On February 7th of 1987, the Washington Post ran a story on the Finders.[3] The article concerned a case of possible kidnapping and child abuse, and material discovered in the Washington area that they say points to a 1960s style commune called the Finders, described in an court document as a “cult” that conducted “brainwashing” and used children “in rituals”. Douglas Ammerman and James M. Holwell were charged with aggravated child neglect and held on $100,000 bond.[4][5]
A Detective Bradley had initiated an investigation on the two addresses provided by the Tallahassee Police Department during December of 1986. Ramon J. Martinez, Special Agent with the USCS accompanied the following police raid from which most of the explosive information is derived.[6] DC police who searched the Northeast Washington warehouse linked to the group removed large plastic bags filled with colour slides, photographs and photographic contact sheets. Some showed naked children involved in what appeared to be “cult rituals“,[7] bloodletting ceremonies of animals and one photograph of a child in chains. Martinez was later advised that investigation into the activity of the Finders had become a CIA internal matter.
From a later disclosure of investigative documents by the FBI, it was learned that many of the former members feared retribution from the Finders organisation. In one case, a former female member needed police intervention to stop harassment from the Finders and in another case, something was “burned down and remains an open arson.” Family members who spoke to detectives “stated that [redacted] had brainwashed their children” and “prevented any contact with their children or grandchildren.”[8]
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