What was Jonestown? Jonestown was a remote compound in Guyana built by Peoples Temple cult leader Jim Jones. With little interference from the Guyanese government, Jonestown was a virtually autonomous settlement. What was the Jonestown massacre? The Jonestown massacre was a mass murder-suicide of the Peoples Temple cult at the behest of their leader, Jim Jones, in 1978. After cult members attacked Congressman Leo Ryan, who was investigating the cult, Jones enacted a suicide plan at the Jonestown compound. A fruit drink laced with cyanide was given to children and adult members, killing more than 900 people. Jones died of a gunshot wound.