Ironically, the cry of “believe the children” grew out of past cases in which children who were abused were not taken seriously. Of the hundreds of people investigated around the country, some 190 were formally charged with crimes, leading to more than 80 convictions. Even though there was no physical evidence to back up these fantasies, families were torn apart, innocent people spent years in prison and day care facilities closed. The children told lurid stories of killing animals and babies, drinking blood, playing with naked adults and taking part in satanic rituals. After that, hysteria moved to New Jersey, New York, Michigan, Massachusetts, Florida, Tennessee, Texas, Ohio and Minnesota, with day care workers arrested, charged, tried and convicted of committing unimaginable crimes. It began in 1984 at Virginia McMartin’s preschool near Manhattan Beach, Calif., when an unstable woman alleged her 2-1/2-year-old son was molested at the prestigious school. In the 1980s, some cities across the country went crazy over child abuse.
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