Tracker of Satan Rites Renounces Allegations

Randy Emon was once a true believer.

He was convinced that ritual satanic abuse was rampant in large and small communities, from the suburbs to the inner city.

“I believed people were killing and maiming, and kids were involved in ritual sacrifice,” said Emon, a Southern California policeman who asked that the city he works for not be identified.

His belief was so strong that he appeared in several widely distributed videos, such as “America’s Best Kept Secret” and “In the Name of Satan,” to talk about the killer cults.

But he changed his mind after four years of listening to the stories of those who said they had been abused, and hunting for evidence without success.

“It’s not true,” he said in a recent interview.

In Emon’s mind, many of the stories can be traced to a decade-old book called “Michelle Remembers,” about a woman who recalled ritual abuse years later.

A number of similar books have emerged since then, many told from a fundamentalist Christian viewpoint.

Emon also blamed some therapists for spreading the fear.

Emon said he is familiar with the Ritual Abuse Task Force. “Their training manual stunk,” he said.

Told about the latest allegations of pesticide poisoning, he responded: “Oh, good grief. You’ve got to be kidding.

“I used to say ritual abuse was the crime of the ‘90s,” he said. “In reality, it’s the scam of the ‘90s.”