'Waco: American Apocalypse' Director Says Branch Davidian Survivor Kathryn Schroeder Was "Looking for God" (EXCLUSIVE)

In 1993 in the small town of Waco, Texas, a 51-day siege transpired between Branch Davidians (a religious group led by David Koresh) and the federal government, which ended in a violent confrontation. The Netflix docuseries Waco: American Apocalypse gives a detailed account of the events that unfolded during the infamous siege through the eyes of several Branch Davidian survivors, ATF agents, FBI agents, and more.

In the docuseries, a former resident of Mount Carmel — Kathryn "Kathy" Schroeder — shared her perspective on why she followed Koresh's teachings as well as her reasons for exiting the compound before it burned down.

So, what happened to Kathy after the tragic events in Waco?

In the docuseries, Kathy explains that she moved to Waco with her three children from a previous marriage, and her husband Michael. Kathy reveals that she and Michael followed Koresh's teachings because they believed him to be a prophet of God and they were devoting their lives to God.

After Michael was killed in the siege, Kathy's three kids were let out of the compound by Koresh and into police custody. However, Kathy still remained at Mount Carmel.

Eventually, the FBI negotiator was able to coerce Kathy into leaving the compound because she felt her youngest son needed her. After cooperating with the police, she was arrested and sentenced to three years in prison. Kathy was given a reduced sentence because she agreed to testify under oath against other Branch Davidians.

In an exclusive interview with Distractify, director Tiller Russell opened up about his thoughts on why Koresh had such a strong influence over the Branch Davidians.

"I think that all people have a strong desire to build to belong and be a part of something and have a group and have a family and have a tribe. And so I think there is this basic pull of wanting to be involved in something greater, and different people come for different things," he explained.

"Kathy Schroeder was looking for God, was looking for a meaningful connection that she wasn't finding just, you know, going to church on Sundays as a kid," he added.

Through interviewing the Branch Davidians, Russell told us that he came to learn that Koresh was a "charismatic orator" who could make the Bible come to life through his words.

As for if Kathy still believes in Koresh's messages and teachings, Russell did not want to "speak for anybody else," but the director told us that he thinks she and the other Branch Davidians are "conflicted about how they stand all these years later with regards to David Koresh and his theology."

"They gave up their entire lives to move to this compound and a cow field in Texas and put them in the hands of this guy, and then cut to, you know, they're literally surrounded by Abrams tanks pointing at them," the director continued. "The cognitive dissonance to that, as lived from the inside, is so intense and so profound, that I think they too are still kind of finding out exactly what they think and feel and believe."

You can now stream Waco: American Apocalypse on Netflix.