Canadian True Crime - 107 Alberta Naked Kidnappings

Episode Date: March 1, 2022

In 2017, a bizarre incident occurred near Nisku, Alberta when five people - four of them naked - decided to kidnap their neighbours. The story that unravelled would make international headlines.Podcast recommendation:Connections: The Podcast by We Talk of DreamsUkrainian aid:Donate to Red Cross Thanks for supporting our sponsors!See the special offer codes here Ad-free episodes:All episodes, ad-free and often early on Patreon and Supercast.Credits:Research and writing: Kristi LeeAudio editing and production: Erik Krosby, Kristi LeeDisclaimer voiced by the host of TrueTheme Song: We Talk of Dreams  All credits and information sources can be found on the page for this episode at canadiantruecrime.ca/episodes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi everyone, I hope you're staying safe and well. Just a couple of things before we start. Today's case is based on a bonus episode released to the premium feeds about 18 months ago, but this version is longer and it's also been remastered. It is not my preference to do this, and my apologies to those who listened to that original version. But please watch this space as you'll have early access to two multi-parters I've been working very hard on in the background and will be coming down the pipeline. Now while today's case didn't have enough in-depth information for a longer episode, it is an intriguing case. The only one like this from Canada that I could find, and best of all, no one was murdered or seriously hurt.

The second thing is perhaps the biggest true crime story of our lifetime, and it's unfolding in Ukraine right now. If you weren't aware, Canada has the largest Ukrainian population in the world outside of Ukraine and Russia, and thousands of them need our help right now. If you have the means to donate, please join me in donating to the Red Cross Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal at redcross.ca or see the link in the show notes. Thank you so much, and for anyone listening who has ties to Ukraine, our thoughts are with you. And with that, it's on with the show. Canadian True Crime is a completely independent production, funded mainly through advertising.

The podcast often has coarse language and disturbing content, and it's not for everyone. It was the morning of Monday, November the 6th, 2017, near the small community of Niskeu in Alberta, just south of Edmonton. It was a freezing cold morning, minus 8 degrees Celsius, or 17 degrees Fahrenheit. A man was driving his company truck on a snow-lined road, when all of a sudden he saw two people run out from the side ditch with no shoes on, waving their arms. He stopped his truck to see what was happening. There was a middle-aged man and a younger woman holding a newborn baby, and they were both saying they'd been kidnapped. He quickly ushered them into the safety and warmth of his truck. But suddenly,

the truck was rammed from behind, sending it into the snow-filled ditch. The woman and her baby were thrown against the truck's dashboard. Luckily, the passengers in the truck were unharmed, and the RCMP arrived just minutes later along with the fire service. The driver watched as the officers dealt with the other car that had rammed his truck from behind. It was a brand-new white BMW SUV. One by one, five people were removed from the car, but not without a fight. There was a lot of screaming and yelling as a man and a woman, and then two teenage girls emerged from the car, all completely naked, with their hands cuffed behind their backs. Finally, there was one woman left, the driver. She was clothed, but she put up the biggest

fight of all. It took five police officers to get her out. Slowly but surely, the details would emerge of a bizarre story that would make international headlines. It wasn't long before news trucks arrived and the public started hearing about what would be coined the Alberta Naked Kidnappings. The RCMP released a statement saying drugs and alcohol were considered to be factors in the case and that four of the naked people in the BMW had been taken to hospital for what police described as various reasons. It was announced that the man, woman and baby who had been rescued actually knew the naked people in the BMW, but no further information was given at the time. RCMP Corporal Laurel Scott told the media that the RCMP had

determined that the car crash was not an accident. It was a purposeful collision. She added, We are trying to sort through all the different information we have so we can figure out from start to finish what this incident is all about. She couldn't explain why four of the five people in the BMW SUV weren't wearing clothes. Soon after this, it emerged that the three people in the truck were actually three generations, a father, his adult daughter and her six-week-old infant. They had been forced from their home in Ladook County against their will and shoved into the BMW SUV. Somehow though, they managed to escape and were able to flag down the truck. The man who was driving that truck declined to speak with the media, instead referring them to his employer who

