Trail of Betrayal Feature


  1. Scouts improve security, but gaps remain

    Scouts improve security, but gaps remain

    Though the Boy Scouts of America has improved its youth-protection system, at least 13 sexual predators have slipped through security gaps during the last decade.

Document Trail


  1. Document trail: William A. Hoefling

    Document trail: William A. Hoefling

    Look at the confidential documents in Hoefling's file.  Hoefling was a troop leader near Detroit.

    • Document trail: Brian K. Liska

      Document trail: Brian K. Liska

      Examine for yourself: the documents in his confidential files. To this day, Liska said he doesn’t know if national Scouting officials approved his application because they were unaware of his past conviction -- or if they knew about it but decided he was fit nonetheless.

      • Document trail: Scott A. Herrick

        Document trail: Scott A. Herrick

        Click to view confidential documents in his file. Herrick is currently serving a 95-year sentence.

        Related Stories


        1. Expert: Exposing abuses will help kids

          Expert: Exposing abuses will help kids

          Patrick Boyle was the first to publish reports of the Boy Scouts of America's confidential "ineligible volunteers" files, in 1994.  Boyle says the attention these files are now getting will do good for kids.

          • Boy Scouts' president official statement

            Boy Scouts' president official statement

            An official response to our investigation from Boy Scouts of America national president Wayne Perry.

            Abused Scout Map

            Full Series


            1. Part 1 - Inside the Files

              Part 1 - Inside the Files

              Our exclusive look into the Boy Scouts' confidential files – 30,000 documents, 10 journalists, 6 months of research. Our investigation reveals scouts’ pleas for help being ignored while some scout leaders were promised confidentiality.

              • Part 2 - Systemic Failures

                Part 2 - Systemic Failures

                The Scripps National Investigative Team tracks systemic problems within the Boy Scouts of America, including poor background checks, and suspected molestors moving from troop to troop. More of our exclusive interview with the leader of BSA.

                • Part 3 - Scouts Today

                  Part 3 - Scouts Today

                  After revelations of abuse within the Boy Scouts of America, how has the organization and its policies changed, and are changes working? You’ll hear different sides. Plus, a one-time abused scout has to decide whether scouting is right for his sons.

                  Extended Interviews


                  1. Video interview: Tom Stewart

                    Video interview: Tom Stewart

                    Former scout Tom Stewart describes years of abuse he suffered as a child, and how he views scouting today as a father.

                  2. Video interview: Patrick Boyle

                    Video interview: Patrick Boyle

                     

                    Boyle wrote “Scout’s Honor,” a 1994 book examining child sexual abuse in the Boy Scouts of America.