The Cult That Believed Death Would Take Them to a UFO

Added: 2026-05-31

[00:00:02]Dark man.

[00:00:05]This is a tragedy and my heart goes out to the >> We are now in 1995.

[00:00:15]In Rancho Santa Fe, California.

[00:00:18]A large mansion in an upscale neighborhood, quiet, secluded, and far from the noise of the outside world.

[00:00:26]It's Christmas night.

[00:00:28]Inside the mansion, the atmosphere [music] is full of life.

[00:00:32]Some are preparing Christmas dinner, while others gather together, smiling, [music] hugging, laughing, as laughter fills the house.

[00:00:43]As night falls, we see what looks like a normal family video tape, people laughing, talking, >> [music] >> helping each other, and spending time together.

[00:00:55]Everything looks totally normal, just like a regular family home video tape.

[00:01:00]But with every passing second, as you watch more closely, something begins to feel off.

[00:01:11]Everyone has almost the exact same haircut, all dressed in loose clothing, that looks nearly identical. The women resemble the men, as if there were no gender distinctions.

[00:01:22]And what's even more unsettling, all eyes in the room are fixed with intense admiration on one man.

[00:01:35]Just 2 years later, in this very house, one of the most disturbing mass incidents in US history would unfold.

[00:01:44]39 people were found dead, dressed in identical uniforms, wearing black Nike shoes, and their covered with purple shrouds. They were not a family. The only thing that bound them together was that they were a cult.

[00:02:00]The Heaven's Gate cult.

[00:02:05]>> Comet Hale-Bopp is hurtling through the inner solar system, a flying mountain of ice 40 miles across. As it approaches the sun, it should get brighter and brighter.

[00:02:15]>> July 23rd, 1995.

[00:02:18]Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp were observing the sky through a telescope.

[00:02:23]Both noticed a new bright object in the sky that had never been seen before.

[00:02:29]After it was studied by observatories, it was confirmed to be a new comet.

[00:02:34]The news quickly spread around the world. Newspapers and science magazines started talking [music] about it.

[00:02:39]And it caught the attention of astronomy enthusiasts because it was unusually large and bright.

[00:02:44]It was expected to become clearly visible in the sky over the next few months as it got closer to sun.

[00:02:54]Two years later, in 1997, it was an extraordinary year filled with events that shook the world within just a few months.

[00:03:03]From the murder of the notorious B.I.G.

[00:03:07]to the death of Princess Diana.

[00:03:10]Along with the appearance of the Phoenix Lights, one of the most famous UFO sightings ever seen in the skies over Phoenix.

[00:03:17]Thousands of people reported seeing the lights across multiple states, not just in one city. Some witnesses described the lights as moving in complete silence, unlike any known aircraft.

[00:03:28]>> Finally got here and we realized this thing was coming right over us. We really started getting antsy. And then when it went directly overhead without a sound, it was like was like that. It was so big.

[00:03:39]>> The event lasted for several hours and was captured and documented by many people.

[00:03:45]At the same time, videos allegedly showing aliens began to circulate across the internet.

[00:03:50]>> Just at least showing an extraterrestrial, an ET, captured and questioned by the United States government. It sounds outlandish, but think again of all the outlandish things that we'd never have believed just a few years ago. And so we begin this very special report. Keep an open mind as you consider the interview with an alien.

[00:04:12]>> An allegedly leaked video showed what was believed to be an alien from 1947 >> [music] >> appearing to be questioned or trying to communicate with humans inside a closed room.

[00:04:22]People started saying the video had been leaked from Area 51 after the famous Roswell incident.

[00:04:29]1997 was one of the years that witnessed a significant rise in reports of unidentified flying objects as official reports indicated that many witnesses observed circular and triangular-shaped objects moving through the sky in unusual patterns accompanied by striking colored lights such as red, green, [music] and white.

[00:04:52]These sightings were reported across multiple regions increasing speculation and debate about their nature especially as they coincided with major astronomical events and intense media attention such as the appearance of the famous Hale-Bopp comet.

[00:05:08]>> It's called the Hale-Bopp.

[00:05:09]>> It is now March 1997.

[00:05:12]The news was everywhere and people were eagerly waiting to witness the event and the sight was breathtaking as it had become more visible than ever before.

[00:05:22]Amid all the coverage about the comet as people went outside to watch it while many others photographed and documented its presence in the night sky.

[00:05:30]And others sat in front of their televisions waiting for the moment.

[00:05:34]A man named Rio DeAngelo received a package containing a videotape and a [music] letter.

[00:05:39]After watching the tape and reading the letter, he immediately called the police and told them they needed to go to that house right away.

