Where are Boyd and Stephanie Householder now? ‘Dateline: Secrets Uncovered’ delves into Missouri reform school owners charged with abusing girls
HUMANSVILLE, MISSOURI: Boyd and Stephanie Householder face charges of multiple counts of abuse at the Circle Girls Ranch in Cedar County Courthouse.
They were released from jail in July 2021 after citing health issues. While still awaiting trial in 2024, they have been placed under home confinement. According to their attorney, Boyd contracted Covid-19, and Stephanie has a serious blood clot condition.
Sixteen former residents of the Circle of Hope Girls Ranch in Cedar County have alleged that Boyd and Stephanie Householder frequently subjected them to abusive practices.
These practices reportedly included restraining them with handcuffs, whipping them with belts, taping their mouths shut, and physically assaulting them for minor infractions such as drinking from a spring or singing.
When were Boyd and Stephanie Householder first arrested?
When Amanda Householder received an unsettling video from Joseph Askins, a man who had just visited her father's religious boarding school, Circle of Hope Girls’ Ranch, she was disturbed.
The video depicted Boyd Householder, Amanda's father, slapping a child in the mouth, forcing a girl to drink her own vomit, and instructing teenage girls to assault each other. This video, along with years of witnessing alleged abuse at her parents' ranch, prompted Amanda to break her silence.
In May 2020, she created a TikTok account dedicated to exposing the abusive practices at Circle of Hope, which her parents owned.
The videos, featuring Amanda and former residents sharing their experiences of abuse, gained significant attention, amassing over 33 million views. This exposure led to increased awareness and action against the alleged mistreatment.
As a result, an investigation into Boyd and Stephanie Householder, as well as their reform school, began. In August 2020, Child Protective Services intervened and removed 24 girls from the Circle Girls Ranch.
Faced with government involvement, the Householders chose not to reopen their school. Subsequently, the couple faced multiple charges of abuse and were arrested in 2021.
Why did Amanda Householder sue her own parents?
Amanda Householder, the estranged daughter of the former Circle of Hope Girls Ranch owners, is suing her parents Boyd and Stephanie Householder for forced labor, beating her for their own sexual gratification, and making her punish other students at their southwest Missouri boarding school.
She alleges in her lawsuit that her parents forcefully made her work at Circle of Hope in Cedar County as a teenager and help discipline students, including the use of painful physical restraints that sometimes lasted for hours.
She also went on to accuse her parents of beating her while she was naked, making her do repeated exercises for hours on end and force-feeding her until she would vomit, then making her eat that.
In addition to her parents, Amanda Householder has included several other defendants in her lawsuit petition. These include:
- Circle of Hope Girls Ranch and Boarding School, the religious institution in Humansville founded by her parents.
- The independent fundamental Baptist Agape Boarding School, based in Stockton.
- Agape's parent church, Agape Baptist Church.
- The late founder of Agape Boarding School, James Clemensen.
- Former Circle of Hope board member Jeff Ables, who presently serves as the pastor of Berean Baptist Church in Springfield.
Since 2020, six lawsuits have been filed against the Householders and Circle of Hope, while Agape has faced multiple lawsuits since 2021. The Circle of Hope cases, apart from this suit, were settled in July for an undisclosed amount, while the Agape lawsuits were pending.
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt who investigated called this case one of the most "widespread" investigations in state history
Boyd and Stephanie Householder, the founders and owners of Circle of Hope Girls Ranch in Cedar County, are facing serious charges in connection with a sexual abuse investigation conducted by the office of Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt.
The investigation, one of the most widespread and extensive in the state's history, revealed allegations of abuse involving 16 victims, all young girls and women.
At a news conference in Jefferson City, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt expressed profound sadness and disgust upon learning of the allegations, describing them as "extensive" and "horrific".
The documents cited by Eric in Boyd Householder's case allege incidents where Boyd repeatedly performed oral sex and intercourse with a victim under the age of 17. According to the documents, he also placed one or more of his fingers in the victim’s vagina.
How were Circle of Hope's Boyd and Stephanie Householder convicted?
After a thorough investigation by the office of Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, Boyd and Stephanie Householder, were taken into custody on Tuesday evening, March 9th, 2021.
Boyd Householder was charged with a combined total of 80 felony charges, encompassing six counts of second-degree statutory rape, seven counts of second-degree statutory sodomy, six counts of sexual contact with a student, one count of second-degree child molestation, and 56 counts of abuse and neglect of a child.
Stephanie Householder, on the other hand, is facing a total of 22 charges, comprising ten counts of abuse and neglect of a child and 12 counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
Victim M.J alleges she was "physically abused" by Boyd and Stephanie Householder in her lawsuit
Another lawsuit was filed against Boyd and Stephanie Householder and Circle of Hope, this time by a plaintiff identified only as M.J., hailing from Louisiana. According to Missouri online court records, the suit was submitted to Cedar County circuit courts and accused Circle of Hope and the Householders of physical abuse.
M.J. claimed to have been 15 years old upon her arrival at Circle of Hope, attending the institution from approximately 2017 to 2019. Allegations in her lawsuit described a regime of "physical abuse" orchestrated by the Householders, with Circle of Hope's program being labeled as an abusive and strictly regimented boot camp environment.
The suit detailed that every aspect of the residents' lives was closely monitored, manipulated, and controlled.
Furthermore, the lawsuit asserted that neither Boyd nor Stephanie Householder, nor any other employees at Circle of Hope, possessed the qualifications to offer counseling or treatment.
The environment fostered an atmosphere of fear and obedience, with girls prohibited from speaking to each other. The suit also claimed that staff monitored private activities such as showering and restroom use, while physical assaults and "manhandling" were commonplace. Additionally, food and water deprivation were reportedly employed as disciplinary tactics.
Why has the trial for Boyd and Stephanie Householder been pushed to 2024?
Boyd and Stephanie Householder, who faced multiple counts of abuse-related charges at the Circle Girls Ranch in Cedar County, had their pretrial conferences and trial dates canceled.
They were originally arrested in 2021 and charged with over 100 felonies. The investigation into their alleged misconduct began in November 2020, and in August 2021, 24 girls were removed from the ranch by Child Protective Services. While awaiting trial, Boyd contracted Covid-19, and Stephanie had a serious blood clot condition according to their attorney.
Hence they were placed on home confinement and required to wear electronic monitoring devices. However, this restriction was lifted for Stephanie Householder on Tuesday, November 7, 2023. Judge David Munton has instructed attorneys to provide available dates for a three-week trial to begin after September 30, 2024.
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