A Weird Story of a Cult, Teens, and Strange Deaths
A mysterious Texas cult that murdered teenagers
On July 26th, 1988, in a small town called Childress in Texas, a popular seventeen-year-old boy was found hanging on a tree. Some people believed that the boy, Tate Rowland, had committed suicide. This is because he was suffering from heartbreak. His girlfriend, Karen, had recently married another man. But, most people believed that fellow cult members murdered him.
It was around 6 pm on July 26th when Rowland’s fifteen-year-old friend, Chad, informed Rowland’s parents that Rowland had committed suicide by hanging.
When the police questioned him, Chad provided two different statements. At first, Chad told the sheriff that he and Rowland were having a beer. Rowland tied a rope to the tree, and he claimed that he would hang himself.
So, when Chad came back from throwing away a beer can, he found Rowland hanging. The police didn’t believe him.
They brought in Chad for questioning again. Chad changed his statement and claimed that Rowland’s first attempt to kill himself was unsuccessful. So, the pair got another rope from Rowland’s house.
In the end, Rowland’s death was ruled out as a suicide. But again most people in Childress believed Rowland didn’t commit…
