Tillie Craig was a girl who was last known to be living at the Ministry of God cult near Sydney in 1987, where she reportedly suffered extreme abuse. On 7 July 1987, her mother, Ellen Craig, allegedly beat Tillie to death with a piece of PVC piping as punishment for not doing her chores. Her remains were then burned by the cult leader, Alexander Wilon, also known as Alfio Nicolosi.
Tillie was never officially reported missing at the time, and authorities only became aware of her disappearance in 2019 when a witness came forward. Tillie's biological father, Gerard Stanhope, had been searching for her for decades after being told she was adopted out, leaving messages on missing persons pages.
In 2021, Ellen was arrested in New Zealand and extradited to Australia in 2022 to face charges of murder. She lived under numerous aliases and was involved with a woman's refuge before her arrest. Alexander is also facing charges of accessory to murder and misconduct regarding corpses, as well as charges for previously sexually and physically abusing children of the cult. However, he passed before facing trial. Former cult members reported that children, including Tillie, suffered extreme abuse, with one witness recalling daily beatings inflicted by Alexander himself. A police divers search of the cult's property found the remains of a barrel but was unable to locate Tillie's remains.
In 2024, Ellen was sentenced to 9 years in jail for manslaughter.
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