[00:05:46]When the police entered the mansion, they found 39 people deceased.

[00:05:51]They were all dressed in matching uniforms, wearing black Nike shoes, and partially covered with purple shrouds placed in a triangular shape.

[00:05:59]Investigators found around $5 next to nearly everybody, along with identification cards, bags, and personal belongings, as if they were getting ready to go somewhere.

[00:06:11]Police described the scene as eerily calm.

[00:06:14]There were no signs of struggle or resistance. The house was clean and orderly, as if everything had been carefully planned.

[00:06:21]At first, investigators thought all of the victims were men, but it was later discovered that there were actually 21 women and 18 men, since all of the members had the same haircut, making it difficult to tell at first.

[00:06:34]During the autopsies, investigators also discovered that eight of the male members had been castrated.

[00:06:40]There was also a computer in nearly every room, along with VHS tapes, books, and materials related to UFOs, as well as medications and substances they had used before the bodies were discovered.

[00:07:01]As the bodies were examined and identified, investigators began to question how they had been convinced, especially since many of them were well-educated with stable financial [music] lives.

[00:07:13]And in the same house, in the master bedroom, away from the other bodies, on a king-size bed, the body of the cult's leader, Marshall Applewhite, was found.

[00:07:28]Marshall Applewhite was born in 1931.

[00:07:31]He was the third of four children raised in a very religious home. His father was a Presbyterian minister, and the family moved frequently around Southern Texas as his father opened a new church every few years.

[00:07:43]By most accounts, his parents were loving and devoted, but some family members said his [music] father was strict, authoritarian, and especially hard on him, putting pressure on him to follow in his footsteps. [music] He clearly wanted to make his father proud and aspired to become a minister.

[00:08:01]One day, when he was very young, he walked into his church >> [music] >> and told the parishioners that he couldn't wait to become a minister and preach the word of God.

[00:08:10]As a teenager, he grew into a good-looking young man and attended Corpus Christi High School.

[00:08:17]After graduation, Marshall enrolled in Austin College with aspirations of following in his father's footsteps and becoming a minister.

[00:08:24]During his college years, he became the leader of the a cappella choir and was also involved in the judiciary council.

[00:08:32]He eventually graduated with a degree in philosophy in 1952, and in that same year, he married his high school girlfriend, Ann Pierce.

[00:08:41]After his graduation and his marriage in 1952, he enrolled in the Union Theological Seminary of Virginia in Richmond.

[00:08:49]His plan was [music] to study at the seminary for 3 years, and once he completed the 3-year course of study, he would be ordained a Presbyterian minister, just like his father.

[00:08:59]But after spending only about a semester there, he chose to leave and follow his true passion, music.

[00:09:06]And by the late 1960s, he was working as an assistant professor of music at a university in Alabama, where he also directed the choir.

[00:09:14]But his life began to fall apart when he lost his job due to a scandal at the university and was forced to resign after it was discovered that he had been in a romantic relationship with a male student. As a result, his 16-year marriage came to an end.

[00:09:29]Although the separation was described as amicable, it affected him deeply. His relationship with his family, especially his father, also became strained after he revealed his orientation, only to be met with rejection and accusations of bringing shame to the family.

[00:09:45]This became a major turning point in his life. He began struggling with depression, psychological distress, and an identity crisis, things that later made him more open to believing he had a special purpose in the world.

[00:09:58]After some time, he returned to teaching music at the University of St. Thomas, and for a while, things seemed to stabilize, but he continued to struggle with his identity and relationships.

[00:10:09]He began dating a young woman, though he was still conflicted.

[00:10:13]It's said that he told her he wanted a relationship without physical commitment, an idea that later influenced his beliefs.

[00:10:19]The relationship eventually ended.

[00:10:21]In 1970, [music] he was offered the lead baritone role in the opera The Ballad of Baby Doe, but many doubted his abilities, and under pressure, along with ongoing depression, he gave up the opportunity.

[00:10:36]Around this time, people close to him noticed that he had become increasingly moody and withdrawn.

[00:10:42]In the early 1970s, he resigned from his position at the University of St. Thomas, claiming emotional struggles, but some researchers later suggested that he had actually been dismissed again due to another relationship with a male student.

[00:10:56]In the end, he found himself without a job and without support from his family.

[00:11:02]In 1972, >> [music] >> he was admitted to a hospital, where he went through a near-death experience.

[00:11:08]There, he met Bonnie Nettles, a 44-year-old nurse, after he recovered.

[00:11:14]While still in his hospital bed, she told him that he had been spared for a reason, that he was meant for a greater mission, and that he would fulfill it.

