In the aftermath of Shari’s excommunication, she continued to lean on the support of the Haymonds, even asking if she could call them Mom and Dad.

Ruby and Jodi, meanwhile, were pushing ahead with a branch of ConneXions called “Moms of Truth.” Their Facebook group was mostly populated by “secret trolls” taking a kind of morbid fascination in the “mental gymnastics” Ruby and Jodi performed to position themselves as “the ultimate authorities on motherhood and family” (231). However, Ruby was impervious to any criticism. Friends were constantly texting Shari, asking if her siblings were okay, and she worried about them constantly.

One day, a neighbor called Shari to inform her that Ruby had taken her siblings out of school. Another phoned with the news that Ruby had gotten rid of the family’s beloved dog; they suspected she didn’t want a reason for the children to be seen outside of the house.

Terrified, Shari called DCFS again. She spent weeks speaking with agents and detailing as much of her abusive childhood as she could remember. She felt hopeful, but several weeks later, the agent called her back, apologizing profusely. They didn’t have enough evidence and were forced to close the case. Shari began to pray for help.