arrived soon afterwards. The employer told CTV News Edmonton that the family members were in obvious distress when they flagged the truck down. Quote, Apparently they came out of the ditch with no shoes on, so he stopped to see obviously if they needed help. It's the middle of winter and people are running around with no shoes on. You stop to help them. He went on to say that after they climbed into the safety of the company truck and it was soon rammed from behind, the traumatized family stayed right where they were, not saying much, preferring to wait in the truck as the RCMP dealt with the BMW. Quote, I think they were just happy to be okay, happy to not be in a car full of naked people anymore. He admitted that he was chuckling, as were some of the RCMP

officers. Quote, It's kind of a comical situation you must admit. After you put aside that the people are safe now, we have a car full of naked people in the ditch. He went on to describe watching the BMW now a crumpled wreck at the front as police and firefighters pulled four naked people out of it one by one. Through the screaming and crying, one of them was ordered to sit down on the ground right now. The employer of the truck driver said that he saw the police use what appeared to be tasers on the suspects before they were all handcuffed behind their backs with no way of covering their naked bodies. Quote, The guy had to do the walk of shame in front of everybody. Then the one lady was the last to be removed. She put up the biggest fight. He described it as a

pretty wild ride, taking five police officers to get her out of the car. In the days that followed, the RCMP issued a news release stating that they had charged a 35 year old woman along with a 27 year old man and his 30 year old wife with kidnapping and resisting arrest. The two teenage girls also in the car were released without charges. Additionally, the RCMP said they would not be releasing the names of any of the people involved in the incident because it involved two minors whose identities needed to be protected. It was referred to as a targeted incident, but the RCMP wouldn't release any information on how these five people all knew each other, why they were naked or what their relationship was to the three people they were charged with

kidnapping. In the meantime, some strange details started to come out. The first piece of information came from a man who identified himself as the father of the two teenage girls who were aged 13 and 15. He told CTV News that the three adults they were with were good people. He said that the 35 year old woman in the car was his ex-wife and the mother of his two daughters. It would later come out that this was the woman who was driving the car, the woman who resisted arrest so forcefully that five officers were needed to get her out of the car. What was she doing driving the car like that with her two teenage daughters naked in the back seat, not to mention the other two people? The father of the girls told CTV News that it was his understanding that his ex-wife and their

two daughters were having breakfast with two friends, the 27 year old man and his 30 year old wife. The man had reportedly come back from an overseas trip with some special tea, which the girl's father said was hallucinogenic. He added that the tea was what kicked off what he described as the whole crazy spell. The girl's father said that he first heard about the case on the news and laughed but then he was shocked to learn that his ex-wife and daughters were involved. Quote, I was just like what the heck? He described his teenage daughters as straight laced. He added that when he visited them in hospital they said they had no knowledge of what had happened. He hypothesized that the tea must have been so potent that it turned his daughter's memories

into a big blur. He went on to tell the media that blood tests had been conducted but there was nothing detected. Quote, so they figure it must have been some type of herbal drug or something. The father of the teenage girls also spoke about the people who were kidnapped in minus eight degrees without shoes on. He said the man, his daughter and her six week old baby were family friends and probably opened their door that morning trying to help with whatever was going on. He also spoke about the victims escaping and flagging down the passing truck before the BMW SUV circled back and rammed it from behind. He said he believed that the tea must have made his family members think that their friends had actually been kidnapped

by the driver of the truck, not the other way round. He said that the victims didn't hold any grudges about the incident. He wanted the public to note that the three adults charged with kidnapping and resisting arrest were salt of the earth people who had just had what he described as trippy tea. Quote, it's a scary thought thinking oh let's try this tea that we purchased and then all sit down thinking they're just going to have a nice morning and end up in that circumstance. The RCMP did not comment on what this man said. His claims of a potent tea were not corroborated. By this time all three adults had been released from custody ordered not to consume alcohol or drugs that weren't prescribed by a doctor. They would

be back in court at a later date. Next the family who were kidnapped spoke to the journalist Chris Purdy for the Canadian press. The spokesperson who asked not to be named described it as a frightening experience but said until they learned more facts about what had happened they didn't know how to feel about the ordeal. In reference to the so-called trippy tea they added quote we just don't have enough information no answers as to whether anything was purposely taken or not purposely taken they were reluctant to share their full side of the story because it would all come out in court but they were able to provide a few more pieces of the puzzle. The people kidnapped were actually the neighbours of two of the kidnappers the 27-year-old man and

