#272 Elizabeth Phillips - Inside Camp Kanakuk: One of America’s Darkest Child Summer Camps

Summary of #272 Elizabeth Phillips - Inside Camp Kanakuk: One of America’s Darkest Child Summer Camps

by Shawn Ryan

4h 1m•January 19, 2026
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Overview of #272 Elizabeth Phillips — Inside Camp Kanakuk: One of America’s Darkest Child Summer Camps

Host Shawn Ryan interviews Elizabeth Phillips — founder of No More Victims and longtime advocate for survivors of institutional child sexual abuse. Phillips recounts her brother Trey’s abuse and suicide, traces the alleged abuse and institutional cover-up at Kanakuk (a large evangelical camp/ministry in southwest Missouri), explains the legal and policy work she’s led (including “Trey’s Law” and recent camp-safety reforms), and outlines practical reforms and actions for parents, lawmakers, funders and law enforcement. The episode mixes personal grief and faith reflections with detailed investigative findings (documents, timelines, money trails), legislative strategy, and concrete prevention recommendations.

Key themes and topics discussed

  • Elizabeth Phillips’ personal story: her brother Trey’s grooming and abuse, the civil settlement that included an NDA, his death by suicide (2019), and Phillips’ choice to turn grief into advocacy.
  • Background on Kanakuk (aka “Kanacuk” in interview; often nicknamed “CannaCuck” by survivors):
    • 100-year history; large evangelical sports camp complex near Branson, MO; massive alumni/staff pipeline and associated ministries (K-Life, Link Year, Link Hoops, Kids Across America).
    • Central personalities: Joe White (longtime leader/face of the ministry) and long‑term staff who allegedly enabled or covered abuse.
  • Perpetrators and patterns:
    • Pete Newman — high-level director at Kanakuk, convicted and sentenced to multiple life terms; prosecutors estimated hundreds of victims connected to him. Phillips’ team documents many more suspected perpetrators (75+ affiliated with the organization to date).
    • Institutional patterns: grooming via family targeting, travel/mission trips, spiritual manipulation (e.g., ritualized “counseling”), use of ministry infrastructure to normalize or hide abuse.
  • Institutional failures and cover-up:
    • Internal “discipline” documents and playbooks (evidence that leadership knew of warnings and used weak internal remediation rather than reporting).
    • Use of NDAs in civil settlements to silence victims (standard practice among plaintiffs’ attorneys and defendants in these cases); Kanakuk’s crisis PR, lobbyist outreach and attempts to manage reputational and legal exposure.
    • Financial opacity and alleged misuse of funds (nonprofit/church status, international transfers to ministries in Haiti, questions about passthroughs to problematic partners).
  • Law enforcement and oversight:
    • Phillips’ outreach to IRS (investigation in 2023), FBI, HSI and multiple local agencies; frustration with pace and scope of criminal investigations; use of IRS/financial investigations as a promising avenue.
  • Legislative and systemic reforms:
    • Trey’s Law (Texas — retroactive relief for survivors and strong NDA reforms; Missouri version also passed but with differences on retroactivity). Plans to expand reforms to other states and federal proposals (efforts to involve Senators).
    • Heavens 27 Camp Safety & Youth Camper Acts — emergency Texas special-session laws following the Camp Mystic flash-flood tragedy that killed 27 children (evacuation requirements, required licensing, transparency, no faith-based exemptions).
    • Other wins: removal of sovereign immunity in Texas for public-school sex-abuse claims; broader push for statute-of-limitations reform.
  • Broader camp industry risks:
    • Industry scale ($70B U.S. market; millions of kids annually) paired with patchwork regulation — many states lack baseline checks, licensing or safety standards; faith-based exemptions common.
    • Troubled‑teen/residential behavioral program abuses and related advocacy (mention of Stop Institutional Child Sexual Abuse Act and related survivor campaigns).
  • Prevention, funding and innovation:
    • Need for private funding to scale prevention (Phillips’ Safe Childhoods Initiative), insurer-driven safeguards, improved accreditation and independent investigations.
    • Examples of innovations discussed: expanded vetting databases (gray‑area perpetrators), deeper screening beyond criminal checks, and experimental medical interventions for people with sexual attraction to minors (presented as one of many tools).
  • Faith, grief and resilience:
    • Phillips’ reflections on faith, institutional sin (“idols demand sacrifice”), processing grief, and survivor solidarity. Spiritual/sign experiences and motivations for continuing advocacy.

Notable facts & statistics from the episode

  • Kanakuk claims: large alumni base (often cited in materials as hundreds of thousands historically), multiple camps/camp programs and international reach.
  • Phillips’ investigative figures cited (from discovery/financial documents):
    • Roughly $35–45M annual revenue for Kanakuk referenced in interview; investigators traced ~$380M gross revenue across entities in filings and filings showed millions wired internationally.
    • White family payments from Kanakuk entities around $11.7M (2006–2020) in compensation and rental income (per Phillips’ analysis).
  • Perpetrators and victims:
    • Phillips’ team has uncovered 75+ perpetrators affiliated with Kanakuk (allegations spanning many decades).
    • Known count for one perpetrator (Pete Newman) at sentencing: 55 identified victims; prosecutor estimated true victim count in the hundreds. Phillips’ database contained 200+ Newman-related entries.
  • Systemic stats:
    • Child sexual abuse reporting rates — only a fraction of victims ever disclose; commonly referenced one-in-seven reporting stat (used to illustrate scale).
  • Recent tragedies:
    • Camp Mystic flood — 27 children died (The “Heavens 27”); one camper remained missing at time of interview; their deaths spurred emergency camp‑safety laws in Texas during a special session.

