Vietnam's vet home is burglarized the same day the family was holding his funeral
A late Vietnam War veteran's home was burglarized the same day that he was laid to rest, according to a report.
Sgt. Patrick 'Rick' Jacobus, who served as a flight navigator in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, died in early January in Houston after battling cancer.
His family held a funeral service on Thursday — the same day that a burglar broke into his home, Click2Houston reported.
The ski-mask-clad burglar stole items of sentimental value, his family said.
'My heart sank,' Anne Engelbrecht, Jacobus' daughter, told the outlet. She was sucker-punched by the burglar.
'It just hurt,' she said. 'It's such a violation and it's just something I wanted to remember him by, you know? And I don't have that.'
She was especially hurt because the stranger took items that had little monetary value, but were invaluable to his family, including his military uniform, his bomber jacket and his vintage coin collection.
'They also took the food that was in the fridge. They took the water and paper towels, like, just weird things,' Engelbrecht added.
She didn't recognize the burglar, who was caught on neighbors' security cameras.
He had apparently been checking on the front door multiple times across different nights, neighbors told the outlet.
He even covered up one neighbor's Ring security camera before breaking into the late sergeant's home.
'I really didn't pay attention to them until he started covering up my door ring camera,' the neighbor said, who noticed him spray-painting the camera in the wee hours of Thursday morning.
Engelbrecht understands she probably won't see those coins again, but she said she still hopes to see some of her father's possessions one day.
She told the outlet: 'I just want my dad's uniform back, and I want that bomber jacket back to get my son.'
He passed away on January 8 at 80 years old, according to an online obituary: 'Rick's passing is a profound loss, but his spirit will forever remain a guiding light in our lives. We are grateful for the time we shared with him and the indelible mark he left on our hearts.'
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Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Scottish Sun
My mum abandoned me and gave me to a cult – we were fed LSD, beaten, bleached & waterboarded to keep us under control
Ben's mum was lured into the cult and gave her son up to be part of a 'master race' CULT OF BLONDE My mum abandoned me and gave me to a cult – we were fed LSD, beaten, bleached & waterboarded to keep us under control BEN Shenton was just 18 months old when his mother gave him up to a well-spoken blonde woman who swore she'd give him the best life possible. Little did she know her decision would put Ben through years of abuse at the hands of a woman who believed she was Jesus Christ reborn. 9 Ben Shenton was handed over to a cult leader Credit: BBC 9 Anne Hamilton-Bryne's 'children' were forced to bleach their hair and wear matching clothes Credit: BBC Handout 9 Anne believed she was Jesus Christ reborn and became the leader of the notorious Australian cult Images of Ben show a happy young boy, but the reality was entirely different - as the youngster was forced to become part of a notorious cult known as 'The Family'. Anne Hamilton-Byrne, who Ben would grow up to know as his mother, became the leader of the cult based in Australia, which drugged and beat him. He had no idea of his life before Anne, as she went to great lengths to keep his adoption a secret, even bleaching his hair platinum blond like hers and his new 'siblings'. Despite abusing more than 20 children, including Ben, Anne and her husband and cult co-leader, Bill Hamilton-Byrne, never faced justice. Now, over four decades on from the abuse, Ben shares his story of growing up in the "Kai Lama" compound, where children were locked in with barbed wire and tortured. FIRST IMPRESSIONS Anne first started out as a yoga teacher before turning to a more 'spiritual life' and eventually believing she was Jesus Christ reincarnated. She was born with the name Evelyn and had three marriages in total - the first coming to an end when her husband died in a car crash, which led to her 'spiritual awakening.' She met English physicist Dr Raynor Johnson in 1963 and the following year, they set up a group dedicated to spreading a surreal combination of Christianity and Hinduism, with Hamilton-Byrne at its centre. Her final husband, Bill, became the person who led the doomsday cult with her in the 1960s, when the world faced existential threats like nuclear warfare, the Vietnam War and the spread of communism. Anne was able to rope people into the cult through yoga lessons, meetings at her house once a week, and then three times a week, until she built the compound on land near her house for them to move into. Inside a 'mind-controlling' CULT which 'forced mum and daughter to hit each other' and chose Fiji as the 'promised land' Anne came across as beautiful, well-spoken and nurturing, so it's no surprise Ben's mum was easily convinced he'd have a better life with her. Ben said Anne manipulated his mother into giving him up in 1970, convincing her that 'only she could give me the best life possible'. The pair consistently preyed on vulnerable people like Ben's mum, Joy, who had suffered a back injury and felt she could not look after him anymore. They also started recruiting people into their cult by approaching patients from Newhaven Hospital in Kew, a private psychiatric facility run and operated by various members of The Family, who targeted vulnerable patients, subjecting them to heavy doses of LSD and electroshock therapy. She and husband Hamilton-Byrne took children through illegal adoptions, allowing the cult to grow in numbers before imprisoning them in a strict home-schooling environment at a rural property near Eildon in Victoria. 