"There's really two versions of this story, the one that the public heard about, and the one that actually happened behind closed doors, and as bad as the public version is, the private one is even worse." — Ashley Flowers
"The truth they think they know isn't the real truth?" — Britt
"She told Selena that she needed to let CJ know what was going on. But Selena said that she didn't want to yet, because Shon had told her everything was going to go back to normal soon. He was going to arrange for her to have an abortion." — Tawana
The episode meticulously recounts the 1996 disappearance of 12-year-old Selena Maze from her home in Willingboro, New Jersey. Initial reports suggested she might have run away, but the strict, isolated nature of her family's fundamentalist Pentecostal church, Gospel of Christ Ministries, raised immediate concerns. Investigations were hampered by a lack of cooperation from family members and congregants, and a disputed denial of a search warrant for the family home. The case took a grim turn when it was revealed Selena was nine months pregnant, a fact her father, CJ Maze, only disclosed days after her disappearance. Despite the potential for a clear lead, the identity of the baby's father remained unknown, with Selena refusing to disclose it.
Further compounding the mystery, interviews with Tawana, a young woman who lived with the family and was a victim of abuse by Selena's cousin, Shon Smith, revealed a disturbing truth: Shon was the father of Selena's baby. Tawana detailed years of sexual abuse by Shon, mirroring Selena's experience, and exposed the church's complicity in concealing these crimes. While Selena's pregnancy became known within the community, official reports focused on a narrative of Selena having met a younger boy, a story allegedly coached by her aunt, Serita Smith, the church's pastor. Serita's leadership style was described as cult-like, fostering an environment of fear and control that led to significant disputes with former members and authorities.
Despite a later confession from CJ Maze that Shon was indeed the father, and charges eventually brought against Shon for his abuse of Tawana and another young woman, the charges related to Selena's case remained unresolved. The episode highlights numerous dead ends in the investigation, including a false lead at a Sizzler restaurant. With key figures like CJ, Serita, and Shon deceased, and no concrete evidence of Selena's whereabouts or fate, her disappearance remains an active missing person case. The narrative emphasizes the profound impact of the insular and controlling nature of the Gospel of Christ community on the lives of its young members, leaving Selena's ultimate fate and that of her child tragically unknown.