Look to for up-to-the-minute news on cults and pyschological freedoms.

Frequently Asked Questions about Cults, Their Members and Leaders

Frequently Asked Questions about GSC (Coming Soon)

"For yuppie guru, Rama Lenz Death by drowning", The Three Village Herald, June 24, 1998

Two months and six days after his death, the Suffolk County Police Department has released a cause of death for Frederick Lenz, aka Rama Lenz, the yuppie guru. According to the Suffolk County Medical Examiners' office, the 48-year-old rama's death was a suicide by drowning with drugs a contributing factor. The Herald had learned, but could not confirm with detective lieutenant John Gierasch of the homicide squad, that a former security man for the rama has told law enforcement officials the rama was depressed because of lawsuits, brought by the families of cult followers -- lawsuits which he felt would drag on for years. Some followers believed the rama was suffering from liver disease but the autopsy found no evidence of that, or of any other disease.

N.Y. Guru Death Ruled a Suicide, June 19, 1998, 12:47:36 EDT

OLD FIELD, N.Y. (AP) -- The death of a self-styled spiritual and computer guru whose body was found two months ago in a bay next to his home has been ruled a suicide. Frederick P. Lenz III, an author who was criticized as an exploitative cult leader, was found dead April 13 in Conscience Bay on Long Island. Divers discovered his body in 20 feet of water, about 60 feet from land. Detective Lt. John Gierasch said in a statement Thursday that the Suffolk County Medical Examiner's office had ruled Lenz's death a suicide. Lenz, 48, and a female companion, who was not identified, tried to kill themselves April 11 by taking a large amount of Valium, Gierasch said. They then went out on a dock at the rear of his $2 million home, where Lenz fell into the water. His body was found two days later. Submitted by David D. Rogers

Lenz found with dog collar around neck, Gannett Suburban Newspapers, Friday, April 17, 1998

Frederick P. Lenz III died with a cloth dog collar around his neck that had a rabies vaccination tag attached to it, Suffolk County Deputy Medical Examiner Dr. James Wilson said yesterday. Wilson said Lenz was dressed in a suit and tie, with the collar, when his body arrived at the office of the Suffolk medical examiner. The body was still there, unclaimed by family members, and not positively identified, late yesterday afternoon. Brinn Lacey, who reportedly told Bell that she took 50 of the sedatives, remains in University Hospital in Stony Brook. She provided this information, despite being described as "incoherent" when Bell first found her. Lacey also reportedly told Bell that Lenz accidentally fell into the Sound three days before his body was discovered by Suffolk County police divers. There are no plans for a funeral for Lenz. Tributes to him, however, were filling an Internet website: http://ramalila.com.

Lenz had ingested 150 pills, Thursday, April 16

YAPHANK, N.Y., April 16 (UPI) New Age guru Fredrick Lenz reportedly ingested 150 phenobarbital tablets before he was found dead in the water off his million-dollar waterfront home in Long Island. The Three Village Herald reports that 33-year-old Lacey Brinn, who was found at Lenz's mansion, said Lenz had taken 150 tablets of the sedative and she had taken 50. Lenz's dogs were also reportedly given the drug, but at least one of them has fully recovered. The Herald reports that Lenz was fully dressed and wearing a jacket when divers recovered his body Monday. Police say he may have been in the water for as long as 48 hours.

A special note to current and former friends and followers of Dr. Lenz

We at trancenet.net wish to express our condolences for your loss. Having talked with numerous current and former followers in the last few days, we have a measure of understanding for the confusion and pain this unfortunate event is spreading through your community.

Long Island guru's death under investigation, New York Times, Wednesday, April 15, 1998

ARDEN CITY, N.Y. -- So far, Dr. Frederick P. Lenz's death is proving as mysterious as his life. The body of Lenz, a New Age spiritual guru turned author and computer programmer, was found Monday morning by police divers in a cove behind his estate in the village of Old Field, on Long Island. Lenz, 48, apparently fell from a floating boat ramp and drowned, the police said. As of late Tuesday, the circumstances and cause of Lenz's death remained under investigation, and foul play had not been ruled out, the Suffolk County Medical Examiner's Office said. The preliminary results of an autopsy were "undergoing further study" before being released, the examiner's office said. It appears that at the time of his death he had no active, organized group of followers on Long Island or in California. Suffolk County Police chief of homicide squad, Det. Lt. John Gierasch said that during a routine patrol about 12:30 a.m. Monday, Sgt. Robert Bell of the Old Field Police Department noticed that outside lights were on at the $4 million Lenz estate, at 183 Old Field Road. Gierasch said that Bell thought this was unusual, went to investigate and found the front door of the house unlocked. Bell then found the caretaker on the premises, and entered the house. They encountered a 37-year-old woman who Gierasch said was incoherent. The woman, whom the police declined to identify, was taken to a hospital, where she was held overnight for observation.

Wealthy spiritual guru Lenz found dead on Long Island, Tuesday, April 14, 1998, 8:16 a.m. PDT

OLD FIELD, N.Y. (AP) -- Frederick P. Lenz III, a best-selling author who packaged Eastern philosophies for a '90s audience but was accused of operating a cult, was found dead Monday in a bay adjoining his $2 million Long Island compound. He was 48. Police said Lenz may have died of a drug overdose or accidental drowning. An autopsy was pending. "It appears he fell into the water from a floating pier, but the circumstances leading up to that are still unclear," Detective Lt. John Gierasch of the Suffolk County homicide squad said. Lenz's novel _Surfing the Himalayas,_ which related snowboarding adventures and outlined Lenz's spiritual philosophy, reached No. 11 on the best-seller lists in 1995. The self-proclaimed guru also gave high-priced computer science seminars and founded a company called Advanced Systems Inc. He was on _New York_ magazine's list of the "100 Smartest New Yorkers" in 1995. Zen Master Rama, drew criticism from cult-watch groups in the 1980s after he announced that he was the incarnation of a Hindu deity. Parents and former students accused him of manipulation and sexual exploitation of followers. He dismissed the criticism, saying some women followers had consensual relationships with him and then grew vindictive when he broke off the relationships. More info on Lenz/Rama: http://trancenet.net/crazyfred.