San Angelo, Texas: Over one hundred women from a polygamist sect's Texas ranch returned to the compound on Monday, reported the Texas Child Protective Services. The authorities reported that they had separated the women from the 400-plus children, now in state custody. The women had been staying at a shelter with their children.

According to Rhonda Jeffs, mother of two of the children and a spokeswoman for the other women, mothers of 5 year-old and older children were told that they could not remain with their children but could go back to the ranch or to a women's shelter.

Texas Child Protective Services reported that women chose to go to women's shelters. The women with children four or under were allowed to remain with their kids for now. It was not normal to allow a parent to accompany a child or to even know the child's exact location once a child has been removed because of abuse or neglect. The women had voluntarily followed the 416 children who were seized two weeks ago from the ranch.

Some of the children's mothers complained to Gov. Rick Perry that the children were getting sick in the crowded fort, where they were kept after they were removed conducting raids on 4 April on the compound. The number of women who chose to return was not immediately known, but it appeared to be fewer than the 130 who had accompanied the children removed from the Texas Polygamist Ranch.

Meanwhile, many polygamous wives with children in tow rallied yesterday in Salt Lake City to urge Texas authorities to release the 416 children seized from the Yearning for Zion ranch. The rally was organized by Mary Batchelor, director of Principal Voices, an advocacy group for consenting adults who believe plural marriage brings eternal salvation.