Did Scary Clowns Terrorize Kids in Massachusetts Decades Ago?

Did you ever hear of the Clown Legend that plagued Massachusetts in the early 80s? It's one of those stories or urban legends that pops up every now and then but is there any truth to these stories?

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Did Scary Clowns Abduct Kids in Massachusetts in 1981? 

In the book Weird Massachusetts, author Jeff Belanger writes about how during the spring of 1981, there were reports of children being abducted by clowns throughout Boston and the greater Boston area, but law enforcement kept coming up short as they couldn't find victims or alleged victims. That didn't stop clown fever from taking shape. Jeff mentions in the book that Daniel O' Connell, an investigative counselor from the Boston Public School Board, sent a memo to district school administrators stating the following

It has been brought to my attention of the police department and the district office that adults dressed as clowns have been bothering children to and from school. Please advise all students that they must stay away from strangers, especially ones dressed as clowns.

Clown Fever Was Spreading in Massachusetts

This memo only ramped things up more as additional reports came in stating that children were being bothered and lured away by clowns and/or groups of clowns. Even as reports increased, law enforcement still couldn't track down any solid evidence. Witnesses of these alleged reports started to second-guess what they were seeing.

READ MORE: Massachusetts is Home to a Bizarre Rocking Horse Graveyard

Just Like That, Things Were Quiet Again in Massachusetts

Then the activity vanished, and things were quiet again. So, were there really clowns in the Boston area back in 1981 terrorizing youths in our society, or is this just a Massachusetts legend? Do you have any memories of these reports?