9 At one point, Anne had 28 children in her care Credit: Label Distribution 9 She convinced parents to give her their children Using lawyers, social workers, and doctors to forgo official channels, they were able to forge birth documents and raise over a dozen children to believe they were the birth children of the Hamilton-Byrnes. When children were born inside the compound to cult members, they were raised to believe their birth mothers were instead among a handful of 'aunts', who gave out brutal punishments for whatever they saw fit. PICTURE PERFECT FAMILY From the outside, the family looked picture-perfect as they lived on their compound in Victoria, Australia. Life at Kai Lama seemed healthy and even advanced for its years; it featured yoga, exercise, vegetarian meals, meditation and education. Ben lived on the remote property and was raised alongside dozens of other children for 13 years and recalls living with 28 other kids at one point. "Growing up, it was Anne and Bill, they were mum and dad; and then there were foster kids, and they were kids of other sect members, who would either come up on weekends or stay there for stints of a couple of years," Ben, told the BBC. "The greatest amount of kids at any given stage was 28," he added. Anne and Bill brought up the children as their own, even dressing them in matching outfits and dying their hair bleach blond to appear like a real family. I loved them in their little smocks and jeans and the long hair and ribbons. Anne Hamilton-Byrne "We were her children. We were different ages. We'd line up von Trapp style (like) The Sound of Music, which we'd watch, dressed in outfits that matched and that was just what we were asked to do," he told the True Crimes Conversation podcast. "You look back on that and you see it's choreographed. "It crafted a belief that she had these children, which she didn't. We were all either adopted or handed over." In an interview years after the children were finally taken from her, Anne said: 'I wanted them to look like brothers and sisters - I must admit this. 'I loved them in their little smocks and jeans and the long hair and ribbons. It was beautiful - it was lovely to see.' Asked why she imprisoned 28 children over two decades, she responded: 'I love children.' 9 Ben Shenton pictured after being removed from the cult Credit: Ben Shenton 9 Ben (pictured front right) and his 'silbings' were the targets of abuse for years Credit: BBC UNDER WRAPS But in reality, the children were subjected to years of beatings, mind games, isolation, and forced to take drugs by the cult leader, who had convinced more than 500 people she was Jesus Christ. The couple had convinced their followers they were making a 'master race' while teaching a mixture of Christianity and Hinduism. Ben recalls one form of torture Anne liked to perform on the children was waterboarding. It's a method of torture that creates such horrific psychological pain that its use has even been banned in the US military. "We were all lined up. We were belted. Our head held under the bucket of water, interrogated," he said. "Held there until you thought you were suffocating, brought back out again. "Horrendous experience. It caused nightmares. "These things shape your personality." Ben recalls seeing his siblings being beaten with a belt, and says they were given LSD 'as part of an initiation ritual.' 'I was watching her being belted with a buckle and she's being beaten to the point where she's wriggling out of her clothes,' he said of his sister, Sarah. 'Hearing her body smash across the balustrades - it was horrendous to know they had the power to do that and would do it,' he told the MailOnline. She had this ability to be able to be so warm, so loving, so caring, and yet at the same time so manipulative. Ben Shenton Ben says Anne's most effective tactic was to keep the children from forming bonds with each other to keep them all in line. To weed out misdeeds in the children, Anne would perform group interrogations by beating them until someone came clean. Ben said he stayed compliant to avoid punishment. "This was the evil genius of her. She understood that if she could separate us, isolate us, make it so that we couldn't build relationships with one another and punish us, then she could control us," he said. "Anyone who's lived under domestic violence will know the living with fear, the walking on eggshells, the currying favour of those in authority, or the absolute rejection of them, the hatred of them, the love-hate relationship. "It's domestic abuse on steroids," he said. Now, Ben believes Anne was a sociopath or psychopath. "She had this ability to be able to be so warm, so loving, so caring, and yet at the same time so manipulative," he said. 'The Family' Cult Timeline 1968 The Family begins to 'adopt' and acquire children to create a 'master race'. The Family begins to 'adopt' and acquire children to create a 'master race'. 1974 An official school is set up for the 'master race' children at the Lake Eildon property. An official school is set up for the 'master race' children at the Lake Eildon property. 1978 Anne Hamilton marries William (Bill) Byrne and they take the surname Hamilton-Byrne. Anne Hamilton marries William (Bill) Byrne and they take the surname Hamilton-Byrne. 1983 Police visit the Lake Eildon property to search for a missing girl. She is not found on the property. Police visit the Lake Eildon property to search for a missing girl. She is not found on the property. 