Digging Up Devils: The Search for a Satanic Murder Cult in Rural Ohio

by Jack Legg

On June 20, 1985, police ignited a media frenzy when they raided a farm house just outside of Toledo, OH. They expected to find weapons, drugs, and the High Warlock of a secretive satanic cult. Then came the bulldozers.​



They said they'd find 50 to 75 bodies, all alleged victims of human sacrifice. After 3 days of digging, they found nothing.

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Using media reports, eyewitness interviews, and never-before-seen police files, Digging Up Devils tells the incredible true story of the Toledo Cult Investigation of 1985. Looking to similar moral panics across the nation, Digging Up Devils finally unravels the mystery behind the greatest case that never was.



"Digging Up Devils tells the previously untold tale of an imaginary cult dreamed up by conspiracists in rural Ohio, and the subsequent devastation that followed. Author Jack Legg has compiled original interviews and previously unreleased documentary evidence to tell a story that is both unique and indicative of the larger moral panic at the same time. For those familiar with Satanic Panic literature to date, this book is an excellent addition. For those with little familiarity with any particular cases of Satanic Panic, this is as good a place as any to start. May it help us to better navigate the rough waters ahead." - Lucien Greaves, Co-Founder of the Satanic Temple

Genres: Nonfiction, History

298 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 10, 2023

Reviews

[Claus Von Apfelmus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicely researched and written. Legg does a great job presenting the evidence that the investigators had literally no evidence. Ever. But the detectives didn't mind ruining the lives of innocent people in the process. I still can't fathom how the paranoia of the US at this time lead to the the Satanic Panic of the 1980s and 1990s, let alone how some people still believe that crap. Some of the cops who were literally on the case, doing the foot work, STILL believe there were satanic rituals, human sacrifices, etc. going on in this field in Lucas County. I worry for these folks.

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Digging Up Devils: The Search for a Satanic Murder Cult in Rural Ohio by Jack Legg is a well researched work of nonfiction about the Toledo Cult Investigation of 1985. It's insane (and almost funny) to think that something like this could happen, but then again with the insanity that's been going on in this country I don't know why I'm surprised. It'll probably make a strong comeback.

[Austin Shirey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and disturbing in equal measure, and very well-researched. I grew up during the tail-end of the Satanic Panic years, and it’s always fascinated me how so many people could collectively lose their minds when there was little, or, more precisely, ZERO evidence this stuff was actually happening.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the case may seem trivial at first glance, even laughable, this search to find bodies that weren't there was part of a moral panic that has too often destroyed the lives of innocent people, in North America as well as on other continents. Thanks to the author for bringing his own twist to the satanic panic that, even in 2025, still seduces people susceptible to conspiracy theories. As stated in these pages, we should never begin an investigation from a conclusion.