Daystar: Colleyville PD closes child sex abuse investigation with no charges

A police investigation into child sex abuse allegations involving the founding family of Daystar Television Network has ended without charges being filed, according to the Daystar organization, the parents who made the allegations and the lawyer for the accused.

“Following a comprehensive investigation, Daystar learned through counsel today that Colleyville Police Department has officially closed its investigation, with no further action or charges, into allegations of abuse involving a child in the Lamb family,” according to a Daystar statement posted Wednesday on X. Marcus and Joni Lamb founded Daystar in the 1990s.

The Colleyville Police Department said in a statement late Thursday evening that its probe, which spanned a year and a half, concluded without charges filed because “the victim has not made an outcry and detectives obtained no evidence of a crime during the investigation.”

Dara Nelson, services sergeant with Colleyville PD, said in the statement that the Tarrant County District Attorney’s office returned the case due to insufficient evidence.

“In Texas, there is no statute of limitations for sexual assault of a child,” Nelson wrote. “If any new evidence emerges in this case, it will be thoroughly investigated.”

Daystar Television Network, a popular Christian network headquartered in Bedford that broadcasts programming from celebrity pastors, including Bishop T.D. Jakes and Paula White, was rocked by allegations last year. Network CEO Joni Lamb and her son, Jonathan, told starkly different stories about a family rift that led to his firing last November and roiled Christian media.

Jonathan Lamb said his young daughter, who is now 9, was sexually abused by a male relative, and the allegations led to a disagreement with his parents, Marcus and Joni Lamb.

On Wednesday, Suzy Lamb, Jonathan’s wife, said she met with the detective overseeing the investigation and he told her he was closing the case. “We had prepared our hearts for this,” she said.

“When our child finds her voice to speak, we will be there to lift her up,” Lamb said. “One day, justice will come… There’s no statute of limitations, so whenever she’s ready to open up and talk about what happened to her, it will come out.”

Mark G. Daniel, an attorney for the accused relative, told The News on Wednesday: “The Colleyville Police Department has advised me that that matter is officially closed... My only comment — there was nothing to ever investigate in the first place.”

Last November, in a statement to The News, a Daystar spokesperson called Jonathan Lamb‘s accusations of sexual abuse by a family member unfounded. The relative, through his attorney, also vehemently denied the allegations.

The News does not name victims of alleged sexual assault. It is also not naming the relative who Jonathan and Suzy Lamb allege abused their child.

The decision to terminate Jonathan Lamb came after a 15-month review of his work performance and “his refusal to take any steps to satisfy a detailed performance improvement plan put in place,” according to a Nov. 25 statement from Joni Lamb.

Joni Lamb became Daystar’s CEO after her husband’s death in 2021. Their son was formerly the network’s vice president.

Daystar has over 100 stations across the country and is on “nearly every major cable and satellite provider across the globe,” according to its website.

Daystar’s statement

“The original police report filed several years ago alleged that an unidentified classmate of the child committed the alleged abuse,” according to the Daystar statement posted on X. “In November 2024, media reports surfaced, falsely accusing another Lamb family member—identified as ‘Pete’ in the reporting—of committing the alleged abuse.

“Daystar fully cooperated with law enforcement’s investigation,” according to the statement. “In addition, ‘Pete’ denied any wrongdoing, and he voluntarily agreed to be interviewed by the Colleyville Police Department. ‘Pete’ also voluntarily sat for and passed two separate lie detector tests performed by two independent, highly experienced experts.

“No evidence has ever existed implicating ‘Pete’ in any crime, and no charges are being brought against ‘Pete,’” according to the statement. “The absence of any evidence of any wrongdoing by ‘Pete’ is underscored with the closing of this investigation, which further confirms there was never any mishandling — as falsely argued by some on social media — on the part of Daystar and its leadership.

“As it has said from day one, Daystar Television Network takes all allegations of sexual misconduct very seriously,” according to the statement. “We grieve for and give credence to the voice of every victim of abuse. In this matter, however, there is simply no evidence that any alleged abuse was ever committed by ‘Pete.’

“Although saddened by those who were led to believe the gossip, rumors, and false accusations promulgated on social media, Daystar appreciates the love and support it has received from countless viewers and ministry partners and will continue in its mission to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ around the world,” according to the statement.

The News reached out to a Daystar attorney for further comment but did not hear back.

The Daystar controversy

Last year, The News interviewed multiple Lamb family members, reviewed statements by Daystar and Joni Lamb and their lawyers, spoke with counselors who said they met with family members, and examined police records and other personnel documents related to the Daystar controversy.

Jonathan and Suzy Lamb said they began to worry their daughter had been sexually abused in 2020.

Suzy Lamb told The News her daughter came running down the stairs to meet her when Lamb returned home one evening in November of that year. Her daughter was about 5 years old, she said.

They hugged and sat down on the staircase. According to Suzy Lamb, that was when the child said someone had touched her “privates.”

“She didn’t know the words; she showed me on her body,” Lamb said. At one point, she said the child described her alleged abuser as “taller than daddy.”

Suzy Lamb said she asked who had done this, but the child didn’t want to say.

Suzy Lamb shared a Colleyville Police Department report with The News that says she and her husband visited the police Nov. 6, 2020, to report the alleged abuse of their daughter.

The case was closed in December 2020, according to the Colleyville Police Department. Colleyville police told The News last November that in 2024, they reopened an investigation into the allegations by Jonathan and Suzy Lamb that their daughter was sexually abused.

Jonathan and Suzy Lamb said they grew concerned in 2021 that a relative might have abused their daughter.

That summer, the couple and their two children went on an annual family vacation with Marcus and Joni Lamb and other relatives, they said. The group shared a beach house in Miramar Beach, Fla., the couple said.

Suzy Lamb said on the morning of Aug. 3, 2021, her daughter wanted to go swimming and she told her to change into her swimsuit. Suzy Lamb said she then saw a relative follow her daughter upstairs.

Suzy Lamb said she ran to their bedroom to get her husband, who was brushing his teeth. “I just really had this gut feeling that it had to be Jonathan [to witness what was happening], or they were just not gonna believe me, if anything did happen,” she said. Jonathan said he dropped his toothbrush and sprinted up the stairs.

“There’s my daughter, completely naked, and [the relative] is in the room,” Jonathan Lamb said. The relative was standing by a window with his baby, Jonathan Lamb said.

Jonathan Lamb said things happened so quickly that he’s not sure whether the relative was looking at his daughter. Jonathan said he started shouting, “What are you doing?”

Jonathan Lamb ran down the stairs to find his parents. The relative, who followed them, apologized “profusely,” saying he was sorry over and over again, Jonathan Lamb said.

On Dec. 3, Daystar posted a YouTube video called “Joni Lamb Addresses Allegations: Navigating the Daystar Family Crisis.” In the video, she described an “incident” at a family retreat in 2021.

Joni Lamb said her grandson and the relative accused of abuse went upstairs for a better view of the city, when her granddaughter started changing into her swimsuit in the same room.

In a series of interviews with The News last year, Jonathan Lamb said he told Joni and his father, Marcus Lamb, before his father died, about the alleged abuse, and they refused to believe any family member was involved, calling it a misunderstanding.

In its Nov. 21 statement to The News, a Daystar spokesperson said: “Over three years ago, in a thoroughly investigated and since resolved matter, it was confirmed that any allegations referencing sexual misconduct involving any Lamb family members were not credible and unfounded.”

Adrian Ashford covers faith and religion in North Texas for The Dallas Morning News through a partnership with Report for America.