Zion Dutro tortured and molested his four biological daughters and two adopted nieces over the course of two decades, with the assistance of his wife, Glenda Lea Dutro. Glenda would choose one of the girls and tell her it was her turn to “cuddle” with Zion. The abuse involved sodomy in addition to other sexual acts. The abuse began in 1982 and continued until 2003. Collectively, the girls were raped over a thousand times and lived in abject fear of their parents. The couple, who homeschooled the children, were known as friendly churchgoers, but their squeaky-clean public appearance masked what was actually going on in the home. The girls were homeschooled, and in 1995 they told the pastor of their Pentecostal church about their abuse in a desperate cry for help. He responded by telling the Dutros of their daughters’ accusations and then discussing the matter with a church member who was also a police officer. This police officer then spoke with the girls, violating common procedure in a multitude of ways in an effort to protect his fellow church member. After both the church and the city failed to take action, the torture worsened. The girls were “isolated, starved, tortured, sleep-deprived and beaten.” The abuse only came to light in 2009, when the girls, now grown, once again reported their childhood abuse after learning that the Dutros were looking at adopting children from Mexico. The young women then sued the city for failing to protect them.
Date: January 1, 2009
Location: Antioch, California
