The Church of Scientology says Shelly Miscavige isn't missing, and she hasn't been kidnapped. Instead, Scientology says she has been working inside the church.
The disappearance of Shelly Miscavige continues to be a high-profile mystery for Scientology critics and former members. A 2014 Vanity Fair article referred to Shelly Miscavige as "Scientology’s Vanished Queen."
Filmmaker Alex Gibney's 2015 Scientology documentary "Going Clear" passes over the disappearance of Shelly Miscavige, instead focusing on testimonies from former Scientology members and the history of the organisation's founder, L. Ron Hubbard.
Steve Hall, a former Scientologist who left the church in 2004 after spending the previous 17 years at its international management level as a senior writer of its marketing materials, spoke about where Shelly Miscavige might be. He thinks Shelly is at Scientology's little-known Church of Spiritual Technology, a remote forest compound with prison-like security in Twin Peaks, California, near San Bernardino.
It's important to note that Shelly Miscavige may not actually be held against her will. Instead, she may have been convinced that she must stay at the remote compound to make up for any alleged crimes she may
have committed against the Church of Scientology. The 2014 Vanity Fair article says Miscavige was responsible for restructuring the upper levels of Scientology, but she told a former Scientology member at her father's funeral that she had "f----d up."
One person who has visited the compound is "Angry Gay Pope," the nom de guerre of an Anonymous activist who has staged protests against Scientology. In 2010, he took these pictures of the CST compound in Twin Peaks, documenting its spiked fences, razor wire, motion detectors, infrared spotlights, satellite dishes, fuel tanks, and mysterious semipermanent trailers.
This is an aerial view of the Twin Peaks, California, property owned by Scientology.
This aerial view has notations by Angry Gay Pope. The official address of the compound is 25406 State Highway 189, Twin Peaks, CA 92391.
This is an entrance to the compound, showing a security gate.
This was the woman at Twin Peaks' security on the day Angry Gay Pope came to take photos. Doesn't look too threatening, does she? But ...
... these are the spikes on the Ultra-Barrier fence surrounding the compound. The spikes face into the compound, not out, AGP says.
AGP says the compound was originally built about 100 years ago as a country resort for rich people from Los Angeles.
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Much of the property, not just the sections closest to the road, is surrounded by these inward-facing spiked fences. (AGP took some of these photos by sticking his hand through the bars from the outside.)
This is one of the compound's nicest buildings. Tom Cruise and John Travolta sometimes stay here, AGP believes.
This is a "gyro gym"— two concentric circular swings that allow the user to spin and tumble in any direction, as if weightless.
Twin Peaks also has about half a dozen satellite dishes.
It's not clear why the church needs so many dishes in one place.
Or why it needs them to be so big. Only one of them was a regular DirecTV dish, according to AGP.
AGP found a damaged portion of the fence. It's not clear whether it was bent by falling trees or something from inside the compound crashing against it.
This is a huge tank of diesel. The compound appears to be self-sufficient in fuel.
This is a 30-foot-long propane tank.
Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard believed his followers should make sure they could survive World War III.
The site is also dotted with these semipermanent truck trailers. AGP says each one has a flight of wooden steps in front of it, upon which sits a fire extinguisher.
The Scientologists documented AGP's every move. This remote-controlled camera is equipped with an infrared spotlight to illuminate intruders at night.
Here's another one. Smile!
These floodlights are triggered by motion detectors.
At the back of the property, away from the road, the less distinctive Ultra-Barrier is replaced by concertina razor wire. AGP's ex-Scientology sources say this building houses an elevator that leads to a vault containing Scientology's most important texts.
This is the photographer, "Angry Gay Pope," wearing his Anonymous Guy Fawkes mask.