his 30-year-old wife but they also knew the mother and her teenage daughters who had been visiting for three days and the reason why is because they were all Jehovah's witnesses who belong to the same church or kingdom hall as it's referred to. The kidnapped victims said they hadn't learned all the facts yet and had no answers for why the incident happened. All they knew was that they answered the door that morning to the 34-year-old mother who was fully clothed but acting frantic. She told them to go with her and assuming there must have been a serious emergency they exited the house without so much as putting their shoes on but when they got to the white BMW SUV they saw it was full of four naked people their two next door neighbours plus two teenagers

sitting in the back seat. The driver told the woman and her baby to squish into the back seat and the man was forced into the trunk of the car. The RCMP had already charged the three adults with kidnapping and resisting arrest but there were more charges to come. The 35-year-old woman was also charged with impaired driving, dangerous driving, causing property damage over $5,000 and four counts of assault with a weapon, the weapon being her car. Do you have a passion project that you're ready to take to the next level? Squarespace makes it easy for anyone to create an engaging web presence, grow a brand and sell

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website or domain that's squarespace.com slash ctc with offer code ctc and get your passion project off the ground today. A year later the three adults appeared in Leduc Provincial Court. All three adults pleaded guilty to a charge of unlawful confinement. The 35-year-old mother also pleaded guilty to dangerous driving. An agreed statement of facts was presented. Obviously the identities of all people involved were still under publication ban to protect the two teenage girls. According to the court document the 35-year-old had taken her daughters to the home near Leduc to visit with her 27-year-old nephew and his 30-year-old wife. Now this was three days before the incident. During these three days the court document

detailed that the five people didn't leave the house and they barely ate. One of the teens later recalled watching movies but also reported that she heard screaming and banging and seeing ashes in the air. The court document said that over the three days the group came to believe that the great tribulation had happened. The main website for Jehovah's Witnesses defines the great tribulation as an event that happens during the last days or the end times and is reportedly an act of God to bring an end to all wickedness and suffering. The website says that during the great tribulation false religion will be destroyed, true religion will be attacked, earth's inhabitants will be judged and those who are faithful will need to gather together.

And finally there's the Armageddon which is described as the War of the Great Day of God the Almighty. So five people were in the house hiding in bathrooms and bedrooms believing that the great tribulation has started. According to the court document, quote, they believed they were in danger either from bad or wicked people outside or from demons. The court document made no mention of any kind of tea, hallucinogenic or otherwise. So the morning of Monday November the 6th, three days after the mother and daughters arrived at the house, the group suddenly became convinced that this was the day the Armageddon would begin and they had to flee and find safety. The court document says quote, four who were naked were

changing but they had to leave right away because it was unsafe. It's not known what outfits they had selected for the Armageddon or why they had to get completely naked at the same time but as Clare Theobald put it for the Star Metro Edmonton, you don't need pants for the apocalypse. The only one already dressed was the 35 year old mother. She rushed the group into the garage and into the BMW SUV but she was in such a hurry that she didn't even wait for the garage door to open up properly. She just drove right through it, leaving it crumpled in her wake. The group knew their neighbours were also Jehovah's Witnesses since they attended the same church so they decided to save them as well, ramming through a metal gate to get to the neighbour's home.

The neighbours were of course the older man, his adult daughter and her six week old son. According to the court document the three were forced out of their house and into the snow without shoes on. The woman and her baby were put in the back seat with the teenage girls who were naked but under a blanket. Once the man was shoved in the trunk he was ordered to chant Jehovah ten times and as the SUV sped down the road the group of people continued to chant Jehovah as the car ran red lights in their efforts to escape the Armageddon. Inside the trunk of the car the older man realised it hadn't been shut properly, the latch hadn't caught so he was waiting for his chance to escape.

As the vehicle slowed down he leapt out. According to the court document his daughter was also able to get out with her baby after getting her hand slammed in the door of the SUV. Luckily she was okay. The three flagged down the passing truck and climbed inside to safety. Meanwhile the people in the SUV had decided to turn back and rescue the three again. They rammed the truck from behind before careening into a ditch. As we know the woman and her baby were thrown into the truck's dash and she feared her baby had been seriously injured from the impact. When the RCMP arrived the group refused to get out of the SUV clinging together and clutching the inside of the car while continuing to chant Jehovah Jehovah. The court