[00:11:23]That moment became the foundation of his belief that he had a real, divine purpose on Earth.

[00:11:28]>> His sister described Applewhite as a a and charismatic man whose life changed during a hospital visit.

[00:11:34]>> Had a near-death experience and one of the nurses that he had uh convinced [music] him that he was brought back to life to serve a purpose in this cult and she got him She introduced him to it and then he just sort of went on [music] from there and actually became a co-leader with her.

[00:11:49]>> Marshall felt that Bonnie was exactly what he had been searching for.

[00:11:53]She was deeply interested in spirituality, astrology, and biblical prophecy.

[00:11:58]The two quickly formed a strong connection and began talking about spirituality and destiny.

[00:12:04]Eventually, Marshall and Bonnie left their jobs to fully dedicate themselves to a journey of spiritual exploration.

[00:12:10]They even began calling each other by nicknames, Bo for Marshall and Peep for Bonnie, symbolizing the idea of shepherds and their flock.

[00:12:20]In 1973, they decided to start spreading their ideas and the two began referring to themselves >> [music] >> as the two.

[00:12:27]After more than a year on the road, they managed to attract their first follower and continued spreading their message.

[00:12:34]However, during that period, in August 1974, Marshall was arrested shortly after their travels began for failing to return a rented car.

[00:12:45]He justified this by claiming that he had received divine permission to keep the car in order to carry out his mission of spreading their message.

[00:12:52]He spent 6 months in prison for theft, but that didn't stop him.

[00:12:56]After his release, he became even more determined, believing he was meant to save people's souls.

[00:13:03]In September [music] 1975, Marshall and Bonnie held a series of public meetings in the town of Waldport, Oregon, using little more than posters, their ideas, and their conviction.

[00:13:14]After the meetings, around 20 local residents decided to leave their lives behind and join the group without telling anyone where they were going.

[00:13:21]Some of them even recorded home videos before leaving their lives behind and joining the cult.

[00:13:27]One of them was Gary St. Louis, who was 44 years old.

[00:13:31]In the tape, he showed almost no emotion, calm, detached, while leaving behind his girlfriend and everything he owned in Coeur d'Alene.

[00:13:39]>> Today is February 12th, 1992. It is Wednesday. Is a garden or soul ever grown? Souls always have free will. They have the choice to go whichever direction they want. They can choose to listen to this direction, they can choose to listen to that.

[00:13:55]>> Soon, the story spread and people began talking about two mysterious individuals who had appeared [music] in the town, held meetings, and then left with 20 locals.

[00:14:06]At these meetings, Marshall and Bonnie would hint that the end was near, that a real spacecraft would arrive soon, and that those who followed them would be saved [music] from the disasters that were about to come to Earth, and would move on to a higher level of existence.

[00:14:22]In the 1970s, the United States was going through major social changes. Movements like the hippies emerged, along with a generation of rebellious youth. After years of wars and crises, many people began losing trust in the government, drifting away from traditional religion, and turning instead towards spirituality, energy, and even the idea of extraterrestrial life.

[00:14:45]This environment created the perfect conditions for Marshall to attract those who felt lost.

[00:14:50]He promoted the idea that humans could evolve to a higher level, and that there were greater forces beyond us waiting.

[00:14:56]He didn't just attract the vulnerable, he drew in people searching for answers, and offered them something that, at the time, felt believable.

[00:15:06]Marshall and Bonnie held structured meetings with around 200 people attending each one.

[00:15:11]Over time, more people joined them until the group grew to about 100 members, many of whom left behind their families, jobs, [music] and possessions.

[00:15:22]Marshall and Bonnie imposed extremely strict rules, absolute obedience, and complete detachment from the outside world, including family, friends, sexual relationships, drugs, fried food, and even their real names.

[00:15:37]They closely controlled their members and stripped them of their individuality.

[00:15:42]The media labeled them as the UFO doomsday cult.

[00:15:46]Some of the members even gave interviews to newspapers and radio stations, appearing almost brainwashed as they spoke with complete calmness and confidence about their beliefs.

[00:15:55]>> I was immediately uh became aware that this was something that I had to do. And it that it was uh uh this was why I was here. We kind of feel that this is the end times for this planet.

[00:16:09]>> Even then, cult members were explaining how they'd be taken from Earth on a UFO.

[00:16:14]>> Well, the time is not set, and we don't know exactly when it will happen. We feel it will be within months.

[00:16:19]>> And what will it be when it does happen?

[00:16:21]>> Well, it will be a demonstration and an opportunity for us to leave uh also on a craft.

[00:16:29]>> As media attention grew, they began reducing the group's size by removing less committed members to avoid attention. They split into smaller subgroups, traveled separately, and later regrouped at prearranged locations.

