Where Are They Now? An Update on Defendants (Part 3) - High Profile Sexual Abuse in Child Care Cases

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Following up on the Child Abuse Storm Scale - Part 1 (Child Care Information Exchange, January/February 1999) and Part 2 (March/April 1999) - this article shares the current status of several sexual abuse in child care cases that were prominent in the news.


McMartin Preschool

The McMartin case originally came to the attention of local Manhattan Beach (California) police in 1983. Following the initial complaint, the police sent letters to parents of 200 present and past McMartin children asking the parents to determine whether their children had been victims of criminal acts such as sodomy and oral sex. The letters produced no immediate additional complaints, but it alarmed some parents who contacted local officials. The parents were referred to a diagnostic and therapy center recommended by the district attorney. Literally, as many as 400 children had been interviewed by the center with approximately 90% reporting abuse, animal sacrifice, secret rooms, and bizarre rituals. ...