Couple who owned a boarding school in Missouri is accused of more than 100 abuse charges

Boyd and Stephanie Householder are facing more than 100 charges of sexual, physical and emotional abuse that allegedly occurred at their religious boarding school in Missouri.

Authorities accused Boyd Householder of 80 crimes, including several charges of statutory high school rape and sodomy. Accusations against his wife range from abuse to jeopardizing a child’s well-being.

“With 16 victims so far, we believe this to be one of the most common cases of patterns of sexual, physical and mental abuse against girls and women in Missouri history,” said Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt. “As a father of two girls, this is simply unthinkable to me.”

Since 2006, heads of households have owned and operated the Circle of Hope Girls Ranch in Cedar County, a Christian school that they said could reform rebellious teenagers.

Authorities removed all the girls from the facility last year and the facility has since been closed. Since then, several girls have described their alleged abuse on social media.

The head of the family’s daughter, Amanda, said she believed in the victims.

“I kept getting messages from random girls that I don’t even know, telling me the same thing,” she said. “I believe them.”

In a recent interview with the Kansas City Star, Householders described the charges against them as “all lies” and called their accusers “furious” and “bitter”.

The farm closed in September.