A prominent Silicon Valley leader and former pastor is under investigation after numerous families accused him of abusing their kids when he led a youth ministry at a popular South Bay church.
Brett Bymaster is facing a second investigation in three years after five families at The River Church Community say a probe in 2021 led by church leaders failed to uncover the extent of his abuse and excluded one of the most serious claims — the possibility of sexual abuse.
Now more families and youth are coming forward to share their stories, San José Spotlight has learned.
“In recent months, we have discovered that there were profound flaws in the original pastoral inquiry process and in the denominational report (which was never released publicly but only summarized by senior leaders),” the families, who have asked for anonymity, wrote in an open letter. “We now believe that the inquiry process and the senior leadership withheld crucial information about the nature and scope of the abuse.”