Shelly Miscavige, the wife of David Miscavige, the leader of the Church of Scientology was born on January 18, 1961, to Mary Florence Fike Barnett and Maurice Elliott Barnett
Mary Florence Barnett, Shelly Miscavige’s mother, was a long-time Scientologist who later resigned, taking copies of “confidential upper-level materials” with her.
She joined David Mayo’s Advanced Ability Center, an independent Scientology organisation that the Church of Scientology considers heterodox.
Flo Barnett was found dead on September 8, 1985, from a shot to the head with a Ruger 10/22 rifle.
The body also had three rifle shot wounds to the chest and the autopsy report identified superficial slash marks on her wrists as possibly being a few days old.
Despite the “extremely unusual” circumstances of multiple gunshot wounds and the unwieldy nature of the weapon, her death was ruled to be a suicide.
In an affidavit filed in the case, David Miscavige strongly denied any involvement in his mother-in-death, the law’s calling it a “personal tragedy in my family’s life.”
However, he was reported to have exclaimed in the presence of other witnesses, “That bitch got what she deserved.” Maurice Elliott Barnett, Mrs Miscavige’s father, died in 2007.
