When Demons Are Real

Guest blog by Russell James

 

Russell James isn’t just a great writer, he’s a good friend. So whenever he wants to guest blog about something, he’s welcome here. This time around he’s promoting his new novel, Demon Dagger, a chilling tale about a demon out for revenge and the man who has to protect his family from it. It's a great book and you should by it. But this guest blog has even more nightmare fuel - it's about a true case of demonic possession. The perfect kind of stuff for the spookiest month of the year. So strap yourself in!

 

Demonic possession always makes for a good horror story. JG Faherty’s The Wakening is a good example, or try my new one Demon Dagger. But when it comes to possession, truth can be far scarier than fiction.

Documented tales of possession occur as far back as Biblical times. Many of these are easy to dismiss as non-supernatural phenomena misinterpreted by primitive people. But how about a case from 2011, witnessed by credible government, medical, and law enforcement members?

 

Latoya Ammons

In November of 2011, Latoya Ammons, her mother, and her three children ages 12, 9, and 7 moved into a small house in Gary, Indiana. No one had ever mentioned any previous supernatural occurrences in the house. But as soon as the family moved in, strange events manifested.

The Gary, Indiana Home

Flies swarmed on the porch from no discernible source, and new swarms replaced the ones killed with insecticide. Shadow figures walked the house at night leaving wet footprints. Footsteps sounded on the basement steps and doors creaked open.

These events could be rationalized. An old house makes noise. Insects are common. An old tenant may have had a key or a burglar might have been startled away. Ghost Hunters wouldn’t be investigating this one.

Then things got serious.

One morning at 2 AM, multiple witnesses saw the sleeping 12-year-old daughter levitating over her bed. This was followed by episodes of possession among the mother and all three children where their eyes would bulge and they would speak in deep, evil, guttural voices. Children were thrown around rooms so violently they required medical treatment. A clairvoyant was summoned and she said two hundred demons were active in the home.

After some failed pseudo-exorcisms, a medical doctor got involved, as did the Department of Child Services. During an exam, the sons cursed the doctor in demonic voices. Then the youngest boy was "lifted and thrown into the wall with nobody touching him," according to the DCS report. Both boys passed out and were taken to a hospital. When the youngest woke up in the hospital, he thrashed and cursed and it took five men to restrain this seven-year-old boy before he returned to normal.

Later in a hospital exam room, in the presence of a DCS representative, medical personnel, and the grandmother. Both boys manifested possession. Then one of them glided backwards across the floor, up the wall to the ceiling, and flipped over his grandmother’s head, all while holding her hand. The DCS rep and the nurse fled the room. They returned with a doctor but the manifestations had ceased.

DCS separated the children and mother after this event.

Catholic priest Rev. Michael Maginot received a call from a hospital chaplain the morning of April 20, 2012 and a request to investigate. When he was with Ammons at the home, lights inexplicably flickered, blinds swayed in a perfectly still room, and footprints appeared on the floor. Two weeks later, the DCS rep and three police officers inspected the house. While there, audio recorders malfunctioned, batteries drained instantly, and pictures they took contained ghostly images.

During a subsequent visit that included a DCS worker, multiple police officers, and Rev.Maginot, Ammons fell so ill she had to leave the house. Strange oily substances were found in the basement and on a set of blinds, both with no apparent source. When the officers cleaned the blinds, closed the door, and returned 25 minutes later, more oil had appeared from nowhere.

The assessment from Rev. Maginot was that Ammons was the conduit for the possessions by multiple demons. Eventually Rev. Maginot performed three exorcism rites over Ammons, the final one in Latin. The DCS rep attended one and said, "We felt like someone was in the room with you, someone breathing down your neck."

After the third rite, the possessions stopped. DCS finally reunited the family. Despite all the evidence and eyewitness accounts, the psychologists assessing the children claimed the manifestations were caused by the mother’s religious belief and the power of suggestion over her children.

This story isn’t some internet hoax. You can read the original reporting in the Indianapolis Star right here. https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2014/01/25/the-disposession-of-latoya-ammons/4892553/

 If you think this story is chilling, go research the one that inspired the novel The Exorcist. That will really make your hair stand on end.

Those are a few of many actual demonic possession accounts. If fictional possessions are more your thing, be sure to try Demon Dagger and The Wakening.

Russell James grew up on Long Island, New York and spent too much time watching late night horror. After flying helicopters with the U.S. Army and a career as a technical writer, he now spins twisted tales best read in daylight, including horror thrillers Dark Inspiration, Q Island, and The Playing Card Killer. He authored the Grant Coleman Adventures series starting with Cavern of the Damned and the Ranger Kathy West series starting with Claws. He resides in sunny Florida. His wife reads his work, rolls her eyes, and says "There is something seriously wrong with you."

Visit his website at http://www.russellrjames.com, follow on Twitter @RRJames14, or say hello at rrj@russellrjames.com.