Major takeaways (what matters most)

  • Institutional child sexual abuse often isn’t just an isolated predator — patterns emerge when organizations prioritize reputation, revenue, or an idolized leader over transparency and safety.
  • NDAs and restrictive settlement terms have been widely used to silence survivors; changing law to void or limit NDAs in child sexual abuse and trafficking cases is a high-impact legal reform (Trey’s Law being an example).
  • Insurance incentives, accreditation gaps and weak regulation are root drivers; shifting those incentives (insurers requiring robust safeguarding, regulators removing faith-based exemptions, and independent investigations after allegations) can produce systemic improvement.
  • Parents and communities must adopt a consumer/safety mindset: ask hard questions, demand transparency, vet staff beyond simple background checks, and pressure camps and lawmakers to adopt enforceable safeguards.
  • Private philanthropy and targeted public funding are needed to drive prevention, innovation and evidence-based interventions at scale.

Notable quotations and moments

  • Phillips reads the Serenity Prayer at the start — framing grief and perseverance.
  • “I can’t unsee what I’ve seen… once you start peeling back the layers, you realize we have to change laws.” — Elizabeth Phillips on why advocacy moved from personal to systemic.
  • On institutions: “Idols demand sacrifice” — used to explain how institutional priorities can justify harm.
  • On NDAs: “The kid who cannot heal because they have been legally silenced.” — Phillips on the harm of confidentiality clauses.
  • On her mission: “I will fight for these now friends, and we’ve had a lot of allies… This is my life’s work.”
  • On justice and accountability: “We’re doing the FBI’s job for them” — expression of frustration with pace/coverage of investigations.
  • Personal/hope: “The veil between heaven and earth is so thin… God’s work is not done with Trey yet.” — on signs, grief and ongoing purpose.

Practical actions & recommendations for listeners

For parents (before you register a child for camp)

  • Ask the camp specific, documented questions:
    • Is the camp licensed in this state? If so, provide license number and where it’s posted publicly.
    • Do you require criminal background checks for all staff and volunteers? How often?
    • Do you conduct social-media screening and other vetting beyond basic criminal checks?
    • What is your child-protection policy (written)? Who is the independent reviewer of incidents?
    • Do you have evacuation and emergency/active‑shooter/flood plans? Are staff trained and drilled on them? (Ask for examples.)
    • What is your counselor-to-camper ratio? How are cabin assignments and supervision structured at night?
    • Do you use independent counselors for victims, and what are confidentiality rules? (Any NDAs?)
    • Who insures the camp and what child-safety conditions does the insurer require?
    • Has the camp ever been independently investigated for abuse? What were results?
  • Use resources: Phillips mentioned beforeyougotocamp.com — start there and look for camps that publish transparent policies, licensing and safety documentation.
  • Vet beyond the brochure: ask for references, alumni and parent contacts; verify accreditations and don’t trust vague “child protection” claims without detail.

For advocates, lawmakers and funders

  • Support legislation that:
    • Voids or severely restricts NDAs in child sexual abuse and trafficking cases.
    • Extends statute of limitations/reopens access to civil courts where survivors were previously silenced.
    • Requires licensing, baseline background checks and safety standards for all youth-serving camps (no religious exemptions where public safety is at stake).
    • Removes sovereign immunity when public institutions fail to protect children.
  • Pressure insurers to require evidence-based safeguarding measures as a condition of coverage — changing underwriting criteria can drive industry-wide compliance.
  • Fund prevention-focused pilots and data-driven interventions (Phillips’ Safe Childhoods Initiative aims to scale investable prevention innovations).
  • Demand independent investigations (not just internal PR firms or law firms protecting the organization) when abuse is alleged.

For journalists and investigators

  • Follow money, entity structures and PR/lobbying footprints — financial and nonprofit structures often reveal key incentives and cover-up dynamics.
  • Prioritize survivor-centered reporting (anonymity safeguards, retraumatization awareness) while holding institutions accountable.

Resources & groups mentioned

  • No More Victims (Elizabeth Phillips’ advocacy org)
  • FactsAboutKanakuk.com (document repository / whistleblower site referenced)
  • Trey’s Law (Texas & Missouri reforms; ongoing multistate/federal push)
  • Heavens 27 Camp Safety / Youth Camper Acts (Texas campaign following Camp Mystic)
  • Safe Childhoods Initiative / Campaign for Camp Safety / Safe Summers Fund (funding & advocacy efforts)
  • beforeyougotocamp.com (resource suggested for parents — vetting questions & guidance)
  • Speak Out Act — federal law addressing workplace NDAs (referenced as relevant model)
  • Media coverage & reporters involved: The Dispatch, USA Today, Vice, CBS — reporting that helped publicize the Kanakuk story

Closing summary

This episode pairs harrowing personal testimony with detailed investigative findings and legislative strategy. Elizabeth Phillips presents a case study of how abuse can be embedded in large, fetishized institutions and how NDAs, weak regulation, insurance incentives, and PR campaigns can preserve harm. Her work demonstrates how survivor-driven investigation, smart legal change (e.g., Trey’s Law), state-level emergency reforms (Camp Safety Acts), and targeted funding/industry pressure can produce concrete prevention and accountability. For parents, policymakers and funders who want to act: vet camps, push for transparent, enforceable safety standards, remove legal silencing mechanisms, and help shift insurance and accreditation incentives toward child protection.