1987 (14 August) Combined police raid on sect property at Lake Eildon. Anne is overseas. Bill is present at the raid but is not charged. Combined police raid on sect property at Lake Eildon. Anne is overseas. Bill is present at the raid but is not charged. The children are removed from the sect and placed into care. 1987 (Oct/Nov) Bill flees to Hawaii to meet Anne. Bill flees to Hawaii to meet Anne. 1987 (12 December) Detective Lex de Man is called to investigate. He learns about The Family. Detective Lex de Man is called to investigate. He learns about The Family. 1989 (about June) Lex de Man writes a report recommending Victoria Police commence a criminal investigation into The Family. Lex de Man writes a report recommending Victoria Police commence a criminal investigation into The Family. 1989 (11 December) Operation Forest Task Force commences. Operation Forest Task Force commences. 1993 (4 June) Anne and Bill are arrested in the Catskill Mountains, Upstate New York. Anne and Bill are arrested in the Catskill Mountains, Upstate New York. 1993 (17 August) Anne and Bill are extradited to Australia. Anne and Bill are extradited to Australia. 1993 (31 August) Anne and Bill appear in the Victorian Magistrates' Court, charged with conspiracy to defraud and commit perjury by falsely registering the births of triplets. Anne and Bill appear in the Victorian Magistrates' Court, charged with conspiracy to defraud and commit perjury by falsely registering the births of triplets. 1994 In the County Court, Anne and Bill avoid prison and are fined $5000 each. In the County Court, Anne and Bill avoid prison and are fined $5000 each. 2001 Bill dies, leaving Anne to lead a diminishing group of followers. Bill dies, leaving Anne to lead a diminishing group of followers. 2019 At 97, Anne lives in the dementia wing of a suburban Melbourne nursing home. CAUGHT IN THE ACT It wasn't until 1987 that the cult was finally searched by 100 police officers and the children were rescued. At the time, a 15-year-old Ben was doing his scheduled yoga class when police stormed in. His sister, Sarah Moore, had managed to escape the cult at 17 and headed straight to the police to tell them what was going on. Not taking any chances, police stormed the property and rescued six children, including Ben. While he was reluctant to go with them at first, he soon realised this was his path to freedom. He recalls: 'I think I got this epiphanal moment, realising this is the ticket out of here. So I just I let go, and I went with them." It was only then that Ben found out he was not their biological son and was handed over by his mother Joy, who stayed in the cult as an 'aunt'. At the time, Anne was in Hawaii while Bill stayed on the compound, but he wasn't arrested. Later, he went to New York to meet Anne before the pair were arrested and extradited back to Australia. While many of the children came forward with claims of abuse, both Anne and Bill were only charged with conspiracy to defraud and perjury by falsely registering the birth of triplets. The pair were spared jail and fined just £2,300 each for the crime. Detective Lex de Man, who investigated the case, says evidence of abuse was unable to be taken to court despite multiple victims coming forward. Justice was not done. Ben Shenton Detective de Man recently told The Age: 'My only regret is she was never held totally to account for the misery she caused to the former cult children. 'I have no sympathy for the woman I consider the most evil person I ever met in my police career.' LIFE NOW Ben moved into foster care when he left the cult, and while lying on his bunk bed with fresh pyjamas and a meal in his tummy, he realised he'd never go back to The Family again "I realised then I (didn't) have to do this anymore, I'm free. I don't need to go back," he said. "That, to me, was when I shut the door." Four decades on, Ben is a proud husband to Rajes and a dad to Ellie and Callum, who live in Perth, Australia. He has written a book on his time in the cult, Life Behind the Wire, and runs the organisation, Rescue The Family, to raise awareness on cult manipulation. In 2019, Anne passed away while in a Melbourne care home at the age of 98 and Ben has reconnected with his biological mother. "What Anne did was evil. She used the name of Christ to give herself validity. She used a belief system," Ben said. "Justice was not done." 9 Now Ben educates others on manipulation after his own experience Credit: SBS Productions
Daily Mail
30-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Marine reveals chilling moment he heroically stopped manic passenger from killing all onboard Houston flight
A heroic Marine has told how he managed to stop a manic passenger from killing everyone onboard a flight from Japan to Houston, Texas. Jody Armentrout, a sergeant major who has served in the Marines for over 20 years, was sitting in the emergency exit row on All Nippon Airways Flight 114 from Tokyo to Houston on Saturday when he said he noticed a man acting strange. Trained to remain vigilant at all times, Armentrout said he watched as the man take his backpack into one of the bathrooms, then came out and went to another bathroom on the flight - and then a third. 'He came out of that one and began pacing up and down the aisle, so that just threw my radar on,' the 50-year-old Marine told NBC News. Soon, he said, he saw the man eyeing the emergency exit door next to him. At that point, Armentrout said he stood up to block the man from the exit door - which only prompted the manic passenger to rush to the door in the opposite aisle. The man immediately grabbed the strap on the door - and Armentrout said he knew he had just seconds to act. 