The girl, identified by the media as Gracyn Drolet, was taken out of state without permission, violating the custody agreement with her husband and a court order.
On the day of the kidnapping, Davidson-Drolet packed her belongings and her daughter’s belongings in boxes and duffle bags and left with her relative to stay in a home provided by a cult similar to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She evaded authorities for over a year by using prepaid burner phones, sending letters to her other children through her sister, and receiving support from the cult. The girl went by a different name, possibly Peppa, and law enforcement had been searching for her since February 2023, with an arrest warrant issued in December 2023. Davidson-Drolet had plans to flee to Thailand with the cult leader, Paul Dean, who believes bitcoin is a solution for government control.
Davidson-Drolet, along with her sister Kristine Merrill and relatives Jaxson and Dallas, is charged with kidnapping and conspiracy. Federal prosecutors seek to keep her in custody as she is considered a risk to her daughter and a flight risk. Davidson-Drolet has Sovereign Citizen beliefs and holds the view that federal and state courts have no jurisdiction over her. Dean, who leads the cult in Missouri, founded two Native American churches and promotes the use of bitcoin as a solution to government control. Davidson-Drolet no longer has custody of her children, and the current whereabouts of Gracyn are unknown.
Authorities have been seeking Davidson-Drolet since her disappearance in January 2023, going to great lengths to evade apprehension and involving various family members in her plan to take her daughter out of Utah. She maintained contact with her relatives through phone cards and expressed feeling safe in Missouri due to the lack of extradition. The cult leader expressed intentions to flee to Thailand with Davidson-Drolet, who faces kidnapping and conspiracy charges along with her family members. The defense attorneys for the defendants are unknown at this time.
In an attempt to avoid arrest, Davidson-Drolet used burner phones and received support from the cult in Missouri, where they believed they would be safe from extradition. The cult leader, Paul Dean, advocates for the use of bitcoin as a solution to government control and founded two churches in Missouri. Davidson-Drolet, along with her sister and relatives, face charges of kidnapping and conspiracy. Federal prosecutors aim to keep her in custody due to concerns about her influence on her daughter and the risk of flight. The current custody situation of Gracyn, the abducted daughter, remains uncertain.
