Behind Netflix’s Trust Me: The False Prophet | Dr. Christine Marie

At the Brink with Erica Brinker · Oct 28, 2026 · 1h 6m

Warning: This episode includes discussion of child sexual abuse, cult abuse and human trafficking.

When Dr. Christine Marie told police that a self-declared prophet in Short Creek was calling young girls his wives, they told her it was hearsay. They needed evidence. So she and her husband, filmmaker Tolga Katas, became Samuel Bateman’s unofficial archivists, filming whenever he asked and turning the footage over to law enforcement. One car ride later, she had his confession on tape.

Christine knew what she was looking at because she had lived a version of it. A longtime member of the…