I strongly agree. The damage which can be (and usually is) done when unfounded rumours get going is horrifying.
I've noted previously, on one of the Jonbenet threads, the tragic Lindy Chamberlain saga, which demonstrates exactly this, in a horrifying way. Some may say this is off-topic, but I think it absolutely relevant here.
I was a teenager living in Australia, when Lindy and Michael Chamberlain were charged with the murder of their nine-week old daughter Azaria, who Lindy claimed had been taken by a dingo, whilst on a camping trip to central Australia with their three young children.
This case truly changed Australia, and I will never forget the hatred directed towards the Chamberlains. There was a widespread belief that Azaria had been murdered by her parents. Many false rumours took hold - here are just some - Azaria had been sacrificed, Lindy wore black a lot (that was a sign...), they were a weird religion, Lindy was very sullen, she was faking being upset, and so on.
Eventually Lindy was jailed for life. Three years later, she was released when Azaria's matinee jacket was discovered. This find proved what she had always stated - a dingo had taken her baby. (For those still sceptical, much information explaining why this showed the veracity of her story is detailed in various articles.)
SHE WOULD STILL BE INCARCERATED TODAY, but for the discovery of Azaria's jacket.
The story in a nutshell is contained in the attached link:
After being convicted of murder in 1982, Lindy Chamberlain was exonerated six years later. In these exclusive BBC Archive clips, she describes what it was like to be wrongly accused.
www.bbc.com
(in this clip, even the prosecutor states that he was absolutely convinced of her guilt.)
JMO
Had the jacket not been found, she would still be in jail. It was not only a sentence for her, but her young children.