Avoiding Problems in Child Abuse Interviews and Investigations

Abstract

In 1983 a mother suffering from serious mental illness alleged that Raymond Buckey, a teacher at the McMartin Preschool in Manhattan Beach, California, had molested her 2½-year-old son (Nathan & Snedeker, 2001). The accusations set off a highly publicized investigation and eventually led to the longest-running criminal trial in United States history. Based on accusations by dozens of children, Buckey, his mother Peggy, and five other preschool workers were charged with multiple counts of sexual abuse. Many children claimed that they had been forced to participate in bizarre events, such as being spirited into tunnels below the school to carry out satanic rituals. Eventually, Raymond and Peggy Buckey were acquitted by a jury and charges against the other defendants were dropped. At the Buckeys’ trial their attorneys presented video-recorded interviews of the alleged victims. Jurors later stated that these recordings, which showed interviewers questioning the children in a highly suggestive manner, heavily influenced their verdict to acquit.