One day after the anniversary of March 26, 1997, the Heaven’s Gate tragedy in Rancho Santa Fe remains one of the most shocking events in San Diego County history.
That day, San Diego County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a welfare check request from an associate of members of the Heaven’s Gate group at an upscale rental home. When they entered, they discovered the bodies of 39 people — all members of the religious group — who had taken part in a coordinated mass suicide carried out over several days.
The group was led by Marshall Applewhite, a former music professor who created a belief system blending elements of religion, science fiction, and apocalyptic thinking…