'About that time is when I slammed him, put him on the ground,' the Marine said. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Abigail Dye (@abigaildyenews) 'And then there was an older gentleman sitting on that side that woke up and he got up and kind of helped me.' Together, the two men were able to secure the unruly passenger into a seat as he tried to wrestle free. They were aided by flight attendants, who Armentrout said handed him zip ties, which he placed around the man's wrists to secure him to the seat. Armentrout then sat with the man until the plane safely landed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Washington, where it was temporarily diverted. As he sat with the unidentified passenger, Armentrout said he noticed the man's eyes. 'You could definitely tell there was something going on.' When the plane finally landed in Seattle just about 45 minutes later, police escorted the man off of the flight. They could be seen in footage posted online telling the man, 'If you try to fight us, force will be used against you.' One officer says: 'Once I take you out of the seat, we're going to escort you off the flight, okay? If you try to fight us, force will be used against you.' The man was then apparently taken off the plane without incident, and was evaluated. Airport officials have since claimed the man had experienced some sort of 'medical episode' and was transported to a nearby hospital. But the drama of the international flight did not end there- as another passenger who FBI agents say was 'frustrated at the flight diversion' punched a bathroom door. That individual, who has not been identified, was also removed from the flight - which then continued on to Houston, landing at around 12.42 pm local time. When it finally landed, Armentrout said he was just glad to be on the ground. He noted that he had just been acting out of concern for his fellow passengers, including multiple infants. 'I just knew he was up to something crazy and at the end of the day, I was willing to take the risk of him saying "I'm not doing anything," and then just them making him go sit back down, than me allowing him to do anything that's going to put anybody at risk,' the Marine said. He added that he now hopes others also remain aware of their surroundings. 'I want to make sure everybody understands what time we are in in this world nowadays and that they need to be aware of their surroundings all the time,' Armentrout said. As of Thursday, no charges had been filed for either the man who apparently tried to open the emergency door or the other individual who punched the door.
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Decorated double amputee former Marine, 36, is charged with heinous act on 13-year-old girl
A heavily-decorated former Marine who lost both his legs in Afghanistan has been charged with repeatedly raping a 13-year-old girl. Brandon Rumbaugh, 34, was charged on Tuesday for the vile acts he allegedly committed while the victim slept over at his home in Pleasant Hills, Pennsylvania. Police launched an investigation into the sickening claims on May 5 after receiving a report from a child protective agency. The girl told cops Rumbaugh, a well known motivational speaker, is family friend who she has known since she was 10. When she turned 11 or 12, the father-of-two allegedly started contacting her over the phone. The abuse began when she turned 13 and started staying over at his house, where he gave her alcohol and forced her into sex, she told detectives. She reportedly stayed at Rumbaugh's home three times in April. He did not attack her the first night, she said. They went to the gym and watched military movies. But he allegedly raped her twice each night the second and third times she stayed at his house. He once gave her alcoholic iced tea before he assaulted her, she claims. Describing how the liquor affected her, she said 'she didn't feel like herself,' the criminal complaint reads. She also slept in the same bed as the accused predator on one occasion, with another person sleeping across the hall, police said. Rumbaugh had tried to scare her into silence, allegedly telling her to 'to keep this a secret until she was eighteen years old'. The former marine is now facing a slew of charges including rape, statutory sexual assault and furnishing alcohol to minors. He was arrested and is being held in jail without bond. Rumbaugh is due in court on Wednesday. His Pittsburgh-area community members are now grappling with the shocking news after he was for years treated as a hero for his military service. Uniontown resident Jenn Smith told CBS: 'He's supposed to be a positive person for this community and now this is coming out.' She added: 'It teaches us we need to be a little more careful with our babies.' Another woman said on Facebook: 'Hopefully he gets what he deserves for something so horrible.' She added: 'We need to protect our children and send this message that this will not be tolerated.' 'Hey just wanted to pop by and say I hope you go to prison forever. Best of luck,' someone commented under one of Rumbaugh's Instagram posts. Rumbaugh lost both his legs after stepping on a landmine while carrying another Marine to safety in 2009. 'I had to learn to be independent at 21 years old, starting a whole new life without either of my legs,' he told The Daily Nebraskan in 2018. 'My life wasn't over, but I had to find a new path.' He went on to become a motivational speaker and the CEO of Action Conquers Terror. Aside from being celebrated on multiple occasions, he was recognized by the US Marines with a Commendation Medal for valor.
