Who is Rebecca Musser's ex-husband Rulon Jeffs? Details explored ahead of new Dateline: Secrets Uncovered episode

Rulon Jeffs, who presided over the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) from 1986 until his death in 2002, was known for his polygamous acts under the authorities of the church and having over 60 wives, including underage girls. Rulon was also the father of Warren Jeffs, a child r*pist who took over the church after his father passed away in 2002.

One of Rulon Jeffs' many wives, Rebecca Musser, who escaped the church after his death, has told the stories of the FLDS and her horrifying experience as part of the abusive and oppressive community. She was also a key witness in Warren Jeffs' trial.

Although the FLDS tale has been told before, Oxygen's Dateline: Secrets Uncovered seeks to explore it by focusing on Rebecca Musser, her past life as the wife of Rulon Jeffs, and her life-changing escape.

The episode titled Unbreakable will air on the channel this Wednesday, February 22, 2023, at 8.00 pm ET. The synopsis reads:

"The behind-the-scenes story of Rebecca Musser vs. Warren Jeffs, one of the FBI's most notorious fugitives; Rebecca opens up about life in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and why she decided to leave."

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Former religious leader Rulon Jeffs served as the president of the FLDS from 1986 until his death in 2002

Rulon Jeffs was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, to David William Ward Jeffs, a first-generation fundamentalist Mormon, and masked his family's unlawful polygamous lifestyle by using the last name "Jennings" until he was ten years old.

He was raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints until the age of 28, when his father introduced him to Mormon fundamentalism, which accentuated the significance of polygamy to achieve the maximum level of salvation in the afterlife.

Rulon fully embraced the teachings and secretly married another woman in 1940 despite being married to Zola Brown, the great-granddaughter of Mormon President Brigham Young, after which Brown divorced him. Before returning to Salt Lake City when he was selected to serve as a High Priest Apostle in 1945, he first relocated to Idaho, where he worked for a while.

Starting in 1986, Rulon, also referred to as Uncle Rulon, then served as the Prophet and President of the religious sect until his passing at the age of 92 in 2002. Reports state that during his death, he had an estimated number of 60 wives, some as young as 14 years old, and 60 children, out of which 33 were sons.

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One of Rulon Jeffs' former wives, Rebecca Musser, played a crucial role in the conviction of Warren Jeffs

After his death, one of Rulon Jeffs's many sons, Warren Jeffs, assumed the Prophet’s role and established his authority in the community by marrying all of his father's widows. He even encouraged his followers to marry at least three women by adhering to their beliefs.

Warren had the only authority to appoint women to husbands as Prophet, and he would punish members by reassigning their families to other men. After some time, he moved his congregation to Eldorado, Texas, where they established the Yearning For Zion (YFZ) Ranch.

However, the community and Jeffs' practice of marrying underage women to older men was exposed, prompting the FLDS leader to flee before being arrested in August 2006. He was initially convicted as an accomplice to r*pe in 2007. Afterward, authorities raided his temple at the YFZ compound, discovering all records of underage marriages.

One of Rulon Jeffs' wives, Rebecca Musser, escaped in 2002, refusing to comply with Warren Jeffs' desire to marry his father's many wives. She later served as the state's star witness at Warren Jeffs' trial, who was eventually found guilty of s*xual assault of a child and aggravated s*xual assault against a minor in 2011 and sentenced to life in prison.