Aaron Mahnke

And the most widely accepted theory was that it was built by a cult.

Back in 1935, you see, an extremist sect broke off from the Church of Latter-day Saints to form their own denomination.

This group called themselves the Latter-day Church of Christ, or the Davis County Cooperative Society.

But since those are both a mouthful for sure, they are more commonly known as the Co-op.

Now, the co-op quickly became a controversial organization, and they adopted many of the hallmark telltales of a cult.

They strove to provide for themselves and be as self-sufficient as possible, cutting themselves off from the rest of society.

They remained separate from the secular world for decades, too, and leaving the group was discouraged.

There's evidence that if you wanted out, then you had to physically run away, and if escapees were caught, then they were punished violently.

One of the fundamental beliefs of the co-op was that of polygamy.

Men were expected to take several wives.

But the group was so small that eventually they started dabbling in incest.

They also forced underage girls into polygamous marriages with much older men and encouraged them to have as many children as possible.

And they're still around today.

They're facing serious lawsuits for everything from sex trafficking minors to committing tax fraud.

But before the details of their lifestyle got out to the public, the co-op kept most of their criminal activity under wraps for as long as possible.

Even so, their secretive nature still engendered distrust and suspicion from their Utah neighbors, including those in Kaysville.

The co-op was founded by a guy named Eldon Kingston, who led the group from 1935 to 1948.

And according to some Kaysville locals, he is the one who built Kays Cross.

But Eldon didn't do it alone.

He partnered with another cult leader to make it happen.