Jeffrey Don Lundgren, Prophet of Death

The Kirtland town sign
(David Lohr/Don Pender)

Kirtland, calling itself the 'City of Faith and beauty,' is a typical small town, a tight knit community situated in northeastern Ohio, roughly 22 miles east of Cleveland. Kirtland was initially part of 'The Western Reserve,' an area that was granted to the Connecticut Land Company.

The City has a population of nearly 6,000 with an estimated population density of 353 people per square mile. Individuals born and raised in Kirtland mostly elect to stay there and their children choose to do the same.

While Kirtland may only be 17 square miles in size, several churches of different faiths dot the area. There are some ten churches in the community (6 Protestant; 1 Catholic; 3 branches of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints, and one more in the planning stages).

Sign at entrance of Chapin Forest
(David Lohr/Don Pender)

On August 19, 1984, the Lundgren family arrived in Kirtland and immediately began to survey the area. Jeff later said that after touring the small town he felt an undeniable urge to stop at Chapin Forest, a country park located less than five miles from the Kirtland Temple. It was here, Jeff would later tell his followers, that he discovered where the Book of Mormon plates had been buried after being brought over from the Holy Land.

The Temple Visitor's Center
(David Lohr/Don Pender)

After leaving Chapin Forest, Jeff and Alice visited the Kirtland Temple and were almost immediately offered positions as Temple guides. These duties would include long hours at the temple visitors' center giving tours of the temple. In exchange, the church offered free room and board in a home behind the temple and a salary of $125.00 a week.

Jeff relished the fact that he was now able to guide people through the temple and, at the same time, mingle his own views in with those of the church.

The Kirtland Temple
(David Lohr/Don Pender)

The Kirtland Temple was constructed in 1833 at the direction of Joseph Smith, Jr. A self-professed visionary, Smith was considered a modern prophet by his followers. Prior to his assassination in Carthage, Illinois, Joseph Smith, Jr. founded several Mormon communities throughout Missouri, Illinois and Ohio, and was also credited by the church for translating the Book of Mormon.

Joseph Smith, Jr. told his followers that on December 27, 1832, he had received a revelation from God that a Temple was to be built in Kirtland. Dedicated in 1836, the Temple was one of the largest buildings ever built in Northern Ohio. The building is a combination of Greek, Georgian, Gothic, and Federalist architectural styles and is today designated a National Historical Landmark.

The main floor of the Kirtland Temple was at one time used for worship, and the second floor was a school for the ministry. The third floor contained rooms for the Kirtland High School and the west room on that floor was Joseph Smith, Jr.'s office.

Today the Kirtland Temple, owned and maintained by the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is open for tours through out the year.

It was not long before Jeff realized that it was utterly impossible to live off the money he was earning from the church. Little by little, he began to skim money from church donations and profits made at the visitor center. Today the church estimates that approximately $25,000 dollars had been stolen during Jeff's employment with them.