In 2000, The Fifth Estate uncovered how false claims of sexual abuse, satanic rituals and cannibalism shattered the lives of more than a dozen people.
Michael Ross was 11 years old in 1991 when he started making allegations about his foster parents. He pressured his five-year-old sisters to do the same, and the three told stories that were more and more lurid. Police and the courts aggressively pursued the claims, eventually charging 16 people with sexual abuse.
Michael and his sister Michelle later admitted, on camera, to Fifth Estate host Linden MacIntyre that they had made it all up. The Fifth Estate’s investigation revealed how ‘tunnel vision’ led authorities to ignore inconsistencies in the children’s stories — and downplayed Michael’s violent abuse of his sisters.
The Fifth Estate is marking its 50th year of investigative journalism. Watch Scandal of the Century, hosted by Linden MacIntyre, and more from the show’s files, on our channel.
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About The Fifth Estate: For more than five decades, The Fifth Estate has been Canada’s premier investigative documentary program. Hosts Mark Kelley, Steven D’Souza and Ioanna Roumeliotis continue a tradition of provocative and fearless journalism. The Fifth Estate brings in-depth investigations that matter to Canadians — delivering a dazzling parade of political leaders, controversial characters and ordinary people whose lives were touched by triumph or tragedy.
The Fifth Estate airs Fridays at 9pm on CBC-TV and steams on CBC GEM.
