Family Loses Its Inheritance to Doomsday Prophet

Elieen Hewetter’s aunt, Doris Schmitt, religiously listened to Family Radio, the radio station of doomsday prophet Harold Camping. When Schmitt passed away on May 2, 2010, her family discovered that she had left the majority of her estate, almost $300,000, to Family Radio. In 2009, alone, the station received $18 million in contributions.

Initially, Hewetter was not upset by her aunt’s decision to leave such a sizable donation to the radio station because her aunt had been such a devoted listener. It wasn’t until Hewetter began to see buses in New York City with Camping’s doomsday message plastered on the sides that she made the connection between her aunt’s beloved radio station and Camping’s doomsday prediction. Hewtter said later about this realization:

I’m looking at these brand new buses drive around with Family Radio’s name on them, saying ‘Doomsday is May 21’, and I said, ‘Oh my god, this is who my aunt gave all of her money to. I didn’t know he was so crazy, and at this point I was incensed that this man was going to get everything my aunt had left.

Hewetter and her family sought the legal advice of numerous attorneys after realizing the true recipient of the majority of Schmitt’s estate, but every attorney stated that the family, sadly, had no case against Family Radio or Camping.

See Blake Ellis, I Lost My Inheritance to the Doomsday Prophet!, June 1, 2011.