A few months before her 18th birthday, Katie Wallace hatched a plan to overdose on heroin.
She and a male friend who had her hooked on the drug would do it together, ending years of misery to which the 17-year-old saw no way out.
It was not the path the Mormon church, in which Katie had been raised, had ordained for her.
But it was one that she holds the religion responsible for, after church leaders allegedly covered up years of rampant sexual abuse and incest within her family.
For Katie, now 39, it began when she was four. Unbeknown to her, her abuser, a close relative, had assaulted her older sister, Becky, years before.
The church knew but did nothing, allowing a ‘vicious circle’ of abuse to break out within the family, the sisters claim.
They have bravely shared their story with DailyMail.com to expose what they believe is an ‘epidemic’ of sexual abuse in Mormon homes, which they and countless other victims claim is buried by ecclesiastical leaders in a bid to protect the church’s reputation.
It comes after our investigation revealed last week that the church is facing legal action over allegations it has ‘maintained a pattern and practice’ of hiding abuse from authorities.
More than a dozen current and former members of the church have come forward with shocking claims of a culture of ‘cover ups’ – defying leaders who are alleged to have ‘silenced’ and ‘threatened’ those who speak out.
Hellbound and Down 