The Murder of Allen Ross: Linda Greene and the Samaritan Foundation Cult
The Search for Healing Turns Deadly
Allen Ross was a beloved Chicago filmmaker known for his charming personality and dedication to his craft. In 1986, the loss of his mother left him devastated and searching for meaning. His grief eventually led him to Guthrie, Oklahoma, where he met Linda Greene, a self-proclaimed spiritual healer. Linda had founded the Samaritan Foundation, teaching a practice called "dowsing"—using a pendulum to locate objects and supposedly communicate with the subconscious. Desperate for peace, Allen became enchanted by Linda and quickly fell under her spell, believing her teachings were genuinely helping him and the world.
The Samaritan Foundation Cult
What began as self-help seminars soon devolved into a full-blown cult. Linda began teaching that dowsing was the only way to rid the world of evil forces, including vampires and zombies. She convinced her followers, including Allen, to relocate to Guthrie and live together in an abandoned federal prison she called "the monastery." The members practiced intensive dowsing all day, relying on the pendulum to make every decision, from what to eat to what to wear. As Linda's paranoia grew, she ordered her followers to cut ties with the outside world, setting the stage for a tragic series of events.
A Desperate Search for Answers
In the fall of 1995, Allen traveled to film a documentary, giving him a brief glimpse of life outside the cult. Shortly after returning to a house Linda had purchased in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Allen vanished. His sudden silence alarmed his family and friends, who knew he would never miss a holiday or leave his beloved film camera behind. Despite their pleas, early police investigations turned up nothing. It wasn't until 2000, after years of relentless searching by Allen's loved ones, that a detective returned to the Cheyenne house and made a grim discovery in the basement crawlspace.
The Truth Revealed
The discovery of Allen's body, buried under concrete, finally brought answers but also more questions. Investigators zeroed in on Linda and her devoted follower, Julia Williams. While Linda passed away before she could face justice, Julia was eventually arrested and convicted as an accessory to murder after the fact. The story of Allen Ross is a heartbreaking reminder of how vulnerability can be exploited, and the devastating consequences of unchecked manipulation.
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