What Is The 'Love Has Won' Cult, Whose Founder Amy Carlson May Have Been Mummified By Followers After Her Death?
CRESTONE, Colo. (CBS4) - A promise of awakening, peace, love and unity. That's what former followers of the cult Love Has Won say lured them into the orbit of Amy Carlson, who called herself Mother God. But they say they found a different reality when they met Carlson.
Deputies in Saguache County found her mummified body in a home in Crestone after a call from the father of a 2-year-old who said his son was being held in the home.
Carlson, who also went by Lia, started her foray into the world of Love Has Won in 2006, according to her family during an appearance on "Dr. Phil" in September 2020.
Former member Andrew Profaci told CBS4's Dominic Garcia he was drawn to the group when he was on a path of awakening and found what he called the "team" on one of their chat rooms. When he arrived, Profaci said Carlson told him he would be Father God to her Mother God. He eventually left the group, saying his growth was taking him in another direction, but said Love Has Won has grown militant and he would call it a cult.
Love Has Won did a daily series of video posts touting the power of Carlson in her role as Mother God. Carlson told her followers she could perform spiritual surgeries, even repair brains, according to her appearance on Dr. Phil.
Carlson claimed to have been reincarnated 534 times, even remembering living as Jesus and hanging on the cross. She also claimed to have been Marilyn Monroe and Cleopatra.
Carlson told her followers she would ascend to the 5th Dimension.
In that 2020 Dr. Phil interview, she said she was paralyzed from the waist down and other members have said she was in failing health. Former followers also said Carlson had a problem with alcohol, even though they were banned from using alcohol. According to other former members, rules also included limited time to sleep and to be constantly standing.
The cult seems to have first been founded in Crestone but it is believed that is not where Carlson died, even though that's where her mummified body was found decorated with glitter and Christmas lights. Carlson had been ill for some time, and authorities say foul play is not suspected in her passing.
Seven cult members were arrested after the discovery: Christopher Royer, Sarah Rudolph, Jason Castillo, John Robertson, Obduia Franco, Ryan Kramer and Karin Raymond. They face charges related to abuse of a corpse and child abuse. (In addition to the 2-year-old boy, a 13 year old girl was in the home.)
After Kramer and Raymond were released from jail, they spoke with CBS4's Rick Sallinger. When asked if they believed Carlson would be in reincarnated, they said they didn't know but Kramer added, "Maybe she will come off a starship."
After reports of Carlson's death and the arrests, the Facebook account and website for Love Has Won were pulled down off the internet.