[00:16:42]>> [music] >> These tactics helped them stay under the radar while strengthening the isolation they sought.

[00:16:49]Bonnie became known as Ti and Marshall as Do.

[00:16:52]These names were inspired by The Sound of Music, >> [music] >> Bonnie's favorite film, and they remained with them throughout the group's existence.

[00:17:00]Marshall and Bonnie referred to their group as a classroom with themselves as the teachers.

[00:17:05]They described their bodies as merely vehicles and convinced members that they were not truly human, but extraterrestrial beings trapped inside human bodies.

[00:17:15]They believed they needed to learn everything they could, and that eventually they would abandon their humanity, graduate together, shed their human form, take on a new alien form, and move on to the next level what they considered heaven.

[00:17:29]Aboard a spacecraft.

[00:17:31]Despite this, their way of life was extremely strict, almost military-like, if not even harsher.

[00:17:37]They deliberately separated anyone who joined the group alongside a friend, spouse, [music] or family member in order to break existing emotional bonds.

[00:17:46]Members were required to wear loose uniform-like clothing, typically plain shirts, sweatpants, and sneakers.

[00:17:52]Women were not allowed to wear makeup, and everyone had nearly identical hairstyles in an effort to eliminate gender differences. Members were given new names to further distance themselves from their past. All names followed the same structure, six letters long, with the last three letters being O D Y, and the first part usually made up of consonants. In some cases, [music] the name was derived from the person's original name.

[00:18:16]ODY was chosen by Marshall and Bonnie as a shared identity for the group, meaning little member, symbolizing their rebirth.

[00:18:24]Each member had what was called a check partner, chosen by Marshall and Bonnie to monitor one another at all times and ensured that the rules were being followed. No one was allowed to be alone, and members were expected to report on each other. They referred to their sexual organs as plumbing, and all forms of sexual and romantic relationships were strictly forbidden.

[00:18:44]There was also a specific protocol regarding nocturnal emissions, wet dreams.

[00:18:49]If it happened, the person would just go to the bathroom, use a towel to clean up, and then write it down in a log to confirm they had stayed away from any sexual activity before going back to bed.

[00:19:01]This allowed Bonnie and Marshall to track who was still experiencing sexual thoughts, as Marshall was determined to eliminate any form of sexual distraction.

[00:19:10]One day, after experiencing a emission himself, Marshall told the group what had happened. He spoke about how frustrated he felt and how strongly he wanted to control and completely eliminate these urges.

[00:19:23]At that point, a devoted member named Steven Terry McCarter, known within the group as Serodi, [music] suggested that the men undergo castration, arguing that it would significantly reduce the sexual urges some of them were still struggling with.

[00:19:37]Marshall began to think this might be the solution to his problems.

[00:19:40]>> [music] >> He decided he wanted to go through with it and presented the idea to the rest of the group.

[00:19:45]No one was forced. Members were given a choice.

[00:19:48]Some agreed, while others refused, but several men volunteered to prove their commitment and went through with the procedure.

[00:19:55]Then came the question, who would perform the surgery?

[00:19:59]They were living in isolation and didn't want to attract [music] attention, especially since a group of men with identical appearances walking into a clinic asking for castration would raise suspicion.

[00:20:09]At that point, one of the [music] members, Julie LaMontagne, known within the group as Lavodi, offered her services.

[00:20:16]She had previously worked as a nurse and volunteered to perform the procedures.

[00:20:20]The men were so eager that they competed over who would go first. They drew lots and Serodi was chosen.

[00:20:27]He lay on the table, was given injections to numb the area, and the procedure began.

[00:20:32]During the procedure, which was done crudely inside the house, things went horribly wrong. They started panicking because they [music] didn't know how to stop the bleeding or handle the situation.

[00:20:44]They hesitated to go to the hospital out of fear of legal consequences, but in the end, they had no choice and took him there.

[00:20:52]At the same time, two other members [music] disposed of the removed tissue in the ocean so it would not be discovered.

[00:20:59]After Serodi recovered and after their failed attempt to perform the procedure themselves, they eventually traveled to Mexico, rented a place there, and found a doctor who agreed to perform the castration.

[00:21:11]In the end, seven men, in addition to Marshall Applewhite, underwent the procedure. [music] However, some members began to feel uncomfortable and chose to leave the group.

[00:21:21]In 1985, a major turning point occurred.

[00:21:25]Bonnie became ill and was diagnosed with eye cancer.

[00:21:29]She underwent surgery to remove her eye and had a prosthetic fitted, but it was too late. The disease had already spread throughout her body.

