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By Reese Frederickson, Pine County Attorney The naïve part of me believes that once evil is locked away, closure and healing can begin. But, reality is complicated, and the scars from years of trauma remain even after achieving justice. Reality delivered a blow last week when I learned that Jessanna “Jess” Schlinsky took her own life. She was 32 years old. We sent the monster who had sexually abused her for all her teenage years to prison three years ago. Although the crimes were in the past and her abuser will spend many more years in prison, the suffering loomed large for Jess every day. It ultimately proved insurmountable. Jess, along with Lindsay Tornambe, bravely exposed cult leader and traumatizing narcissist Victor Barnard for the years of childhood sexual abuse suffered at his hands. Jess and Lindsay grew up in Barnard’s cult that was located on an isolated camp in Pine County. When Jess and Lindsay were 12 and 13 years old, respectively, Barnard separated them from their parents, forced them to reside in a remote spot of the camp, and began raping them. The sexual abuse and Barnard’s control of their daily lives continued for the next nine to ten years until the women escaped the cult. Jess and Lindsay’s quest for justice took many years. Barnard was eventually charged, caught hiding in Brazil and extradited to Pine County in 2016. As county attorney, the case was my responsibility to prosecute. (continued at the link above, worth the time to read)

This situation is beyond terrible. Shame on the silent ones who fail to warn about any abusive Way offshoots like that one was. In 2016 I wrote a blog about Barnard's arrest. Recently I updated that blog to honor Jess. https://charleneedge.com/update-rape-victims-demolish-cult-of-way-corps-graduate-victor-barnard/