Years later, Catherine’s half-sister, Joy, revealed a horrifying secret: Anna, their stepmother, had confessed to killing Catherine at home in Chicago and hiding her body.

After Catherine’s disappearance, Robert and Anna became deeply religious, forming a strict cult called the House of Prayer for All People. Anna, the leader, was abusive, controlling the members’ money, separating families, and brutally torturing and starving them, especially children. She even abandoned a toddler, Marcos, in Puerto Rico.

Anna’s cruelty led to convictions for child abuse. She went on the run with Joy, eventually being caught and jailed. In 2017, Joy accused Anna of murdering not only Catherine but also a young boy, Emon, who died within the cult. Other former cult members confirmed Anna’s abuse and violence, including the death of another child, Katonya.

Anna pleaded guilty to Emon’s murder and Katonya’s manslaughter and was sentenced to 30 years, but died a month later in prison. Sadly, no one has ever been charged with Catherine or Marcos’s deaths. Anna’s history of child abuse dated back to at least 1968.