For seven years, TikToker Stella McCormick (@stella_mccormick) had a younger sister who was kept locked up in a closet from the age of seven to 14, and she was made to believe that was normal.
She also thought it was normal for her sister to eat out of a dog bowl on the back porch. Her sister was only fed raw hot dogs, canned collard greens, and powdered formula.
She wore black garbage bags as clothing. She also didn’t have a bed, and her room was about four feet by six feet. For reference, a regular bedroom in most houses is around 13 feet by 15 feet.
Stella and her eight siblings were raised in a cult. They moved around a lot, so she has probably lived in at least 20 different houses.
Her family was not a part of an official cult. They made up their own religion with lots of rules to keep everyone in line.
She has not been in contact with her parents for three years, and she only speaks to two of her siblings—her older sister and the younger sister who was locked in a closet.
Stella’s younger sister is now 17 years old, and she is doing much better living with a different family.
Before Stella’s family became a cult, she and her siblings just weren’t very loved in general. The environment they grew up in was emotionally and physically abusive.
They were alienated from their extended family and were not allowed to see them much. They would see their extended family every other year for about 30 to 45 minutes at lunch.
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However, the extended family could sense that something was off. They wanted to call Child Protective Services, but they never had any proof of abuse. They confronted Stella’s parents multiple times about how they were raising the kids.
Of course, her parents could not take criticism, so they would argue and gaslight the extended family, which drove them even further apart. Stella wasn’t able to reconnect with them until three years ago.
In 2004 or 2005, the cult ideology started in her family. She was seven years old in 2004. She and her older sister went to a summer Bible camp for about a week with their mom.
After that, her parents decided they were going to be missionaries and participate in church camp. In 2007 or 2008, they moved up to the mountains to do church camp full-time.
Her parents became extremely religious and no longer allowed the girls to cut their hair or wear adornments like jewelry and hair barrettes.
They also had to wear long denim skirts and loose-fitting shirts. Stella and her siblings were homeschooled for their entire lives, and they mostly followed the Amish curriculum.
She is glad that she has been able to escape from her cult family and is currently working on healing from all the trauma. Several TikTok users shared stories about the abuse they endured growing up.
“I used to get grounded to my bed and not allowed to sit up for three or four days, made to stand in the corner for over a week straight, and not allowed to celebrate, specifically my birthday. I don’t talk to my family, either. Mostly because my dad and stepmom are now dead,” commented one user.
“I have four siblings—all adults. Me and my older brother are the only ones no contact. The others were properly brainwashed,” stated another.
“I thought you were just joking, and this was going to be about your family dog or something until I watched the whole video,” added someone else.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
