A Seventh-day Adventist offshoot led by David Koresh, whose compound outside Waco, Texas, burned during a 51-day siege by federal agents in 1993.
The Branch Davidians descended from a 1950s split within the Seventh-day Adventist Church. David Koresh took over leadership in the late 1980s, teaching that he was a final prophet and gradually consolidating control over the group’s Mount Carmel compound near Waco, Texas — including, according to former members and later investigations, sexual relationships with underage girls in the community.
In February 1993, the ATF attempted to serve a search warrant for illegal weapons, triggering a gun battle that killed four agents and six Davidians. A 51-day standoff followed, ending on April 19, 1993, when a fire — the cause remains disputed — destroyed the compound, killing 76 people including Koresh and more than 20 children.