(Silver Spring, Md.)— The rise and fall of Keith Raniere and the now defunct NXIVM cult is one of the most disturbing scandals of our age. What began as a purported self-help group spiraled into a dark, secretive world of illicit sex, money laundering, and exploitation all at the hands of founder Keith Raniere and his accomplices. Now, former NXIVM publicist turned investigative journalist Frank Parlato, who first revealed that NXIVM was branding women, takes a deep dive to answer the questions surrounding the tragic deaths and mysterious disappearances of four women who all had connections to NXIVM and Raniere himself. With exclusive access to members of Raniere’s former inner circle, some speaking for the first time and others who remain anonymous for their safety, Parlato leads viewers through a two-hour investigation that questions if there is more to this sadistic story. The provocative new special, THE LOST WOMEN OF NXIVM, premieres Sunday, December 8 at 9/8c, only on Investigation Discovery (ID).

“Understanding the depths of depravity of the NXIVM cult goes far beyond what we have seen in the headlines,” says Henry Schleiff, Group President of Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, American Heroes Channel and Destination America. “This explosive ID special takes a never before look at the stories of four women who were unfortunately caught in Raniere’s twisted web and explores how their association with him may have led to their tragic fates, providing hope that authorities might reopen these cases to bring closure to the victims’ loved ones.”

THE LOST WOMEN OF NXIVM begins with Parlato’s investigation into the missing persons case of Kristin Snyder, who disappeared on February 6, 2003 after being forcibly removed from one of NXIVM’s Executive Success Programs (ESP) due to erratic behavior. Her abandoned vehicle was found the next day with an apparent suicide note inside, but her body has never been recovered. In an exclusive interview, Parlato speaks with Snyder’s wife of two years, Heidi Clifford, who claims that Snyder was pregnant with Raniere’s child at the time of her disappearance. Parlato quickly discovers that just months before Snyder vanished, 33-year-old Gina Hutchinson was found dead also due to an apparent suicide. Heidi Hutchinson speaks with Parlato about her sister’s association with Raniere from a young age.

With the help of an anonymous source, Parlato also explores the deaths of two additional LOST WOMEN OF NXIVM, 63-year-old Barbara Jeske and 57-year-old Pamela Cafritz. Both women lived with Keith Raniere and were part of his trusted inner circle, many of whom mysteriously developed terminal cancer. After collecting potential hair evidence from the source, Parlato sets out to explore if it is possible that the women, experiencing a cluster of cancers, were poisoned over a period of years.

Additional revelations in THE LOST WOMEN OF NXIVM include the very first on-record interview with Kristin Keeffe, who divulges what she knows from her 24-year relationship with Keith Raniere. She is one of the many women Raniere impregnated, but unlike allegedly dozens of others, she was not forced to have an abortion. When her son was 7-years-old, Keeffe escaped and went into hiding to protect herself and her son. Additional interviews include: Susan Dones, a former NXIVM trainer, whose video footage secretly recorded Raniere speaking to other high-ranking officials of NXIVM boasting “I’ve had people killed because of my beliefs.” Neil Glazer, an attorney for NXIVM survivors; Rick Ross, an expert on extremist groups; Dr. Jana Lalich, a sociologist, former NXIVM consultants; and many more.

THE LOST WOMEN IS NXIVM is produced for Investigation Discovery by AMPLE Entertainment. For AMPLE, Ari Mark, Phil Lott, Alex Weresow and, filmmaker Pat McGee are executive producers. For Investigation Discovery, Eugenie Vink is executive producer, Sara Kozak is senior vice president of production, Kevin Bennett is general manager, and Henry Schleiff is Group President, Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, American Heroes Channel, and Destination America.

About Investigation Discovery

Investigation Discovery (ID) is the leading crime and justice network on television, delivering the highest-quality programming to approximately 85 million U.S. households. From harrowing crimes to in-depth investigations and heart-breaking mysteries behind these “real people, real stories”, the always revealing network challenges our understanding of culture, society and the human condition. The #1 network for women in all of cable, ID’s programming is available in both high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD), as well as anytime and anywhere through the network’s TV Everywhere offering, IDGO. For exclusive web content and bonus material, fans can follow ID on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook or check out the network’s true crime blog, CrimeFeed.

Investigation Discovery is part of Discovery, Inc. (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), a global leader in real life entertainment, serving a passionate audience of superfans around the world with content that inspires, informs and entertains. Available in 220 countries and territories and 50 languages, Discovery delivers over 8,000 hours of original programming each year and has category leadership across deeply loved content genres around the world. For additional information about ID, please visit InvestigationDiscovery.com

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