Towns Once Run by Warren Jeffs' Polygamous Sect Emerge from Court Supervision Transformed

Colorado City, Arizona and Hildale, Utah have undergone major changes after being released from court oversight.

Jan. 30, 2026 at 7:39am

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The prairie dresses, walled compounds and distrust of outsiders that were once hallmarks of Colorado City, Arizona and neighboring Hildale, Utah are mostly gone. The towns, once run by the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) and its imprisoned leader Warren Jeffs, have transformed and were recently released from court-ordered supervision two years earlier than expected.

Why it matters

The towns were under the control of the FLDS for decades, with Jeffs dictating everything from where people could live to what they could wear and do. The court-ordered supervision was aimed at removing the church's influence and allowing the towns to function as normal communities, which has led to major social and cultural changes.

The details

After Jeffs was convicted of sexually assaulting underage girls and sent to prison, the towns were placed under court supervision in 2017 to remove the FLDS's control. This allowed the towns to transition to representative government, private property ownership, and more openness. Many FLDS members have left, and other places of worship have opened, with FLDS members now believed to be a small percentage of the population.

  • In 2011, Warren Jeffs was convicted in Texas of sexually assaulting two girls ages 12 and 15 and sentenced to life in prison.
  • In 2017, the court placed the towns under supervision, excising the church from their governments and shared police department.
  • In 2024, a Colorado City sect member with more than 20 'spiritual wives', including 10 underage girls, was sentenced to 50 years in prison.
  • In July 2025, the court lifted the oversight on the towns, almost two years earlier than expected.

The players

Warren Jeffs

The imprisoned leader and prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), who was convicted of sexually assaulting underage girls.

Willie Jessop

A former spokesman for the FLDS who later broke with the sect.

Shem Fischer

A former member of the FLDS towns who left in 2000 after the church split up his father's family, and later returned to open a lodge in Hildale.

Donia Jessop

The mayor of Hildale, who was once distantly related to Willie Jessop through marriage.

Isaac Wyler

A longtime resident of the FLDS towns who was expelled from the church in 2004 and faced ostracization, but now says things are very different.

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What they’re saying

“What you see is the outcome of a massive amount of internal turmoil and change within people to reset themselves. We call it 'life after Jeffs' — and, frankly, it's a great life.”

— Willie Jessop, Former FLDS spokesman

“It started to go into a very sinister, dark, cult direction.”

— Shem Fischer, Former FLDS member

“We started to realize that the love was still there -- that my sister that I hadn't been able to speak to for in so many years was still my sister, and she missed me as bad as I missed her. And it just started to open doors that weren't open before.”

— Donia Jessop, Mayor of Hildale

“Like a normal town.”

— Isaac Wyler, Longtime Hildale resident

What’s next

Residents say the new openness has brought common societal woes such as drug use to Hildale and Colorado City, and some people are still practicing polygamy, with a Colorado City sect member recently sentenced to 50 years in prison for coercing underage girls into sexual acts.

The takeaway

The transformation of Colorado City and Hildale from FLDS-controlled theocracies to more open and representative communities is a remarkable turnaround, but the towns are still grappling with the legacy of the sect's abuses and the challenge of fully recovering from decades of control by Warren Jeffs and the FLDS.