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Home > Disasters and Tragedies > Solar Temple: A cult gone wrong


Solar Temple: A cult gone wrong

Murder. Suicide. Assassination. Sex. Money laundering. International investigations. These elements comprise the perfect storyline for any big-budget Hollywood blockbuster. But the story of the Order of the Solar Temple is no movie. It’s real life. And for 74 people who died in Quebec, Switzerland and France between 1994 and 1997, the consequences of their membership in the cult were fatal.

 
The calm before the storm

 
The madness begins

 
A town in mourning

 The calm before the storm

A Montreal reporter looks at the Solar Temple a year before the first deaths. (Radio; runs 6:01)

 The madness begins

Police in Switzerland and Quebec find 53 dead members of the Order of the Solar Temple cult. (Radio; runs 3:47)

 A town in mourning

The small town of Richelieu is grief stricken over the death of its mayor. (TV; runs 1:43)

 
Doomsday cult or New Age religion?

 
The search for Di Mambro and Jouret

 
The gory details of Morin Heights

 Doomsday cult or New Age religion?

A religious expert examines the deadly attraction of the Solar Temple. (TV; runs 5:52)

 The search for Di Mambro and Jouret

Police begin their search for the leaders of the Solar Temple. (Radio; runs 4:34)

 The gory details of Morin Heights

Police reveal the gruesome details of the five deaths in Quebec. (TV; runs 2:40)

 
Di Mambro confirmed dead

 
The manhunt for Jouret ends

 
Richelieu pays its final respects

 Di Mambro confirmed dead

Swiss police confirm the death of Joseph Di Mambro, the leader of the Solar Temple. (TV; runs 2:19)

 The manhunt for Jouret ends

Swiss police identify Luc Jouret's body among those who died in Switzerland. (TV; runs 2:08)

 Richelieu pays its final respects

The town of Richelieu bids farewell to Mayor Robert Ostiguy. (Radio; runs 1:30)

 
Mystery in the French Alps

 
Swiss officials close the case

 
The madness continues

 Mystery in the French Alps

A year after the macabre deaths in Quebec and Switzerland, 16 dead cult members are found in a forest near Grenoble, France. (TV; runs 1:47)

 Swiss officials close the case

Two years after the deaths, a Swiss judge releases the findings of his investigation. (TV; runs 2:27)

 The madness continues

Five more members of the Solar Temple take their lives as part of a suicide pact in a small village in Quebec. (TV; runs 3:01)

 
Searching for answers

 
The coroner’s report

 
 Searching for answers

More details surface, including how the three teenagers managed to escape the madness. (TV; runs 2:43)

 The coroner’s report

The Quebec coroner weighs in with his report on the five dead in St-Casimir. (TV; runs 2:04)

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