[00:21:37]Bonnie passed away on June 19th, 1985.

[00:21:41]Her death shocked everyone and had a devastating impact on Marshall.

[00:21:46]But after her death, questions and doubts began to arise among the members.

[00:21:52]Bonnie's passing directly contradicted everything Marshall had taught, that they were all extraterrestrial beings trapped in human vehicles.

[00:22:00]So, they began to question, if that was true, why did Bonnie die in her human body?

[00:22:07]Why didn't she shed her physical form and take on her true alien form, ascending to the spacecraft?

[00:22:14]Marshall had always told them this was what would happen, yet it became clear that he had never considered the possibility that one of them might die.

[00:22:21]Bonnie's death conflicted with the group's entire belief system, and now he had to figure out how to stay in control in this new reality, and how to answer all of their questions and doubts. So, he reinterpreted her death. He told his followers that Bonnie had simply moved on to the next level ahead of them, that her body had worn out and could no longer function. So, she left it behind in order to ascend.

[00:22:44]So, Marshall told them that it was not a physical transformation into an alien, but a spiritual transformation, and that their human bodies would be left behind after death.

[00:22:55]After Bonnie's death, Marshall became even more controlling.

[00:22:59]He declared that he was Jesus and that Bonnie had been the God the Father.

[00:23:07]At one point, he instructed the entire group to marry him.

[00:23:11]They held a small ceremony where he sat in the center of the room, and each member approached him one by one.

[00:23:17]He placed a gold ring on their ring finger and kissed their forehead.

[00:23:21]This was how the marriage was carried out.

[00:23:24]We now move into the early 1990s, when the group had already existed for over 15 years. Around that time, a global fear known as Y2K began spreading [music] as people worried that many computer systems might fail when the world entered the year 2000.

[00:23:45]Because many older systems only used the last two digits for years, some feared computers would read 00 as 1900 instead of 2000.

[00:23:54]People worried this could affect banks, >> [music] >> power grids, transportation, communications, and other major systems.

[00:24:01]Some believed these failures could throw the world into chaos, and for cults and apocalyptic groups like this, it felt like proof that the end times were near.

[00:24:11]The fear only pushed many of them deeper into their beliefs.

[00:24:15]Marshall took advantage of this fear and launched a new recruitment effort.

[00:24:19]He started a satellite television program and placed a $30,000 ad in the USA Today newspaper called UFO Cult Resurfaces with Final Offer, warning people that Earth was about to be recycled.

[00:24:33]They created a website where they shared their beliefs, and Marshall wrote a statement claiming that he was the Messiah and that the end of the world was near.

[00:24:42]However, >> [music] >> the site was met with ridicule and criticism.

[00:24:46]In 1993, the Waco standoff between a religious group and federal authorities also took place.

[00:24:52]Marshall was influenced by it and began and consider that a confrontation with the government >> [music] >> might be their way of exiting Earth.

[00:25:00]However, he eventually abandoned that idea.

[00:25:03]After that, he began to consider another option.

[00:25:07]He held a meeting and asked the members if they were willing to go through with it. Most agreed, while some chose to leave.

[00:25:16]In 1996, a major event took place, the appearance of the Hale-Bopp comet, which had been discovered in 1995 >> [music] >> and became clearly visible in 1996.

[00:25:27]At the time, rumors spread across the internet claiming that there was a massive object traveling behind the comet.

[00:25:34]Members of the cult believed this was the sign they had been waiting for, even when they tried to see it themselves and found nothing.

[00:25:41]They did not back down. From that moment on, they decided to carry out their plan in March 1997, when the comet would be closest to Earth.

[00:25:52]On March 26th, 1997, a former member received a letter and contacted the police.

[00:25:59]>> I need to report an anonymous This is regarding an app.

[00:26:04]>> When officers entered the house, they found 39 bodies. At first, authorities believed they were all men.

[00:26:11]During the autopsies, authorities found phenobarbital in their systems along with alcohol.

[00:26:17]They also found applesauce pudding mixed with the drugs beside cups of alcohol.

[00:26:22]Investigators later discovered notes showing that the deaths happened in [music] stages, with each group helping the next.

[00:26:29]Authorities also discovered disturbing videotapes of the members recording their final messages. What shocked investigators even more was how calm, excited, and convinced they seemed, like smiling and speaking as if they were preparing to move on to another place, or what they believed was the next level.

[00:26:46]>> right now.

[00:26:47]And that uh we might see you all again.

[00:26:50]And then we might not, but we hope that you remember us as we were and not how other people are going to try and tell you that we are. And one last thing we'd like to say is 39 to beam up. Thank you.