Case overview
Amy Carlson, the leader of the spiritual group Love Has Won, was found dead and mummified inside a Colorado home in April 2021, wrapped in a sleeping bag and adorned with Christmas lights. Her followers, who believed she was a 500-year-old deity, had kept her body for weeks while continuing to solicit donations and stream content online. Seven members were arrested and charged with abuse of a corpse, exposing the group’s internal dynamics of control, neglect, and belief-driven harm.
The rise of Love Has Won
Love Has Won began as an online spiritual community in 2006, gaining structure and intensity after Amy Carlson joined in 2012. Carlson, who called herself “Mother God” and claimed to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ and Cleopatra, became the group’s singular authority. The organization promoted New Age beliefs, conspiracy theories, and apocalyptic prophecy, attracting followers through YouTube livestreams and Facebook posts.
By the mid-2010s, Love Has Won had established communal homes in southern Colorado where members lived under Carlson’s direction. Followers dedicated their time to the group’s mission: producing daily video content, selling colloidal silver supplements, and soliciting donations. The group’s online presence included thousands of hours of livestreamed footage showing Carlson delivering spiritual lectures, often while visibly intoxicated.
Former members described a hierarchy in which Carlson’s word was absolute. Dissent was met with public humiliation or expulsion. The group’s belief system centered on the idea that Carlson would soon ascend to a higher dimension, taking loyal followers with her. This narrative created urgency and devotion that kept members compliant, even as Carlson’s health visibly declined.
Control and coercion inside the group
Love Has Won operated with rigid internal order that dictated nearly every aspect of members’ daily lives. Followers were assigned household roles, worked long hours producing content, and were discouraged from maintaining contact with family members outside the group. Carlson exercised control through spiritual authority and emotional manipulation, claiming that those who left would face karmic consequences or spiritual death.
Financial control was central to the group’s operations. Members turned over income, disability checks, and savings to Carlson, who used the funds for communal homes and personal expenses. Former members reported being left without access to money, identification, or transportation, making it difficult to leave.
Carlson’s behavior grew increasingly erratic in the years before her death. Livestreams captured her verbally abusing followers, drinking heavily, and making claims about her divine powers. Despite her deteriorating physical condition, including jaundice and visible signs of organ failure, members were instructed to believe she was immortal and would eventually transform into a higher being.
Former members who spoke to investigators described a culture in which Carlson’s suffering was reframed as a spiritual trial. When her health worsened, followers attributed it to negative energy or attacks from external forces rather than medical illness. This belief system prevented anyone from seeking outside help, even as Carlson became bedridden and incoherent.
The death and discovery
Amy Carlson died in late March or early April 2021. Her followers did not report her death or contact authorities. Instead, they kept her body inside the group’s home in Moffat, Colorado, believing she would come back to life or ascend. Members continued to livestream and post updates online, though Carlson no longer appeared in videos. Some followers claimed she had entered a deep meditation or was undergoing a transformation.
On April 28, 2021, the Saguache County Sheriff’s Office received a tip that led deputies to the group’s residence. Inside, they found Carlson’s mummified remains in a back bedroom. Her body was wrapped in a sleeping bag, her face covered in makeup. Christmas lights had been arranged around her, and followers had placed glitter on her skin.
Seven people were present in the home at the time of discovery. All were arrested and later charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with a deceased human body, and child abuse. Two children were living in the home with the decomposing body. Autopsy results determined that Carlson died from a combination of alcohol abuse, anorexia, and colloidal silver toxicity. The coroner ruled her death natural, though the circumstances remained deeply troubling.
The investigation and charges
The investigation revealed that Carlson’s body had been transported across state lines before being brought to Colorado. After her death in California, members moved her remains to the Moffat property, where they continued their daily routines. This detail added federal interest to the case, though state charges proceeded first.
Prosecutors argued that the group’s actions went beyond religious devotion and crossed into criminal neglect and desecration. The presence of children in the home, exposed to both the decomposing body and the group’s unstable environment, heightened concern. Investigators interviewed former members, who provided detailed accounts of the group’s operations and Carlson’s control over followers.
Defense attorneys for the arrested members argued that their clients genuinely believed in Carlson’s teachings and were acting out of religious conviction rather than malice. Some members expressed confusion and distress during interviews, struggling to reconcile their beliefs with what had occurred. The case raised questions about the line between religious freedom and criminal conduct, particularly in groups with charismatic leaders and isolated members.
By 2022, plea agreements were reached in most cases. Several members received sentences ranging from probation to jail time, depending on their level of involvement and cooperation with investigators. The legal proceedings closed a chapter on Love Has Won’s physical presence, but the group’s online content remained accessible.
What former members described
Interviews with former Love Has Won members revealed psychological coercion and gradual isolation. Many described joining during vulnerable periods in their lives, drawn in by Carlson’s confident declarations and the promise of spiritual enlightenment. Once inside, members found it difficult to leave due to financial dependence, fear of retribution, and the belief that leaving would result in spiritual harm.
Several former followers reported being sleep-deprived, malnourished, and emotionally exhausted from the demands of group life. Carlson’s constant need for attention and validation meant that members were expected to be available at all hours, filming content, responding to online critics, or attending to her personal needs. The group’s internal culture discouraged dissent, and those who questioned Carlson’s behavior were accused of being influenced by dark forces.
Some family members of Love Has Won followers attempted interventions, but the group’s teachings framed outside concern as interference or persecution. This made it nearly impossible for loved ones to reach members who were deeply committed to the group’s ideology. Former members who eventually left described a difficult process of reintegration as they worked to rebuild relationships and reckon with their time in the organization.
The aftermath and ongoing presence
After Carlson’s death and the arrests, Love Has Won’s remaining online followers splintered. Some continued to promote her teachings and defended the group’s actions, while others distanced themselves or acknowledged they had been misled. The group’s YouTube channels and social media accounts were eventually removed, but archived content continued to circulate.
In the months following the case, reports emerged of former members attempting to reorganize under new names or continuing to spread similar beliefs. The decentralized nature of the group’s online presence made it difficult to fully dismantle its influence. Some former high-ranking members issued statements distancing themselves from the events in Colorado, while others remained committed to Carlson’s teachings.
The Love Has Won case drew attention to the challenges of regulating and responding to groups that operate primarily online, where geographic boundaries and traditional oversight mechanisms are less effective. Law enforcement and mental health professionals noted the difficulty of intervening in such situations before harm occurs, particularly when members are adults acting of their own stated volition.
Where to look next
- Documentary: “Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God” (HBO Max)
- Podcast: “Guru: The Dark Side of Enlightenment” (Wondery)
- Book: “Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism” by Amanda Montell