document said that one of the teens believed that the police were monsters who would kill them. RCMP officers said that as they tried to get the chanting naked people out of the SUV they displayed extreme strength. The police sprayed two of them with pepper spray. The three adults were also shot with tasers between two and four times before they finally gave in and as soon as one of them was out they tried to slide under the SUV and escape again. According to the document the neighbours later told police that the group seemed demonised and obviously not in their right minds. In preparation for sentencing provincial court judge Jacqueline Shafter ordered pre-sentence reports and risk assessments which included psychological testing and at the sentencing

hearing the court heard additional insights as to what might have caused or at least contributed to the bizarre incident. There was no mention of hallucinogenic tea. In fact to date the only mention of tea came from the father of the two teenage girls and he was not with the group at any time during the incident. While the RCMP originally suspected drugs or alcohol may have been involved the court heard that the group were not affected by any substance. So what caused this? The packed courtroom heard that three independent psychological assessments all determined that the group had succumbed to a rare but temporary shared psychotic disorder characterised by an onset of sudden psychotic symptoms that lasted only a short period of time. This is all that was

reported about this disorder in the context of the Alberta naked kidnappings but there's a lot more but there's a lot more to dig into. In a 2022 paper called Shared Psychotic Disorder authors Feras al-Saif and Yasser al-Kalili describe it as a rare disorder that involves sharing a delusion among two or more people in a close relationship. It's also referred to as folly addu which means madness shared by two. This disorder is commonly seen among two individuals but in rare cases can include larger groups like a family. It usually starts with one person, the primary who has developed a psychotic disorder with delusions or hallucinations. Through a confluence of circumstances they inadvertently influence another person,

the secondary and before you know it the delusion is shared. In this Alberta kidnapping case the court heard that the 35 year old mother took her two teenage daughters to visit her nephew and his wife at their home. It was never revealed what the original purpose of their visit was or how long they were supposed to stay for but they were there for three days and during this time the group did not leave the house. They also engaged in what the judge referred to as pseudo medical science which we'll get to in a moment and they barely ate any food which resulted in malnutrition and dehydration. The court heard that these factors combined with the religious influence culminated in their particular shared psychotic disorder. Studies report the exact

cause of shared psychotic disorder is still unknown but there are several known risk factors, a close or lengthy relationship between the primary influencer and secondary person or people is one factor with established ties and long lasting attachments making family members particularly susceptible. Social isolation from the outside world is another risk factor, in this case the five people didn't leave the house for three days. As Clare Theobald put it for the star Metro Edmonton, quote, locked in the home the family created a confirmation loop feeding into each other's delusions. Other risk factors for shared psychotic disorder include high levels of chronic stress as well as untreated personality and mental health disorders.

Cognitive impairment is a factor too with studies finding that the secondary people, those who are influenced often lack good judgment and the ability to think critically. Perhaps the most well-known case of shared psychotic disorder is that of Ursula and Sabina Ericsson, identical twins from Sweden. In 2008 the two women made headlines when they traveled to the UK and got kicked off a bus after increasingly erratic behaviour. Then as they were waiting by the shoulder of a busy highway Ursula ran into the path of oncoming traffic immediately followed by Sabrina. Both sisters survived with severe but non-life threatening injuries and never provided any explanation for their actions.

Another case is the Trump family in Australia. In 2016 the parents suddenly decided someone was out to kill them and they managed to convince their three adult children that they needed to run. The family of five abruptly fled their home leaving their phones and credit cards and inexplicably drove 800 kilometres north shedding family members along the way. Eventually they were all found safe but also were unable to explain what had happened to them. By the time they got home their symptoms had resolved which is also what happened in this Alberta kidnapping case. The independent psychological assessments determined that their shared disorder was only temporary it had been resolved or was in remission. Judge Schafter told the court that the three

adults did not intend to harm the neighbouring family they kidnapped. Their only intention was to save them from the end of the world. She acknowledged that many of the questions around the incident will likely remain unanswered quote it will always remain difficult for us to fully understand. The accused all believed that on the day in question Armageddon had arrived. She went on to say that she understood the family was acting in a misguided attempt to rescue their neighbours from what they perceived to be the impending apocalypse by trying to save their souls but in doing that the offenders put their actual lives at risk quote such behaviour can never be condoned. The court heard that the three adults had no criminal record and the behaviour was

