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.