In Loving Memory of Lauren Stratford: 
Ritual Abuse Survivor and Beloved Pioneer 

Lauren Stratford, author of Satan's Underground, I Know You're Hurting and Stripped Naked, passed away on April 8th, 2002. She was 61. She had struggled for many years with a progressive condition that affected her circulatory system. In June she was given six months to live, but she remained active even through the five extra months she lived. Two nights before she passed away, she drove herself to the grocery store. Before slipping into a coma, her last words were, "I'm going home now." She was surrounded with loving friends, including her longtime friend whom she considered her "sister", Johanna Michelson. She was not in pain and died peacefully.

Lauren's groundbreaking book, Satan's Underground, was a best seller and resulted in thousands of survivors finding hope and healing, as well as validation for their experiences. In the early 1990's, Lauren became the victim of a vicious smear campaign by Jesus People USA, Cornerstone Magazine, Jon Trott, and Bob and Gretchen Passantino, who sought to discredit her and "prove" her story was false. Despite the horrendous and shattering attacks on her, she continued to reach out to survivors, had two subsequent successful books (still available through Pelican Press) and never recanted one word of her testimony. It was recently learned that the architects of the article, Bob and Gretchen Passantino, lied about many of their credentials, which in some people's minds puts the onus of proving credibility not on Lauren, but on those who questioned hers. 

Regardless of the attacks on Lauren's testimony, she remained committed to the truth of it, as well as her calling to help the hurting. Her friends and loved ones gathered for a private memorial on April 20th to say goodbye to their dear friend. She will be greatly missed. Those of us who remain behind are experiencing a renewal and recommitment to the struggle against ritual abuse, sexual abuse and mind control, having been deeply touched by the loss of a great voice of truth and compassion in a desperately hurting community of survivors.

Dr. Gregory R. Reid

Lauren's memorial 

A weeping cherry tree and heart-shaped monument, donated by several of Lauren's closest friends and supporters, have been installed in NAFF's Garden of Healing.  The tree and monument honor her life, and the loving aid she provided to numerous criminal occult ritual abuse victims and survivors. 

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Emergency contacts and resources 

SOUTHEAST
TENNESSEE

Catholic Charities of East Tennessee, Inc.
Chattanooga Office
Phone 423-267-1297 
Fax 423-265-4923

Children's 
Advocacy Center
- Hamilton County
Office: 
(423) 266-6918
24-hour child abuse hotline: 
(423) 266-0162

Domestic Violence
Resources

Focus Adolescent Services: Family Help in Tennessee
(410) 341-4342
(877) 362-8727

The Partnership
for Families,
Children and Adults
(Partnershipfca)
Family Violence 
Services Shelter
and Sexual Crisis & Resource Center
24-hour hotline:
(423) 755-2700

Survival Necessities Assistance

Tennessee Dept.
of Human Services
Child and elder abuse
24-hour hotline:
(423) 266-0162

USA 

Abuse Consultants
Suicide resource
page

Child Help USA
24-hour National
Child Abuse Hotline
1-800-422-4453

Cyber Tipline
To report child sexual exploitation
24-hour hotline: 1-800-843-5678

Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men
24-hour hotline:
1-877-643-1120, 
pin # 0757

Friends of Battered Women and Their Children
Counseling and legal
advocacy
24-hour hotline:
1-800-603-4357

Hot Peach
Pages - USA
State lists of agencies against domestic violence

KID SAVE
"Referrals to shelters, mental health services,
sexual abuse
treatment, substance abuse, family counseling,
residential care, adoption/foster care, etc."
24-hour helpline:
1-800-543-7283

National Center
for Missing and
Exploited
Children (NCMEC)
24-hour hotline
1-800-843-5678

National Center
on Elder Abuse
State Elder Abuse
Hotlines

National Family
Violence Helpline
24-hour hotlines:
National Child
Abuse Hotline
1-800-422-4453
National Domestic
Violence Hotline
1-800-799-7233 or
1-800-787-3244
(TTY)
Victims of elder abuse
1-800-879-6682

National Family
Violence Hotline
24-hour hotlines:
1-800- 221-2681  
1-800- 222-2000

National Runaway/ Adolescent Suicide Hotline
24-hour hotline:
1-800-621-4000

National Suicide Hotline
(Centerstone)
24-hour hotline:
1-800-SUICIDE
(1-800-784-2433)

National Youth
Crisis Hotline
"...for children and
youth who are
abused, suicidal, chemically dependent, depressed over family
or school problems, runaway or
abandoned."
24-hour hotline
1-800-442-4673

Rape, Abuse, &
Incest National
Network (RAINN)
24-hour hotline:
1-800-656-4673

SAFE (Self-Abuse
Finally Ends) Alternatives) 
Provides Information;
not a crisis number
1-800-DONT-CUT
(1-800-366-8288)

Stop Abuse for
Everyone (SAFE)

Stop It Now!
Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Helpline 
(office hours only)
1-888-773-8368

Suicide Prevention
24-hour hotlines
1-800-827-7571
1-800-784-2433

Virtual Global Task Force (VGT)
"...made up of police forces from around the world working together to fight online child abuse."

CANADA  

Abuse
Consultants
Suicide resources

Centre for Treatment of Sexual Abuse & Childhood Trauma
Serves Ottawa-Carleton 
613-233-4929

Hot Peach
Pages - Canada  
Agencies against
domestic violence

Kids' Help Phone
National phone counselling svc. for children and youths
24-hour hotline
1-800-668-6868

Stop Abuse for
Everyone (SAFE)

Telecare Distress
Centre
Confidential 24-hour crisis and befriending phone support line:
(905) 459-7777
(Not toll-free)
Email address: telecare@on.aibn.com

Victims of Violence
For victims of violent crime - Ottawa, Ontario
(613) 233-0052
vofv@victimsofviolence.
on.ca

Virtual Global Task Force (VGT)
"...made up of police forces from around the world working together to fight online child abuse."

Non-emergency help & support 

Advocacy
Committee for
Human Experimentation Survivors - Mind
Control
(ACHES-MC)

Mr. Light and Associates/
Utah Committee Against Ritual
Abuse (UCARA)

NetSmartz411
"Online resource for answering questions about Internet safety, computers, and the Web."

North American
Freedom
Foundation
(NAFF)

Occult Research
and Crime
Consultants
(ORCC)

Stop Mind Control
and Ritual Abuse Today (SMART)

Survivorship

Many more contacts are listed in our "Support and Resources" web pages.