out of character there was no statement or explanation from any of the offenders themselves but their lawyers told the court that they had shown remorse for their actions. One of the two women had apparently told her lawyer that she hopes one day she can say sorry to the family they kidnapped. While the three adults could have been sentenced to up to 10 years in prison the judge agreed with a joint sentencing recommendation from the Crown and the Defence on the basis that the family posed no real continued threat to their community. The three adults were given a one-year conditional sentence to serve in the community starting with six months of house arrest followed by two years of probation but the conditions of their

sentence contains some further details that might shed some light on what the judge had referred to as pseudo medical science. The three adults were ordered to refrain from alternative medicines or practices that involved altered levels of consciousness. The main practice mentioned by the judge was something called applied kinesiology also known as muscle testing an alternative medical technique that claims to diagnose and treat illnesses by testing muscles for strength and weakness. No further information was given about how applied kinesiology works or how the group were using it but it should be noted that it bears no relationship to kinesiology which is the science-based study of human movement. Applied kinesiology was named in 1964

by a chiropractor and is described as safe and non-invasive. The website of the International College of Applied Kinesiology Canada states that it aims to study the dynamic relationship between three aspects of the body the biomechanical aspects like joints muscles ligaments and bones the biochemical aspect or the person's diet and nutrition and the emotional aspect with examples given being stress at work or in the home. The website states that the evaluation may include treatments like muscle massage and stimulation and it might also include certain biochemical or dietary recommendations for example changes to a diet recommendation of supplements or something they refer to as taste testing. Makes sense? Me either. As for how it actually works in practice

a 2012 research article for the conversation.com explains that the practitioner applies a force to one muscle or group of muscles and at the same time asks probing questions or places substances within the body's energy field for example vials of chemicals. The practitioner then labels the muscle as weak or strong based on its ability to resist this force then they prescribe a treatment to strengthen the muscle with the belief that when it is stronger the underlying health condition connected to it will resolve itself. It should be stated that applied kinesiology is considered a pseudoscience and has been debunked and while it is also referred to as a consciousness raising therapeutic ritual it's not known how the group were using it or how it

factored into their shared psychosis. What we do know is that the group didn't eat much and were found dehydrated. Perhaps this was related to the biochemical component of the treatment that focuses on diet and nutrition but that's just speculation we'll never know for sure. While applied kinesiology seemed to be the main focus of Judge Shafter's caution she also told the three adults to refrain from hypnosis as well as body work therapy which involves chiropractic, reiki, acupressure and reflexology. They were also ordered to attend counselling to teach them critical thinking and reasoning skills and with that the matter was over. Despite their embarrassment the three adults were also fortunate not only would they not be serving any jail time

but because the court is required to protect the identities of the two minors that were present the protection extended to them too as members of the same family. So they could get on with their lives in the reassuring knowledge that no one will ever know who the Alberta naked kidnappers really were. Thanks for listening. This episode was researched and written by me and relied on the journalism of Chris Purdy for the Canadian press. Claire Theobald for the star Metro Edmonton and Graham Slaughter for CTV News Edmonton among others. I have a very special podcast recommendation for you today and while it's not true crime it is all about hope. Connections The Podcast is the debut production by my audio editor Nico of We Talk of Dreams who also composed our

theme songs and other music that you've heard on the podcast. Connections The Podcast is an audio drama of different short stories inspired by tracks from Nico's debut album and each episode is fully voice-acted, soundscaped and scored. The music is emotional and filled with nostalgic beauty and is designed to bring messages of hope into the world. Here's a little taste of Connections The Podcast. Connections The Podcast is a new audio drama that brings short stories to life with the music that inspired them. It is safe to pay it no heed as I am called to by the voices at the water's edge. Slowly, unsteadily at first, I push myself to my feet, stumble forwards and begin to run. Whoever's standing braced on a blustery seaside cliff, taken a new step forward

into the unknown or channel surfing alone through radio static. Each story in Connections contains a unique insight into the world, its challenges and the music that connects us all. Connections The Podcast is the debut production from We Talk of Dreams and you can listen to it whoever you listen to podcasts or visit wetalkadreams.com For the full resources and anything else you want to know about the podcast, including how to access ad-free episodes, visit canadiantruecrime.ca. If you've taken the time to leave a kind rating, review or message, I really appreciate it. Thank you so much. Thanks also to the host of True for voicing the disclaimer and of course We Talk of Dreams who

compose the theme song. I'll be back soon with a new Canadian True Crime story. See you then.