People were escorted from the compound behind sheets. Related Links April 7: Troopers make arrest during raid on West Texas polygamist compound
As of Monday, more than 400 women and children were taken from the fundamentalist sect of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints compound in Eldorado. They are being housed by state authorities.
At least two shelters in the Austin tell us they have been contacted about housing kids, in what’s becoming one of the biggest abuse cases in the state.
The Austin Children's Shelter says the state called them about bed availability, but they have none right now, and Safe Place tells us they were asked about housing some of the children from the compound, but were later told they weren't needed.
The mothers and children taken from the shelter are now being questioned at an historic fort in San Angelo.
"this is not about numbers, this is about children who are at imminent risk of harm, children we believe have been abused and neglected,” Marleigh Meisner with Child Protective Services said.
This all started when a teen from the sect called police claiming she had a baby at 15 with her 50-year-old husband. That gave authorities enough probable cause to raid the compound, started by imprisoned polygamist leader Warren Jeffs.
It's unclear whether the teen who made the call to police is among the those taken from the compound.
"At this point I can not confirm, we may have found her. We are not certain,” Meisner said.
Her alleged husband is a registered sex offender said to be in Arizona.
Police continue to search the 17-hundred acre ranch where they believe there may be more children. Kids from the compound could arrive in Austin as soon as space becomes available. A judge will hold a hearing about the children next week in San Angelo.
Some of the children taken from a polygamist compound in West Texas may be headed to Austin.As of Monday, more than 400 women and children were taken from the fundamentalist sect of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints compound in Eldorado. They are being housed by state authorities.At least two shelters in the Austin tell us they have been contacted about housing kids, in what’s becoming one of the biggest abuse cases in the state.The Austin Children's Shelter says the state called them about bed availability, but they have none right now, and Safe Place tells us they were asked about housing some of the children from the compound, but were later told they weren't needed.The mothers and children taken from the shelter are now being questioned at an historic fort in San Angelo."this is not about numbers, this is about children who are at imminent risk of harm, children we believe have been abused and neglected,” Marleigh Meisner with Child Protective Services said.This all started when a teen from the sect called police claiming she had a baby at 15 with her 50-year-old husband. That gave authorities enough probable cause to raid the compound, started by imprisoned polygamist leader Warren Jeffs.It's unclear whether the teen who made the call to police is among the those taken from the compound."At this point I can not confirm, we may have found her. We are not certain,” Meisner said.Her alleged husband is a registered sex offender said to be in Arizona.Police continue to search the 17-hundred acre ranch where they believe there may be more children. Kids from the compound could arrive in Austin as soon as space becomes available. A judge will hold a hearing about the children next week in San Angelo.
YFZ Ranch near Eldorado, Texas, owned by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

133 women and 401 allegedly abused children have been taken into state custody after officials received a call from a distressed 16-year-old girl. The children were found in a 1700-acre compound belonging to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints during a raid which started on Saturday. Children as young as 6 months have been removed from the compound.

The 16-year-old girl called in saying that she had been abused and forced to marry a 50 year old man. The girl also said that in the compound – which included a medical facility, a cheese-making plant, a cement plant, a school, numerous large housing units, and a white limestone temple – some females as young as 14 and 15 were already mothers. The girl has not yet been identified.

The women leaving the compound were wearing home sewn, ankle-length dresses and were said to have been kept in isolation from the outside world.

A spokesperson affiliated with the Texas Department of Public Safety has said that so far, one person has been arrested for "interfering with the duties of a public servant." She also told reporters that "an unknown number of men remain on the compound and are not free to leave."

The children will be assigned attorneys and the case hearing will be held next week. Meanwhile, the children will be staying in temporary shelters, which officials say are filling up fast.

Police had been monitoring the compound ever since it was bought by the sect one year ago.

The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a polygamist sect led by Warren Jeffs – jailed last year for the rape and forced marriage of a 14 year old girl – is a breakaway branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which abandoned the practice of polygamy in 1890.