Cases were included if they involved an arrest followed by a trial verdict, guilty plea, or dismissal of charges during the trial; the allegations of satanic ritual abuse were actively investigated and publicly reported; and sufficient archival data existed to assess the case. The analysis focused on the nature of the allegations, the victims, the perpetrators, the criminal trials, and the case outcomes. Results revealed that it was impossible to determine whether or not such abuse existed, but the financial and emotional costs of trying to prove it has been high. Results also indicate that attempts to prove satanic ritual abuse have functioned to detract attention from more common forms of child abuse and to obfuscate the investigation and substantiation of organized and systematic forms of child abuse in a variety of settings. The study's major finding was that these cases contribute little to the debate about whether or not satanic ritual abuse exists, but they do set an agenda for the international child abuse professional community for research, practice, and discussion. Tables, figure, and 15 references (Author abstract modified)