In November 2011, Latoya Ammons, an American mother, moved into house number 3860 on Carolina Street, in Gary, Indiana, along with her mother, Rosa Campbell, and her three children. At the time, Latoya’s eldest daughter was 12 years old, and the two younger boys were 9 and 7 years old.
The house seemed like a practical and temporary choice. The idea was that the residence would be a short-term solution until Latoya could save enough money to buy a permanent home for the family.
The house was large, with three bedrooms upstairs and two more in the basement. It was perfect for accommodating all the family members. Rosa worked at a local nursing home, while Latoya was studying cosmetology. The children were enrolled in the local school, and in the first few days, life seemed to be settling in normally. But, shortly after moving in, strange events began to occur.
Strange Phenomena
It all started subtly. Objects would disappear and reappear in unusual places. Initially, the family believed it was due to forgetfulness and confusion between them.
Over time, tension grew, as each member accused the other of taking things without permission. At the same time, Latoya began to notice dark shadows moving out of the corner of her eyes, leading her to think she might have a vision problem.
Soon, Latoya’s children began behaving abnormally. They became rebellious, disobedient, and as days passed, their behavior escalated to aggression and violence. The situation began to intensify worryingly.
On a cold December night, the family noticed a swarm of black flies gathering on the porch of the house. This was particularly strange because the porch was fully screened, and at that time of year, temperatures were too low for flies to thrive.
No matter how many times Latoya and Rosa killed the flies, they always returned in large numbers, appearing inexplicably. The presence of the flies was the first physical sign that something was seriously wrong with the house.
Noises and Shadowy Figures
As time went on, all family members began hearing strange noises throughout the house at night. Footsteps, bangs, and the sound of objects moving echoed, especially from the basement, even when everyone was on the upper floor. Frightened, they locked the door leading to the basement, but the noises continued.
One night, Rosa suddenly woke up and saw a dark figure, almost like a shadow, moving through the living room. Scared, she tried to turn on the lights, but nothing happened. The next morning, she found wet footprints exactly where she had seen the figure. A few days later, the situation worsened when they began hearing a dog barking around the house, even though they did not have a pet.
Levitation
Over time, Latoya’s children’s violent behaviors became more frequent and intense. The children began to physically attack each other, often without provocation, and suffered episodes of seizures and sudden mood swings.
Stomach pains, inexplicable bleeding, and even symptoms resembling severe illnesses began to affect everyone in the house, except for Rosa.
The situation reached a critical point in the early hours of March 10, 2012, when Latoya and her 12-year-old daughter were in Rosa’s room with a friend. Suddenly, the girl fainted and began to float unconscious above the bed.
Latoya and Rosa, desperate, gathered around the bed and began to pray. Slowly, the daughter descended towards the bed and woke up without any memory of what had happened. When they told their family members about the incident, everyone left the house in fear and refused to return.
Churches and Clairvoyants
Terrified and not knowing what to do, Latoya and Rosa sought help from local churches. They reported the events, but most churches did not take their allegations seriously.
One church suggested that there could be evil spirits in the house and recommended a spiritual cleansing. They were advised to use ammonia and bleach to purify the house and draw crosses with oil on all doors and windows for protection.
Latoya meticulously followed the instructions, even anointing her children’s foreheads with oil while reciting prayers. But, to the family’s despair, the phenomena continued.
They then decided to seek help from two clairvoyants, who visited the house and gave an alarming verdict: there were about 200 demons there. They warned that the spirits were numerous and powerful, and the family needed to leave immediately.
Despite the warning, the family’s financial situation did not allow them to move. Latoya set up a small altar in the basement in an attempt to create a space of protection. The table was covered with a white sheet and decorated with a candle and images of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus.
She and another person performed a ritual, burning herbs and reciting Psalm 91. The peace lasted only three days.
Possessions and Supernatural Attacks
When the manifestations returned, they seemed even more aggressive. The children began to show signs of possession: whispering in strange voices, sinister smiles, and terrifyingly vacant stares.
The violence escalated to the point where, one night, they all had to sleep in the same room, as anyone left alone would begin to levitate and be thrown to the ground.
Latoya also began experiencing direct attacks. She reported feeling intense heat and dizziness whenever an entity approached her.
In a moment of panic, Rosa believed she possessed a natural immunity against possessions, but Latoya did not feel the same protection and became increasingly debilitated.
Medical and Police Intervention
The situation became unsustainable, and Latoya ended up seeking medical help for her children. During the visit to the doctor’s office, the children cursed the doctor with voices that he described as “not human”.
Frightened, he called the police and the child protection department. Valerie Washington, a social worker assigned to the case, visited the house on April 19, 2012, and witnessed the inexplicable: one of Latoya’s children walked on the walls and flipped over his grandmother without ever letting go of her hand.
With the intervention of the authorities, the family was temporarily separated. Valerie recommended that the children be removed from the house and placed under temporary care. Latoya felt devastated by the separation, and although she felt that she had lost the battle, she still hoped to reunite her family again.
Exorcism
Reverend Michael Maginot was called in to perform an exorcism. He interviewed Rosa and Latoya for four hours, during which the lights flickered and the curtains moved on their own. Based on the evidence, the Reverend performed three exorcism rituals, two in English and one in Latin.
During the sessions, Latoya convulsed and screamed in pain, stating that the demons resisted leaving her body.
After the last ritual, the house finally fell silent. Latoya and her mother moved to Indianapolis, and in November 2012, after months of separation, the children returned home. There were no more reports of possessions.
With the growing fame of the house, paranormal investigator Zak Bagans bought the property and demolished it in 2016. He collected parts of the basement to exhibit in his museum of paranormal phenomena in Las Vegas.
Latoya and her family never returned to the house in Gary, Indiana. The story became known as one of the best-documented possession cases in American history and served as inspiration for the movie The Deliverance.
Today, the family lives in peace, far from the horrors they faced, but still carry the scars of what happened in that house.
