Case 60
Jonestown
(Part 1)
*** Warning: This case involves a child victim ***
[Part 1 of 3]
During childbirth, Lynetta Jones’ deceased mother appeared to her in a vision and prophesied that the baby would one day become a great man. Lynetta’s son was Jim Warren Jones, who grew up to become the leader of a new religious movement he named ‘The Peoples Temple’.
As word of Jones’ egalitarian ideals and miraculous healings spread, his following increased. But all was not as it seemed. Behind closed doors, Jones abused his power and his congregation. Eventually, he began speaking more and more frequently about one concept in particular: revolutionary suicide.
CREDITS
EPISODE:
Research & writing – Milly Raso
Narration – Anonymous Host
MUSIC:
‘Flatline intro’ and ‘Come play with me’ intro and outro – www.dl-sounds.com
Audio production – Mike Migas
Scoring – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn
OTHER:
Logo and website design – Paulina Szymanska
RESOURCES
BOOKS:
A Thousand Lives: The Untold Story of Jonestown – Julia Scheeres
The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple – Jeff Guinn
IMAGES:
Transcription of Marceline Jones
The Eight Revolutionaries Letter to Jim Jones
ARTICLES:
Nurture Failure: A Psychobiographical Approach to the Childhood of Jim Jones– James L. Kelley
Indiana University Reflects 30 Years After Jonestown Massacre – Indiana Daily
Nine Places to Hide – Esquire Magazine
Sex in Peoples Temple – David Parker Wise
‘Caravan of Hope’ Crosses America – Proclaims Brotherhood and Cooperation as Cure for Nation’s Ills
Was Peoples Temple Responsible for the Deaths of Some of its Former Members?
Inside Peoples Temple – New West Magazine
VIDEOS:
Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple
Jonestown Cult Suicides: The True Story