Attorney General's office to assist in prosecution of alleged McDonald County sex cult leader

The Missouri Attorney General's office filed an entry of appearance indicating it will assist in the prosecution of former McDonald County pastor Raymond Lambert who is charged with the rape of a 10-year-old girl in the summer of 2013.

The pre-trial conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday before Judge John LePage in McDonald County Circuit Court, but that's no guarantee it will take place. Online court records indicate the hearing has been rescheduled nine times.

(Note: The photo of Raymond Lambert was taken during a 2006 hearing)

Lambert, 68, Washburn, was arrested October 12, 2022 by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, which conducted the investigation.

It was not the first time Lambert had been arrested in connection with sex crimes involving a child. In 2006, Lambert was alleged to be the ringleader of a sex cult in the church he pastored, the Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church. Church membership was approximately 100 and church members lived in what authorities described as a "compound." He and several members of his family, including his wife, Patricia Lambert and sister-in-law Laura Epling were also charged.

A McDonald County grand jury indicted Lambert in February 2008, charging him with four counts of child molestation, three counts of statutory sodomy and one count of child abuse in connection with ritual sex abuse of children.

Janice Durbin, who was McDonald County prosecuting attorney at the time, dismissed charges against Lambert June 10, 2008, again citing reluctance of witnesses.

After current McDonald County Prosecuting Attorney Maleia Anne Cheney filed the most recent charge against Lambert, she also filed charges against Laura Epling and Patricia Lambert.

McDonald County Circuit Court records do not indicate any current case against Patricia Lambert.

An amended complaint against Epling charged her with statutory sodomy, with the crimes allegedly taking place between 2002 and 2004.

From the probable cause statement:

Raymond Lambert instructed (the victim) to perform oral sex on him to which she complied. According to the victim, Laura Epling was present during the assault and acted in concert with Raymond Lambert by providing instruction and at one point placing her hand on (the victim's) head to assist her in the sexual act.

Judge LePage denied a motion to dismiss the case against Epling November 6. Her pre-trial conference is also scheduled for Wednesday, November 29.

No charges have been filed against Raymond Lambert in connection with the crimes described in Laura Epling's probable cause statement

Grant Valley Independent Baptist Church and the Lambert/Epling Family

The Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church was founded by Patricia Lambert's father, the late Cecil Epling and was featured in a multi-part investigation by National Public Radio in December 2006.

At that time, charges had also been filed in Newton County against another church pastor, George Johnson. Assistant Newton County Prosecuting Attorney Bill Dobbs offered the following comment to NPR:

"We have, in McDonald County, Raymond Lambert, who is married to his stepsister," Dobbs says. "We have George Johnston, who is an uncle to Raymond Lambert. It is alleged by some members of that community that the religious leaders may, in fact, be the biological parents of several children who have been born into this group."

The NPR report also featured an interview with a family member who was not involved in any alleged criminal activity, who offered insight into the Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church's beliefs.
"In April, I learned that my grandfather thought that his daughters needed taking care of spiritually," {the woman}tells NPR. "And so in order to do that, in order to keep his daughters, he had sex with them. He then went on to father a child for most all of his daughters, or his daughter-in-laws [sic]."

Her grandfather was the late Cecil Epling, a minister originally from Ohio. According to Burkett, Epling wanted his seven sons and four daughters to become a tight-knit community, so he helped buy them the Missouri farm. When Epling died, his stepson, Raymond Lambert, took over the ministry. George Johnston later joined the family's church.

Family members say Cecil Epling passed his sexual beliefs to both pastors, teaching them that they needed to fulfill the sexual needs of their daughters and selected girls in the church.

"What's inside of them is God, and they think that they have all the power, all that it takes to take care of a woman," {the woman} says.