The Dark Secrets of Remnant Fellowship: How a Child’s Murder Exposed a Controversial Church
Eight-year-old Josef Smith lay lifeless in his suburban Atlanta home, his body battered from years of abuse. His parents claimed it was an accident. Investigators thought otherwise. What they uncovered would send shockwaves through a Tennessee-based church, founded by a woman who promised salvation but allegedly preached something far more sinister.
Josef died in October 2003, just one day after his parents, Joseph and Sonya Smith, called 911. They told authorities that their son had collapsed while they participated in an online prayer session. But when medical examiners reviewed the case, the findings were chilling: Josef had suffered blunt force trauma to the head, with evidence of both acute and chronic abuse. His parents, devout members of Remnant Fellowship Church, were convicted of his murder in 2007 and sentenced to life in prison.
At the center of this horrifying case was Remnant Fellowship’s controversial leader, Gwen Shamblin. A self-proclaimed prophet, Shamblin had built a following through her Christian-based weight loss program, the Weigh Down Workshop. But beneath the promise of faith and self-control lurked an obsession with discipline—one that, former members claimed, extended to children in disturbing ways.
The Disturbing Role of Glue Sticks
Josef’s case cast a harsh spotlight on Remnant Fellowship’s approach to child discipline. The use of glue sticks—ordinary crafting tools—became a gruesome symbol of the church’s influence over its followers.
Sonya Smith admitted to striking her son with a two- to three-foot-long glue stick, describing it as a “whiplike” instrument. When detectives compared Josef’s fresh wounds to the stick, it was a perfect match.
Former members later revealed that glue sticks were a common sight at the church. “There were glue sticks sticking out of diaper bags in the aisles,” one ex-member recalled. Shamblin, according to a recorded phone call, allegedly praised the extreme disciplinary methods used on Josef.
“That’s a miracle,” Shamblin said after hearing how Josef had been locked in a room for days with nothing but a Bible. “You’ve got a child that’s going from just bizarre down to in control. Praise God.”
A Cult Under Scrutiny
The controversy surrounding Josef’s death led authorities in Georgia and Tennessee to investigate Remnant Fellowship. However, aside from the Smiths, no other church members were charged.
The church denied any role in Josef’s death, calling the allegations a smear campaign by disgruntled ex-members. Church officials even helped fund the Smiths’ legal defense, insisting that they were innocent victims of religious persecution.
But investigators were not convinced. Former Cobb County detective David Schweizer, who worked the case, found a damning recorded phone call between Shamblin and Sonya Smith. It spurred law enforcement to raid Remnant Fellowship’s headquarters. Yet, despite their suspicions, no criminal evidence was found, and the case remained centered on the Smiths alone.
A Missed Warning Sign
Before Josef’s death, one teenager had tried to intervene. Laura Boone, a 14-year-old babysitter, reported suspected child abuse to Tennessee’s Department of Children’s Services in April 2003—six months before Josef’s murder.
Boone had seen Josef crying at a church gathering and asked his father how to console him. The response sent shivers down her spine: “Hit him hard,” Joseph Smith said, demonstrating by punching his own fist. Moments later, Josef’s screams echoed from the next room as his father administered what he considered “discipline.”
But Boone’s report lacked details—she didn’t know Josef’s full name or where he lived—so no investigation was launched. It wasn’t until she saw his face on the news months later that she realized she had unknowingly witnessed a prelude to his murder.
The Pressure to Conform
Former members of Remnant Fellowship described an oppressive environment where children were expected to exhibit unwavering obedience. Disobedience was seen as a sign of demonic possession, requiring harsh discipline to “purge” the rebellious spirit.
Megan Cox, a former member turned advocate, recalled that corporal punishment was ingrained in the church’s teachings. “We were taught to submit absolutely, and if we didn’t, there were consequences,” she said. While Cox wasn’t physically abused, she endured relentless emotional and psychological manipulation.
Gina Wilson, another ex-member, recounted how Shamblin once tested a glue stick on herself before approving it as an acceptable disciplinary tool. “If the children weren’t crying and making changes, then we weren’t spanking them hard enough,” Wilson recalled Shamblin saying.
Another Tragic Death
Josef’s death wasn’t the only tragedy to strike the Smith family. Just eleven weeks earlier, their 17-month-old son, Milek, had also died under mysterious circumstances. His official cause of death was initially listed as pneumonia, later changed to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). But to those who knew the Smiths’ parenting methods, the explanation raised uneasy questions.
Detective Schweizer, who had visited the Smiths’ home as part of Milek’s death investigation, recalled seeing Josef sitting at the table wearing long sleeves in the middle of summer. He thought nothing of it at the time. Only after Josef was found dead did he realize the clothing may have been hiding evidence of abuse.
“It haunts me,” Schweizer admitted. “If I had spent more time with Josef, maybe I could have stopped something.”
Where Are They Now?
Joseph and Sonya Smith remain in prison, serving their life sentences for Josef’s murder. Meanwhile, the church they belonged to continues to operate.
Gwen Shamblin never faced criminal charges related to the case. She continued to lead Remnant Fellowship until May 2021, when she and six others—including her husband, actor Joe Lara—died in a plane crash.
Despite her death, Shamblin’s legacy remains a divisive one. While some continue to revere her teachings, others see her as the leader of a dangerous cult that manipulated its followers into blind obedience—at the cost of innocent lives.
As for Josef, his story remains a harrowing reminder of what can happen when faith is twisted into something sinister. And for those who knew him, one question still lingers: Could his death have been prevented?
