Michele Miscavige

Michele Miscavige
Born	Michele Diane Barnett January 18, 1961 Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Died	Current status unknown
Residence	Unknown or missing
Nationality	American
Ethnicity	Caucasian
Citizenship	United States
Education	Mostly Study Tech and the works of L. Ron Hubbard
Years active	1973-2006, subsequent status unknown
Organization	Church of Scientology
Known for	Marriage to Scientology leader David Miscavige, disappearance after 2007
Criminal penalty	Allegedly detained by Scientology
Spouse(s)	David Miscavige
Children	None
Parent(s)	Maurice Elliott Barnett (d. 2007), Mary Florence "Flo" Fike Barnett (d. 1985)

Michele Diane "Shelly" Miscavige (born January 18, 1961 - current status unknown) is or was married to Church of Scientology leader David Miscavige, and was a high-ranking member of the sect. She has not been seen or proven to be alive since August 2007. Missing person reports filed by third parties were reportedly classified as "unfounded" by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), following detectives allegedly investigating the matter, though this has never been confirmed. The LAPD declined to release any information about her whereabouts or condition, and the only agent known to have some knowledge about the case was reported to have been compromised through his own Scientology connections. As of 2024, no wrongdoing had been proven, though public speculation of a serious crime was increasing. Scientology's opponents allege that some California authorities are participating in a coverup, having been bribed or blackmailed by the sect. Scientology has not acknowledged this matter, or even Shelly Miscavige's existence, in any of its publications or websites since 2006. Anonymous spokespersons of the organization have instead issued condemnations and veiled threats against people asking questions about her disappearance, which some mainstream media organs have interpreted as a denial that Shelly Miscavige is missing. The mainstream media have also been reluctant to report on the case out of fear of legal or other consequences by Church operatives, as described in the book The Unbreakable Miss Lovely.

Career in Scientology

If she's still alive, Miscavige probably remains a member of the Sea Org, the organization responsible for the international management of the Church of Scientology and its affiliated entities. From the age of 12, she was a member of the Commodore's Messenger Organization (CMO), the internal Sea Org group responsible for personally servicing Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard aboard his flagship Apollo in the 1970s. She was described as "quiet, petite and younger than most of the other Messengers at the time ... and a bit overshadowed by the older girls." Jim Dincalci, one of her shipmates, says that she was "a sweet, innocent thing thrown into chaos." At the age of 21, in December 1982, she married a fellow CMO member, 22-year-old David Miscavige.

She subsequently joined her husband's group as "COB Assistant," the official assistant to her husband, the Chairman of the Board (COB) of Scientology's Religious Technology Center. According to author Lawrence Wright, she was closely involved in the Church's liaison with its most famous member, Tom Cruise. When Cruise started a three-year relationship with Penélope Cruz, Miscavige supervised Cruz's auditing and helped her through the Church's Purification Rundown program.

After the end of the Cruise-Cruz relationship, Miscavige was reported to have led a Church program to find a new girlfriend for Tom Cruise, which led to him marrying Katie Holmes. Around a hundred young Scientologist actresses were interviewed, though they were not told why. An actress named Nazanin Boniadi was introduced to Cruise and dated him for a few months before he broke off the relationship in January 2005. The search resumed, with more actresses invited to audition for what they thought was a role in a forthcoming Mission: Impossible film, and eventually concluded with Katie Holmes meeting and in due course marrying Cruise. His attorney denies that any Scientology executive set him up with girlfriends. Miscavige subsequently oversaw a project to use Scientology members and contractors to renovate Cruise's nine-bedroom mansion in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles.

Speculations about the disappearance

Shelly Miscavige has not appeared in public, or in any other known location, since August 2007, leading to widespread claims that she is a missing person.

In 2006, Shelly's husband, church leader David Miscavige, left the Scientology's international base. Upon her husband's return, Shelly Miscavige was said to have "visibly changed" her mood and to have "looked cowed". Mike Rinder, then the church's chief spokesman, says that she asked him if her husband was still wearing his wedding ring. Shortly afterwards, in June 2006, she no longer made any appearances in public.

She was absent from the November 2006 wedding of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. In July 2013, it emerged that actress Leah Remini had left the Church, after reportedly receiving "an unbelievable torrent of attack" for asking fellow Scientologists at the wedding why Shelly Miscavige was not present.

