Former polygamist seeking child support

SAN ANGELO, Texas, May 14 (UPI) -- A woman who once belonged to a polygamous sect says in a petition filed in Schleicher County, Texas, she wants child support for her eight children.

Carolyn Jessop wants the court to order her former husband, 72-year-old Frederick Merril Jessop, to support the eight children she had while a plural wife in a Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints sect, The Salt Lake Tribune said Thursday.

Jessop chronicled her life at the Yearning For Zion Ranch in Eldorado, Texas, in her book "Escape." The book details how Jessop at the age of 18 married a then-50-year-old Merril Jessop and became one of his wives in the polygamous community.

Jessop's court filing seeks retroactive child support payments from Merril Jessop dating back to April 22, 2003. The named date represents the day after Jessop left the polygamous sect with her eight children.

Merril Jessop was indicted in 2008, along with nine other men, on charges related to underage marriages.