Ex- Mormon Missionary Alleged Child Abuser in Tonga Using Video Games and RC Cars

Allegations of Child Abuse and Flight from Justice

A former missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is now facing serious federal charges for allegedly sexually abusing minors in Tonga. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, William James Purdy, 28, from West Valley City, is accused of luring children as young as 8 years old with video games and remote-controlled cars.

Court records reveal that Purdy had an outstanding warrant from 2023 when he fled Tonga before a scheduled trial. On July 16, a federal grand jury indicted him, and he was arrested on Thursday in Pennsylvania, where he was attending law school. A U.S. magistrate judge ordered his transfer to Utah for further legal proceedings.

Purdy’s public defender in Pennsylvania has not yet responded to requests for comment. He faces two major federal charges: alleged sexual exploitation of children and traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

Abuses During Missionary Service

During his time as a missionary in Tonga from 2017 to 2018, court documents state that Purdy sexually abused four boys, some as young as 8 years old. These incidents largely occurred “on church property.” According to the documents, Purdy gave the children anything they wanted and offered cash and cellphones in exchange for sexual acts. Notably, he did not spend any time with adults during his mission.

In late 2019, after completing his mission, Purdy returned to Tonga to teach at a school in Nuku’alofa. There, he is accused of sexually abusing several minors, including three he had previously known as a missionary. U.S. and Tongan law enforcement have identified 14 minors who were allegedly abused, according to court records.

Some of the boys lived with Purdy, as he promised to take care of them and their education. In reality, the documents allege, he regularly abused these boys by letting them live with him and giving them gifts in exchange for sexual acts.

Exploitation and Evidence of Crimes

Court documents also claim that Purdy recorded minors in his apartment bathroom without their knowledge. When law enforcement seized his laptop in August 2023, authorities found about 175 images captured in this manner across various apartments in Tonga.

Purdy was arrested in Tonga in 2022 after an 8-year-old boy reported being abused by him. Despite this, some of the victims' mothers defended Purdy, claiming he had convinced them he was a trustworthy caretaker of their sons.

Purdy was granted pretrial release in Tonga, but his passport was taken. However, he continued to abuse minors and attempted to book flights to the United States before his trial. After being denied multiple requests to leave the country, Purdy used his own photograph and "the name of a mentally disabled Tongan man" to obtain a Tongan passport. He then traveled to Fiji on March 30, 2023, just under a month before his trial date.

From Fiji, Purdy received an emergency replacement U.S. passport and returned to Utah. There, he reportedly pressured the U.S. Embassy to provide a student visa for one of the minors he had abused so they could live with him and attend school in Utah.