Who was Bonnie Nettles and where is she now?
BONNIE Nettles made headlines in the early 1970s following the launch of the religious movement Heaven’s Gate.
The movement would later become one of the largest mass suicides in history with a lone survivor speaking out 25 years later.
Who was Bonnie Nettles?
Born August 29, 1927, Nettles was known as a religious leader who famously co-founded and co-led the Heaven’s Gate religious movement alongside Marshall Applewhite.
Prior to Heaven’s Gate, Nettles was a nurse and mother of four children.
She had reportedly believed in UFOs and astrology, according to ABC News.
After meeting in the 1970s the two had formed a friendship and started the cult which centered around the belief in UFOs.
Prior to Heaven’s Gate, Nettles had told Applewhite that the voices in his head were “spirits from above telling him he one day could be a divine teacher,” ABC reports.
Where is she now?
On June 19, 1985, Nettles passed away following a battle with cancer.
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She had reportedly lost an eye due to the disease in 1983 but refused to believe she would die, The New York Times reports.
Her doctor had reportedly told her that cancer was “coursing through her body,” but instead of seeking treatment, Nettles “scolded the doctor for his ignorance.”
The cancer later spread to her liver in the summer of 1985 and she passed away at the Parkland Hospital in Dallas.
”Ti experienced no symptoms prior to the week she left her vehicle, and for the most part, her vehicle slept through the transition. We’re not exactly sure how many days it might have taken her to return to the Next Level.,” Applewhite wrote following her passing.
In the cult, Nettles often went by the name “Ti” while Applewhite was referred to as “Do.”
What happened to the members of Heaven’s Gate?
Over the years, Nettles and Applewhite made their followers adhere to a number of rules including adopting an asexual appearance and cutting off all communication with family and friends.
Nettles and Applewhite would often preach that suicide “would allow them to leave their bodily ‘containers’ and enter an alien spacecraft hidden behind the Hale-Bopp comet,” History reports.
As a result of this philosophy, on March 26, 1997, police responded to an anonymous tip which led them to a mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, California, where they found 39 victims, including Applewhite, who had died in a mass suicide.
All of the victims were dressed in matching clothes and Nike sneakers.
It was later revealed that they had died after drinking a lethal mixture of phenobarbital and vodka.
In March 2022, Rio DiAngelo, who was identified as the anonymous caller, sat down with ABC to reflect on the tragic event during an episode of 20/20.
“I was always looking for answers, looking for purpose in my life,” he told the media outlet. “I loved these people … it meant everything to me.”
The episode is scheduled to air live on March 11, 2022, at 9:00pm EST and be available to stream the following day on Hulu.
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