Marcos, last seen in San Juan, Puerto Rico on December 15, 1984, was abandoned by a member of the House of Prayer for All People outside a Catholic church, potentially in the Santurce district. The House of Prayer for All People, led by Anna Elizabeth Young and her husband Jonah Young, formerly Robert Davidson, operated as a cult-like religious group, practicing collectivism and Old Testament beliefs such as adhering to a kosher diet and wearing full-length robes and head coverings.
Initially established in Zebulon, Georgia, the group later relocated to Micanopy, Florida. At its peak, it consisted of 24 members who adopted new names upon joining. Anna’s leadership turned tyrannical, especially following her husband’s death in 1988. She enforced financial control, separated families, and subjected members, particularly children, to starvation, humiliation, beatings, and torture for perceived “sins.” Each punishment entailed 33 lashes, mirroring the number of lashes Christ received before crucifixion.
In 1984, Anna ordered the abandonment of Marcos in Puerto Rico, labeling him as “possessed by the devil.” In 1992, she inflicted severe burns on a twelve-year-old by bathing her in bleach and leaving her restrained, resulting in permanent scarring. Following the girl’s discovery and hospitalization, Anna was convicted of child abuse but fled with her youngest daughter, Joy, before sentencing, leading to the dissolution of the cult in her absence.
In 2000, Anna was found in Alton, Illinois, where she served a six-month jail term for child abuse. Following her release, she relocated to Cobb County, Georgia, maintaining a low profile for fifteen years. However, in 2017, her daughter, Joy, accused her of m*rdering a toddler known as Moses Young within the House of Prayer for All People. This child was later identified as Emon Harper, approximately two years old at the time.
Former cult members corroborated Joy’s account, revealing that in 1988 or 1989, Anna subjected the boy to prolonged beatings and starvation until he was discovered deceased inside her closet. Although his body was never found, witnesses testified that Anna disposed of it in a large straw hamper, which she then burned in a fire. She allegedly informed other cult members that she had given the child to monks for upbringing.
Subsequently, Anna was indicted for Emon’s m*rder in December 2017. Additionally, a former cult member disclosed that Anna coerced others into beating and torturing his two-year-old sister, Katonya Jackson, who suffered from epilepsy. Anna also withheld Katonya’s medication, resulting in her death. Initially classified as natural, Katonya’s death was reinvestigated after charges were pressed against Anna in Emon’s case, leading to manslaughter charges against her.
In 1973, Anna’s stepdaughter, Catherine Davidson, vanished at the age of six and was never found. Despite investigations, her whereabouts remained unknown. Joy, who was not yet born at the time, recounted to the police that her older sister disclosed Anna’s involvement in Catherine’s disappearance.
Allegedly, Anna bound and gagged Catherine before confining her to a closet in their Chicago home. Throughout the night, the other children heard scratching noises emanating from the closet until they abruptly ceased. When Joy’s sister investigated, she discovered Catherine lying motionless in a fetal position, indicating her potential demise.
Joy attributes her mother’s actions to untreated mental illness, which she believes fueled Anna’s violent tendencies. In February 2021, Anna entered a plea agreement with the prosecution, admitting no contest to second-degree m*rder in Emon’s case and mansl*ughter in Katonya’s d*ath. Consequently, she received a 30-year prison sentence. However, Anna died a mere month later at the age of seventy-nine, having served only 33 days of her mandated incarceration.
Despite extensive inquiries, no one has ever faced charges in connection with Catherine or Marcos’s disappearances, leaving their cases unresolved.
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