The Church of Scientology has chosen to not comment on allegations that Priscilla forced her 11-year-old daughter Lisa Marie into the church, where she endured its “purification rundown” to end behavioral problems that arose after her father’s death.
The allegations come from a former high-ranking member of the church, who has spoken out in an interview with the Daily Mail about the “indoctrination” imposed on Lisa Marie Presley, who suffered a fatal cardiac arrest in her Calabasas home last week. She was 54.
Karen de la Carriere told the Daily Mail that she was Presley’s auditor — Scientology’s term for counselor — and was therefore tasked with overseeing her introduction to the organization. At one point de la Carriere was married to Scientology president Heber Jentzsch but left the church in 2010 after being a member for 35 years.
It’s also been reported that Lisa Marie Presley distanced herself from the church, possibly around 2012, after spending 35 years as a member. She had hoped that Scientology would “cure” her of her drug abuse and other problems, according to what de la Carriere told the Daily Mail.
De la Carriere said Priscilla Presley, at the suggestion of John Travolta, joined Scientology when she was mourning the 1977 death of her ex-husband Elvis Presley. Priscilla Presley also hoped that Scientology would help control her daughter’s behavioral problems, which included acting out and later experimenting with drugs.
De la Carriere said Lisa Marie Presley was traumatized by her father’s death. She had been at Graceland when the music legend collapsed from heart failure at age 42. She reportedly saw his lifeless body, the New York Post said.
“She was her daddy’s princess, truly loved by him,” de la Carriere told the Daily Mail. “Lisa emphatically acted out like a child, taking drugs to forget every agony of losing her dad.”
De la Carriere said Elvis Presley would never have approved of his daughter being indoctrinated into Scientology or forced into “obedience therapy,” or to do the purification program, the first time at age 12. The latter consisted of hours in a hot sauna, doing large amounts of exercise and taking high levels of vitamins to make the body “supposedly pure.”
“If Elvis was alive, he would never, ever have let his daughter endure torturous purification rundowns, sending her to ethics, handing out morality punishments,” de la Carriere told the Daily Mail.
Church spokesperson Karin Pouw declined to comment on de la Carriere’s allegations, saying the church does not comment on “’parishioner counseling,” but she told the Daily Mail that leaders are saddened by Lisa Marie’s death.
“The church’s relationship with Lisa Marie was one of warmth and care,” Karin Pouw told the Daily Mail.
Priscilla Presley could not be reached for comment on de la Carriere’s allegations, including her belief that Priscilla’s relationship with Lisa Marie was damaged because she pushed her into Scientology.
“This is a girl, who is a second generation Scientologist, who didn’t elect to go into Scientology, but was dragged into it because her parent was in it,” de la Carriere told the Daily Mail. “She didn’t want to be indoctrinated or attend courses.”
But Priscilla apparently believed she had no other choice, according to de la Carriere.
“Priscilla would get exasperated with her because she was a rebellious kid,” de la Carriere said. “She was a free spirit — ‘I’ll do what I want, whenever I want.’”
“’Her mother got more and more worried,” de la Carriere continued. “I think Lisa first started experimenting with drugs at 13 or 14 years old. The more Lisa fought back, the more Priscilla tried her own methods of control.”
Now that Lisa Marie is dead, de la Carriere imagines that Priscilla Presley feels regret over all the years she tried to make Scientology work for her and her daughter. “I predict that this will shake up Priscilla to the core,” she said.