Mexican killings spotlight Mormon history with polygamy
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a short statement Tuesday expressing sympathy for the victims, while pointing out they didn't belong to the mainstream church. The Mexican community is one of a handful of Mormon splinter groups who still practice plural marriage. The Utah-based church in recent years has been more open about how polygamy was a key part of its history. In 2015, it included a small exhibit about polygamy in its revamped history museum in Salt Lake City. When Jeffs' stories were generating attention, church officials argued that people should only call members of the mainstream church Mormons and avoid the term "fundamentalist Mormon," Reeve said.