You’ve probably seen the Netflix documentaries or scrolled through those haunting TikToks of "prairie dresses" and pastel-colored compounds. It feels like a fever dream from a different century. But for the people living in the dusty border towns of Utah and Arizona, it isn’t a TV show. It’s reality. People constantly ask, is the FLDS still active, and the answer is a complicated, messy "yes."
It didn't just vanish when Warren Jeffs went to prison.
Far from it. While the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints isn't the monolithic empire it once was, the remnants are very much alive. They've just changed. Or rather, they've fractured into a dozen different pieces that are harder to track than the original group.
The Ghost of Warren Jeffs
Warren Jeffs is serving life plus twenty years in a Texas prison. You’d think that would be the end of it. It wasn’t. Even from behind bars, Jeffs maintained a terrifying grip on his followers for years. He issued "revelations" through visiting family members, telling people to stop having kids, to stop getting married, and to basically put their lives on hold until he was miraculously released.
It’s wild.
Some people actually listened. They waited. They lived in a state of suspended animation, convinced the walls of the prison would tumble down like the walls of Jericho. But as the years dragged on, that fanatical certainty started to rot.
Is the FLDS still active on the ground?
If you drive through Hildale, Utah, or Colorado City, Arizona—collectively known as Short Creek—you’ll see a town in the middle of a painful rebirth. It used to be a closed kingdom. If you weren't "in," you weren't welcome. Today, it’s a bizarre mix of former members, "Gentiles" (outsiders), and a dwindling number of "Loyalists."
The Loyalists are the ones who answer the question of is the FLDS still active with their daily lives. They still wear the long sleeves. They still keep their hair in those distinctive, gravity-defying pompadours. But they are no longer the ones running the show.
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The United Effort Plan (UEP) Trust, which once owned almost every scrap of land and every house in the creek, was taken over by the state of Utah years ago. This was huge. It meant that the church leadership could no longer kick people out of their homes for "disobedience." For the first time in decades, people had property rights.
This led to the "Great Eviction" of sorts, but in reverse. The church leaders who refused to pay taxes or cooperate with the trust were the ones who lost their homes. Now, you’ll see a house owned by a secular family right next door to a house full of FLDS faithful who are trying to ignore the "apostates" mowing their lawns next door. It's awkward. It's tense. It's the new normal.
The Scattered Remnants and the "One Mighty and Strong"
When a cult leader goes to jail and fails to come back, the group usually splits. That’s exactly what happened here. There isn’t just one FLDS anymore.
Some followers stayed loyal to Jeffs, believing his imprisonment is a test of their faith. Others shifted their gaze to his brothers, like Lyle or Seth Jeffs, though they’ve had their own legal nightmares involving food stamp fraud and money laundering. Then there are the offshoots.
Groups like the one led by Samuel Bateman have cropped up. Bateman, a former FLDS member, started his own group and was eventually arrested on federal charges related to child sex trafficking. This is the dark side of the power vacuum. When the big structure collapses, smaller, sometimes more radical "prophets" jump into the gap to claim the remaining followers.
So, while the formal organization of the FLDS is crippled, the belief system is still circulating. It’s like a virus that has mutated.
Life Inside the "Quiet" FLDS
For the families still in the fold, life is incredibly isolated. They don’t use the internet (officially). They don't watch the news. They are told the world is a wicked place on the brink of destruction.
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Imagine living in a house with boarded-up windows or 10-foot fences. You can hear the sounds of a public park or a new brewery opening up down the street—things that were once forbidden—and you have to pretend they don't exist. It’s psychological warfare.
The church's presence has also shifted geographically. When the heat got too high in Short Creek, many moved to compounds in Pringle, South Dakota, or even down into Mexico and British Columbia. These are the "hidden" pockets where the FLDS is still active in a more traditional, controlled sense. They want to be left alone. They want to live the "Principle" (plural marriage) without the FBI knocking on the door.
The Economic Collapse
The FLDS used to be an economic powerhouse. They owned large construction companies like Western Precision and had contracts all over the West. They used "obedient" labor—meaning they didn't have to pay their workers much, if anything—which allowed them to underbid everyone else.
That money train has mostly stalled.
Federal crackdowns on child labor and financial crimes have bled the church dry. Most of the remaining members are living in poverty. They rely on communal living and whatever side hustles they can manage without attracting attention. It’s a far cry from the days when Warren Jeffs was flying around in private jets and building multimillion-dollar temples in Texas.
The Role of the "Lost Boys" and the Survivors
We can't talk about whether the FLDS is active without talking about the people who left. Organizations like Holding Out Help or the Short Creek Dream Center are filled with people who escaped.
These survivors are the ones providing the most accurate intelligence on the group's status. They tell stories of "silent" meetings and secret communications. They also highlight the trauma that remains. Just because the church is smaller doesn't mean it's less damaging to those still inside.
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The "Lost Boys"—young men kicked out so the older men would have fewer competitors for wives—are still a thing, though now it's often the kids leaving on their own because they see the outside world through a cracked smartphone screen and realize they’ve been lied to.
Identifying the Modern FLDS
How do you know if the group is still active in a specific area? You look for the signs that haven't changed in a hundred years.
- The Dress Code: High-necked, long-sleeved "prairie" dresses in solid, often pastel, colors.
- The Hair: Women with elaborate braids and height at the forehead.
- The Vans: White passenger vans are still the primary mode of transport for large families.
- The "Look": A certain guardedness in the eyes. They are taught from birth that you, the outsider, are a "Gentile" and potentially an agent of the devil.
Is the FLDS Still Active? The Final Verdict
The FLDS is active, but it’s a dying star. It’s collapsing under the weight of its own radicalism and the relentless pressure of the legal system. It is no longer a unified political and economic force in the American West. Instead, it’s a collection of traumatized families, radicalized offshoots, and a few true believers waiting for a miracle that isn't coming.
The "church" as a legal entity is a shell. The "church" as a community of people is a scattered, hurting, and deeply secretive underground network.
What You Can Do
If you’re interested in this topic because you want to help, focus on the organizations that support "formers." People leaving the FLDS often have no social security card, no bank account, and no education past the eighth grade. They are essentially refugees in their own country.
Supporting groups that provide housing and job training is the most direct way to combat the influence of what's left of the FLDS. The more people who have a safe place to land, the faster the remaining power of the cult evaporates.
Keep an eye on the news out of the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office and the Utah Attorney General’s office. They are the ones still tracking the movements of the Jeffs family and their various subsidiaries. The story isn't over yet, but the ending is being written every time someone walks away from the creek and into a new life.
Actionable Insights for Following the FLDS Situation:
- Monitor Legal Filings: Watch for "UEP Trust" updates in Utah courts to see how property disputes are being settled.
- Support Survivors: Follow nonprofits like Holding Out Help to understand the current needs of those escaping polygamous groups.
- Avoid Sensationalism: When researching, look for primary sources and court documents rather than just "true crime" entertainment, which often misses the current nuances of the community's recovery.
- Observe Local Governance: Check the election results in Hildale and Colorado City; the shift from church-appointed leaders to democratically elected officials is the best barometer for the group's waning power.