"Mission Religious Group Found Alive"

In Los Angeles there was a group of thirteen cult-like church members who went mission but were found Sunday afternoon on September 19.  The group was traveling in three separate cars and were all immigrants from El Salvador.  They were found in the Jackie Robinson Park after a desperate search after the husbands reported their wives missing.  The wives had left behind letter in English and Spanish that were describing the end of the world.  This lead them to believe they were on some sort of suicide mission.

The leader of the church, Reyna Marisol Chicas, 22 was claimed by one of the husbands to be brainwashing their wives.

Saturday night at three am, before the group was reported missing, a Sheriff's deputy came across the group in a parking lot outside Knight High School.  When the deputy asked what they were doing they responded by saying they were praying to stop violence in the schools and for people to abstain from sexual activity before marriage.  There were children with them, their ages ranging from 3 to 18.  The five women were ages 33-39.

After the search with helicopters, horses and police on foot in the Vasquez Rocks area they were found.  Authorities said they found no specific evidence that the group had any intentions to commit suicide or were anticipating violence.

New York Times by Adam Nagourney




I am curious to know if it is difficult for the authorities to put so much work, time and money into search and rescues such as this and feel like it was a waste because these women are somewhat radicals from the sounds of this report and they were just fine.  Sending their husbands for a loop and possibly putting their own children in danger.   It's difficult for me to understand, maybe I'm just being judgmental.