Mother of Waco Follower Reveals the Moment She Knew Her Son Was in Trouble
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Get an exclusive look at Netflix docuseries—30 years after tragic event.
It’s the 30th anniversary of the tragic events of Waco and in commemoration of the siege that took place from Feb. 28–April 19, 1993, when cult leader David Koresh faced off against the federal government for a bloody 51 days in that Texas town, Netflix will be premiering the upcoming new docuseries, Waco: American Apocalypse from director Tiller Russell.
“Waco is a story about God and guns in America, and how they affect our children,” Russell tells Parade. “Those questions burn as urgently today as they did 30 years ago when the tragedy took place. I hope the series provokes thoughtful discussion and a reckoning with our history, so that we don’t repeat the same mistakes again.”
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To that aim, Waco: American Apocalypse is a definitive look at what really happened during the tragedy, combining recently unearthed archival footage with revealing interviews from those closest to the conflict, including one of Koresh’s spiritual wives, the last child released from the compound alive, and law enforcement from both the FBI and ATF.
Parade has an exclusive clip (above) from the documentary, where we hear from Balenda Ganem, mother of Branch Davidian David Thibodeau, about her concern when she realizes her son may be in trouble.
Ganem says, “That last summer before he left Los Angeles to go out to Waco, we took a long walk, and he was trying to tell me about David Koresh. 'Mom, they’re into the Bible.’ That kind of halted me. I said, ‘David, that’s not who we are.’”
Ganem never met David Koresh, but she spoke on the phone to him a number of times. “I said, ‘David, do you believe you have been sent here by God?’ and he said, ‘Yes.’ I said, ‘Do you feel you’re a prophet?’ and he said, ‘Yes, I’m a prophet.’ And then I asked the pinnacle question, ‘Are you the messiah?’ And he said, ‘Yes, I am.’ When I hang up the phone, I’m on alert. ‘Dave’s in trouble. This guy thinks he’s the second coming.’”
Thibodeau was one of the survivor's of the Waco siege.
Waco: American Apocalypse begins streaming on Netflix on Wednesday, March 22.
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