Missing-person reports have been filed with the Los Angeles Police Department concerning Miscavige. At least two such reports have been filed; one is reported by Lawrence Wright, though he does not state who submitted it, while another was filed in August 2013 by the actress Leah Remini. Detective Gus Villanueva, in response to the missing person report, claimed: "The LAPD has classified the report as unfounded, indicating that Shelly is not missing," but refused to answer any questions. In August 2013, several websites claimed that Los Angeles Police Department detectives met with her in person following a missing-persons report filed by actress Remini, but they gave no information about their source for the claimed meeting.

However, Detective Kevin Decker stated that no one met with Shelly, but that the LAPD relied on assurances from Scientology lawyers that she was OK. It can be a felony for a lawyer to knowingly lie to the police.

The Church of Scientology will not comment on Miscavige's location or even her continued existence. In July 2012, responding to press stories about Shelly Miscavige's disappearance, two UK newspapers were informed by non-Scientology lawyers claiming they represented or were associated with her "that she is not missing and devotes her time to the work of the Church of Scientology." Former members of the Sea Org have said that they believe Miscavige is being "held" at the compound of the Church of Spiritual Technology – a Scientology corporation – at Running Springs in San Bernardino County, California. According to Noriyuki Matsumaru, who worked for David Miscavige as a finance officer in the Religious Technology Center, her husband sent her a sweater and gloves for Christmas one year.

In late 2016, an anonymous report emerged that Shelly had been sighted in a store near Running Springs, accompanied by two men, and appearing in a "disheveled" or "drugged" state. The person making the claim was allegedly followed home by a Scientology investigator.

In January 2017, the LAPD responded to a Freedom of Information request demanding to know whether officers had met with her in person after the missing person report. The LAPD's official response was that they would not reveal any information. Many LAPD officers have worked for Scientology-controlled organizations and businesses, or otherwise benefited from the relationship.

In 2024, it was reported that about six years earlier Shelly Miscavige may have been moved to an even more remote location near Petrolia, CA. The sect maintains a large underground vault at that location, surrounded by wildlands and security fences. Scientology maintains absolute secrecy about her location or status. It is believed that the people holding her will themselves never be permitted to leave.

Family and personal life

Michele's mother, Flo Barnett, was a long-time Scientologist. On September 8, 1985, 52-year-old Flo Barnett was found dead from three "somewhat superficial" rifle shots to the chest and a fatal shot to the head. There was a previous suicide attempt, and there were slash marks on her wrist that were a few days old. The death was ruled a suicide.

In the media

Michele's disappearance has become a cause celebre in online discussions of Scientology abuses, and even a source of conspiracy theories. Prominent anti-Scientology reporters and activists, including some who knew her, feel that she is alive however, and theoretically could leave the compound where she is suspected to be detained.

In November 2013, during the opening events of Scientology's Flag Building, activists hired a light aircraft to tow a banner over downtown Clearwater, Florida, with the text "Where is Shelly Miscavige?"

The Fox police sitcom television series Brooklyn Nine-Nine makes reference to Miscavige's disappearance in its fifth-season episode "NutriBoom". The episode satirizes Scientology as a multi-level marketing company that produces amino acids and amino acid reducers, allegedly to improve their clients' health. Brooklyn Nine-Nine's parody of Miscavige, Debbie Stovelman, is found to be alive and well, having faked her own disappearance to allow her to run Nutriboom and escape the consequences of illegal activities.

In the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt episode "Sliding Van Doors", the character Gretchen, who rose up in the ranks of a parody of Scientology named Cosmetology, repeatedly asserts that her husband Shelly is "definitely alive."

In John Oliver's Last Week Tonight, he included "Where's Shelly" (in Latin) in the opening montage of the show for an entire season. In the final episode of season 5, he did a piece that wrapped up his year long secret "advertising campaign" for Scientology and demanded that they pay him $650,000–$700,000 for it. In his October 2021 segment on Taiwan, he joked about Miscavige's wife before asking, "Where's Shelly?" March 19, 2023 in his ‘Timeshares’ segment, John Oliver said "Where’s Shelly?" In his April 2023 segment on Disney public domain, the character of Mickey Mouse repeatedly said the catchphrase "Where's Shelly Miscavige?" On a segment on Chuck E. Cheese, Mickey Mouse once again returns with his opening line being "Where's Shelly?"

At the 80th Golden Globe Awards in January 2023, host Jerrod Carmichael joked that since Tom Cruise had returned his three Golden Globe awards the previous year, those trophies could be exchanged "for the safe return of Shelly Miscavige".

Also see:

List of people who disappeared mysteriously