Why abuse victims ran from the law in ‘Children of the Underground’
nypost.comlife as a crusader and vigilante fighting to help women and children flee abusive men who were protected by family court rulings.
A charismatic, passionate advocate, Yager found sympathetic people all over the country willing to stealthily lend their time, their homes and their money to her cause.In the new FX series “Children of the Underground,” archival footage of Yager and clips of her frequent talk show appearances show how she set up an extensive network of collaborators and safe houses throughout the US and abroad – and how her passion for helping other women got tangled up in the Satanic Panic of the ’80s.Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite (“Blackfish”), who co-directed the series, interviewed Yager, now in her early eighties, in 2021. “She’s larger than life, she’s still every bit as sharp and fiery,” said Cowperthwaite. “She has a wry sense of humor.
One of the first things she said to me is that she’s the only Southern woman with a 2,000-page FBI file.”When Yager first discovered the abuse of her own daughter, she gathered all the evidence she could against her husband — including medical reports of the 4-year-old girl having contracted gonorrhea.
But even in the face of medical proof, the court deemed Yager’s claims implausible; her husband tried to have her committed.
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