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Is Shelly Miscavige missing?
By Sarah Gangraw — Written on Nov 04, 2020
Leah Remini — the actress who famously left Scientology in 2013 — has a docuseries about the controversial religion that just hit the streaming platform on November 1.
Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, which first premiered on A&E in 2016, explores the Church of Scientology and the controversy surrounding it.
The 8-part docuseries also features interviews with former members of the church who share their experiences of harassment, abuse, sexual assault, and more.
One of the reasons Remini left Scientology is because of her friend, Shelly Miscavige, went missing over a decade ago.
Where is Shelly Miscavige?
Here's what we know.
Who is Shelly Miscavige?
Let's start with the basics.
Scientology leader David Miscavige's wife has not been seen publicly in 13 years — and some fear she will never be seen again.
Shelly Miscavige, dubbed the "Queen of Scientology," was last seen at her father's funeral in 2007.
Her husband's father, Ron Miscavige, who left the church in 2012, fears Shelly will "never be free."
“These are pretty bad people, but they don’t have a conscience and that lets them do it," he told 60 Minutes reporter Tara Brown in an interview.
Shelly and David took leadership of the church in 1986 after the death of Scientology founder L. Rob Hubbard.
Despite their high-profile status in the church, only David has made public appearances in recent years, never addressing the question haunting Shelly's friends and family: where is Shelly Miscavige?
Leah Rimini believes the church is hiding something.
Actress Leah Remini, a friend of Shelly who defected from Scientology years ago, has reason to believe the church is hiding something in regards to Shelly's disappearance.
"‘Shelly is fine, and she’s alive.’ … That’s the PR line. I don’t believe that,” she shared on 60 Minutes on Sunday.
There have been many theories as to what happened to Shelly, but none have been met with answers. The questions about Shelly's whereabouts have, though, been met with fiery responses from the church.
“Ron Miscavige is seeking to make money on the name of his famous son. Any father exploiting his son in this manner is a sad exercise in betrayal," the Church of Scientology said in a statement to Page Six Sunday. "Leah Remini has been stalking Mr. and Mrs. Miscavige for years because of her psychotic obsession. It is time for her to stop.”
Adding to the concern are the multitude of complaints and accusations against the Church of Scientology over the years, including claims of sexual assault, abuse, and being held prisoner by the cult-like church.
Shelly Miscavige was last seen at her father's funeral.
Shelly made her last public appearance following the death of her father. She attended his funeral in 2007, where she was heavily escorted and has reportedly not been seen since.
But prior to the funeral, Shelly was last seen in 2005, raising questions as to where she was for the almost two years leading up to her father's funeral.
Her relationship with her husband, David Miscavige, was business-like.
According to those who were close to the Miscaviges, David seemed more like Shelly's boss than a husband, a 2014 report by Vanity Fair revealed.
“I never, ever, ever saw them kiss,” said Marc Headley, who with the Miscaviges for over a decade.
“I was there for 15 years... So I had plenty of opportunities to witness them together and never, ever saw them affectionate with each other... I’m talking about in a room with four other people. Informal. We’re all just chatting, and he isn’t touching her.”
After they married, Shelly was appointed to Chairman of the Board Assistant, which put her in charge of the executive staff at the church.
Throughout her time as C.O.B. Assistant, others noticed her and her husband's relationship seemed anything but romantic. The pair even reportedly slept in separate beds in different rooms.
“Odd, odd couple,” said former Sea Org member, Tom De Vocht.
“There was obviously a working relationship, but odd. I don’t think I once saw Miscavige hug or kiss or anything Shelly. I spent a lot of time with them. There was no real affection.”
She may have been banished by her husband.
Many ex-Scientologists believe Shelly was exiled by David to live in a compound with no contact with the outside world.
The church, when questioned by its members about Shelly's location, held on to answers like, "She's on a special project" or "She's visiting relatives," but many did not see truth in its responses.
“The law [in Scientology] is: The closer to David Miscavige you get, the harder you’re going to fall,” Claire Headley, an ex-Scientologist who worked closely with the Miscaviges with her husband, Marc, explained in 2014.
“It’s like the law of gravity, practically. It’s just a matter of when.”
It quickly became as though Shelly did not exist and her sudden disappearance was never discussed by church members.
No one wanted to talk about Shelly Miscavige's disappearance.
In 2006, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes married and their wedding was considered "the wedding of the century in the church," according to Remini. But Shelly was not there, and no one would answer Remini when she asked why.
“I asked innocently, ‘where’s Shelly?’ because I thought it was odd,” Leah said. “They were calling it the wedding of the century in the church… And with that there was a reaction of people just scattering. They didn’t want any part of this. Literally just scattered.”
Remini said she was belittled by church officials for even asking about her friend's whereabouts.
“I had gone to the church and I asked the spokesperson at the time, Tom Davis, ‘Where is Shelly? I think it’s weird she’s not here,'” Leah continued. “And he said, ‘You don’t have the f—ing rank to be asking about the leader’s wife.'”
Shelly Miscavige was reported missing in 2013.
Remini left the Church of Scientology in 2013. At this point, she had not seen Shelly in eight years and was determined to find out where she went — and if she was still alive.
Remini filed a missing persons report with the Los Angeles Police Department, but nothing ever became of it. The LAPD said the report was "unfounded," according to 9News, and did not lead to any answers regarding Shelly's whereabouts or disappearance. Police said that they met with Shelly and closed the case. The church has since claimed Remini's police report was filed in bad faith and questioned the ex-scientologist's credibility.
“What matters to me is that I have not seen proof that this woman is alive, or doing well, so I can give a shit what the LAPD said as their bullsh*t statement that they put out, because I haven’t seen her face. I’m calling bullsh*t on it,” Remini said in 2017.
Is Shelly Miscavige dead?
On a December 2016 episode of her A&E series Scientology and the Aftermath, Remini revealed that she believes her friend may be dead.
“I do NOT know that she is alive," she said, adding that she would be happy to be proven wrong. But until then, Remini is dedicated to finding the truth about Shelly and her disappearance.
“I’m going to continue to get and gather information," she vowed.
Some believe Shelly Miscavige is being held against her will.
Tony Ortega, the world's premier reporter on Scientology, is convinced Shelly is being held at the Church of Spiritual Technology (CST), a complex near Lake Arrowhead, CA, where Scientologist are readying themselves for Armageddon, he said in 2015.
He and Mike Rinder, a former senior executive in the church, believe Shelly is locked up in the bunkers and vaults of the compound and is not allowed to leave.
“Mike and I are pretty positive that in 2005, once Dave [Miscavige] had his blow-up with her, he sent her up there to be a non-person,” Ortega said. “They let her out for a couple of days for her father’s funeral in the summer of 2007, and nobody has seen her since. I’m positive she’s still there, and I have my sources saying that she’s still there.”
There have been Shelly Miscavige sightings before.
In 2016, David Miscavige's father released a never-before-seen photo of Shelly posing with her family; however, she still hadn't been seen in public.
Where is Shelly Miscavige in 2020?
As of now, Shelly Miscavige is still thought to be missing.
Sarah Gangraw writes about all things news, entertainment and crime. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter.