She Survived the FLDS Cult. Now, She’s Healing Through Music
Rolling Stone • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Naomi “Nomz” Bistline, a former member of a FLDS offshoot cult led by Sam Bateman, discovered her singing talent while serving a 21-month prison sentence for unlawfully removing minors from state custody under Bateman’s orders.
- Bateman, who was arrested in 2022 following an FBI raid, led a group where he sexually abused many “spiritual wives,” including underage girls; Bistline was one of his wives and has since realized the abuse and manipulation she endured.
- After prison, Bistline has embraced music and psychology as tools for healing and empowerment, working on her first album and studying to become an advocate for cult victims.
- Featured in Netflix’s docuseries Trust Me: The False Prophet, Bistline shares her story to help others, while continuing to rebuild her life outside the cult environment.
- Now living in Short Creek but planning to move, Bistline is focused on recovery, education, and using her experience to support others affected by coercive cults.
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