Introduction
Country music artist Rory Fe is publicly clashing with his older daughters, Haiti (37) and Hopie (35), following their accusations that he’s exposing their 10-year-old sister, Indiana, to an “abusive cult.” The dispute escalated after Fe, who recently married Indiana’s former school teacher, Rebecca, defended his decision to raise Indiana within an agrarian Christian community known as Homestead Heritage. This community has faced scrutiny due to past allegations and convictions of child sex abuse involving some of its members.
Allegations of Neglect and Abuse
Haiti, via Instagram, claimed her father placed Indiana, who has Down syndrome, “in the care of a group with a well-documented history of physical and sexual abuse of children.” She emphasized that Indiana, with her special needs, deserves “a safe and stable environment where her well-being is the top priority.” Both Haiti and Hopie have indicated they are pursuing legal action on Indiana’s behalf.
Fe’s Defense and Heartbreak
Rory Fe, however, vehemently denied these claims in a lengthy blog post titled “Love Dad” on August 31st. He asserted that Indiana “has never been more loved or better cared for than she is right now.” Fe expressed deep sorrow over his daughters’ actions, stating, “I never in a million dreams would have imagined that my older girls would be doing what they’re doing now.” He described the influx of texts, pictures, and online accusations as heartbreaking.
Fe, whose late wife Joey died of cervical cancer when Indiana was two, highlighted that Indiana has now found a maternal figure in Rebecca. He explained that since Joey’s passing, Indiana “has desperately wanted and needed a mother in her life and it has finally come to be.”
Addressing the “cult” label, Fe argued that Homestead Heritage members “are just living in a way that other people don’t like or understand.” He suggested it’s “a whole lot easier to call something a cult and dismiss it than it is to look deeper into and actually find out what it is they are doing and why they’re doing it.” He described the community as one where people “have learned to truly love each other in community to die to themselves and put God first.”
Family Feud Escalates Beyond the Home
Fe also responded to his daughters’ claims that Indiana is not allowed to communicate with them, stating they forfeited that right when they initiated a lawsuit and Child Protective Services investigation against him. He criticized their use of social media to air family grievances, stating, “Instagram and Facebook are not the places where we should as people in families be settling our disputes or differences.”
Daughters Respond, Allege Past Abandonment
On Sunday, Haiti and Hopie responded to Fe’s blog post on Instagram, acknowledging their sadness but expressing relief to hear from him. They agreed that the internet isn’t the place for such disputes and claimed to have forgiven their father multiple times, even for an alleged past incident where he “abandoned them in the middle of the night as children”—an event Fe has reportedly spoken about in his audiobook.
Haiti further criticized her father for stating Indiana has “never been more cared for than she is right now,” fearing he’s trying to “erase Joey from the story like you erased our mom.” She also asserted that other concerned individuals, including some who grew up in Homestead Heritage, share their concerns about Indiana’s treatment and the community’s past.
Haiti’s husband, Dylan Hodges, also weighed in with a letter to Fe, addressing the decision to stop Indiana from staying at their home. He mentioned recording conversations between Rory and his older daughters, stating, “I have been shocked and appalled by the way you have treated all your children so I felt the need to document it. You are no hero you are no victim.”
A Call for Prayer and Resolution
Despite the public back-and-forth, Fe concluded his post by expressing his love for his daughters and asking fans to “pray for us.” He urged for selfishness to be set aside, pride to be swallowed, and for the family to engage in conversation with legal counsel or mediators to resolve their differences.
Homestead Heritage Issues Statement
Don Lancaster, a spokesperson for the Christian community, also commented on the accusations, stating that over a decade ago, their church pastors reported four individuals for sexual assault, all of whom were convicted. He clarified that only one of those was a church member at the time of the crime. Lancaster expressed heartbreak over the church’s 51-year history being “smeared in the press for the crimes of others that we proactively reported to authorities.”