Wenatchee, Washington gained world attention in 1994-95. It was given the title of history’s most extensive child sex abuse investigation. Three years later, the investigations fell through because of false accusations of abuse by state and social workers along with police. False confessions, badgered child witnesses, and evidence on the generally fake “recovered memory” theory. These cases eventually went on to be known as the Wenatchee Witch Hunt. 43 adults were arrested and accused of 29,726 counts of sexually abusing 60 children. Some were released. 18 of them pleaded guilty, mostly by signed confessions. 10 were convicted at trial. 18 went to prison and only three were acquitted.
Many witnesses and defendants later stated that they were pressured into making false accusations and confessions by caseworkers from the Washington …show more content…
Some said they were told that if they confessed they would not go to jail but instead be treated in the community. Many were told they would never see their children unless they signed a confession. Those questioned also said that their children would not be put up for adoption or placed in foster care if they signed confessions. Child witnesses, mostly from the age of nine to thirteen years, were often taken from their families and placed in foster care. Many said that they were later subjected to hours of frightening grilling and if they didn’t believe they were sexually abused, they were “in denial” or had suppressed the memory of the abuse. They were also told that siblings had witnessed the abuse, or that their parents had confessed already. Interrogators called some of the children who denied abuse liars. They were told that if they agreed to accusations they wouldn’t be separated from siblings or parents. Many of them recanted at a later time. Lieutenant Perez neither kept notes for nor recorded any of his