The Saskatoon foster parent scandal occurred in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. There were two similar events around the same time where an allegation of child sex abuse escalated into claims of satanic ritual abuse. The more widely known of the two is the Martensville satanic sex scandal, and the second but earlier story is of the foster parent scandal in nearby Saskatoon.
Media coverage
A similar story arose in Martensville of sexual abuse also involving claims of a satanic nature, and occurred not long after the Foster Parent Scandal. As the media picked up the reporting on the claims of Satanic sex abuse, the reporting on the similar Foster Parent Scandal decreased and was overshadowed. In 2000, the CBC's The Fifth Estate reported on the events surrounding the case of reported foster parent abuse in a story titled "The Scandal of the Century". Local reporter Dan Zakreski, then with the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, also reported on the story. Further reporting on the case was published in The Globe and Mail.
History
At the centre of the case were three children, Michael Ross (also known as Tom Black) and his younger twin sisters Kathy and Michelle Ross (also known as Julie and Mary Black). The three children entered the care of social services in 1987 after their parents, Helen and Don Ross (also known as "Emma and Don Black"), were found to not be capable of adequately caring for their children. Michael's kindergarten teachers had reported that in 1986 (when Michael was seven years old) that he was behaving in sexually aggressive ways, including inappropriately touching other children, and undressing and inviting both other children and staff to have sex with him. When the children entered the foster home of Dale and Anita Klassen (also known as "Scott" and "Emma Hepner") on February 13, 1987, the Klassens were not informed of the children's troubled history, nor provide any special assistance regarding the reported concerns. Shortly after the children arrived, Emma noticed that the children were engaging in sexually overt behaviour that included kissing, hugging, and being naked together in their playroom. Moreover, in April of that year, a babysitter reported to Emma that they had witnessed Michael inserting a butter knife and liquid soap into Michelle's vagina. The children were interviewed after this was reported to the police and the Sexual Assault Centre, but the only conclusion was that the children knew far more about sexual matters than they should for their age, but they were unable to determine if the children had ever been sexually assaulted. The report also noted that Michael, then eight years old, would sneak downstairs in the middle of the night to dress in lady's high heel shoes and pantyhose.