Moving into a new house is always stressful, but for the Ammons family, this was a severe understatement. In November 2011, Latoya Ammons, her mother, and three young children moved into a house on Carolina Street in Gary, Indiana. The horrors almost started immediately. The family’s story would end up in towns history books with exorcisms, police investigations, psychological evaluations, and a department of child services intervention.
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| Photo by Hammond Police Department |
The Nightmare Begins
One month after the Ammons moved into the house, big black flies suddenly started swarming to their screen-in porch despite the chilly winter temperatures. The family claimed no matter how many flies they killed, more kept coming back. This was not the only peculiar event happening at the time. The family began hearing strange noises around the house. The sound of footsteps going up the stairs and creaking of doors became a regular occurrence. One night Ammon’s mother, Rosa Campbell, said she awoke to a shadowy figure pacing the living room. When she went to investigate the event, she found large wet boot prints, but no one around.
More strange paranormal activities began to occur. On March 10th, 2012, the family was having a get together with a group of friends to mourn the loss of a loved one. During this gathering, Ammons found her 12-year-old daughter upstairs in her room levitating unconscious above her bed. Ammons and several others surrounded the girl and prayed for her safety. While they prayed the girl slowly descended back down to her bed. She then woke up with no memory of what happened.
The Family Calls for Help
After this event, the family sought help. They called local churches because they believed something supernatural and potentially demonic was happening. One of the churches recommended the family to clean the house with bleach and ammonia, then draw crosses on every door and window with oil. The family also contacted two psychics who felt that the home was inhabited by more than 200 demons. The psychics advised them to move. With the family’s current financial situation, that was not an option. Instead, the psychics advised the family to burn sage and sulfur throughout the house and read Psalms 91 aloud.
The family believed these actions only made the events worse and more frequent. Ammons believed her children, ages of 7, 9, and 12, were possessed. The children would speak in strange deep voices and growls. They would roll their eyes to the back of their heads. Ammons went to a family physician named Dr. Geoffrey Onyeukwu for help. In his medical notes, he recorded delusions of ghosts in the home and hallucinations by the children. While being examined, Ammons’s sons cursed Onyeukwu in demonic voices and tried attacking him. His medical staff even saw the youngest boy get lifted and thrown into a wall with nobody touching him. After these dramatic events played out, someone called 911 and the police showed up to the hospital.
The Police and DCS Get Involved
DCS was called and asked to investigate the children for potential child abuse and neglect. It was believed the children were performing for their mom and she was encouraging the behavior. DCS case manager, Valerie Washington, interviewed the family at the hospital. During the interview, the children were growling and became violent. According to the DCS report and a nurse’s accountant, at one point the 9-year-old walked backward up the wall to the ceiling and flipped over his mom. The next day, the DCS removed the children from the custody of Ammons.
The hospital chaplain called a Priest named Rev. Michael Maginot to perform an exorcism on the youngest son. Maginot visited the Carolina Street house to interview Ammons. During the interview, it was noted some of the lights flickered and the reverend felt a demonic presence. In this same week, DCS and the Lake county police investigated the condition of the home. While the police captain was investigating, his car started moving backward and forward on its own. He took several photos of the house and a strange silhouette appeared in them that was not previously seen. The captain said he started to believe in the claims of paranormal activity.
Even with all the evidence of paranormal activity, mental health officials still believed the haunting were delusions or lies. In 2012, DCS petitioned the court for temporary wardship of the three children. Psychologist, Stacy Wright, noted the youngest boy tended to act possessed when he was challenged, or asked questions he did not want to answer. Wright wrote the child seemed coherent and logical, except when talking about demons. The older children were evaluated by another psychologist named Joel Schwartz. Both Schwartz and Wright formed the conclusion it was more likely the children had been induced in a delusional system created by their mother and potentially reinforced by other relatives than any supernatural explanations.
Even with these conclusions, the house was still investigated further. Campbell, Ammons, the Lake County Police, the DCS case manager and the Rev. Maginot all visited the house together. The police dogs showed no interest in the house. The only odd occurrence noted during the visit was a strange liquid dripping in the basement from an unknown source.
The Exorcisms
Rev. Maginot requested to perform an exorcism on the house from his presiding bishop. The initial request was denied. Maginot performed his own minor exorcisms on Ammons and the house with the police and DCS as witnesses. The DCS case manager observed a chilly presence during the two-hour ritual but did not think it was demonic. After the minor rites, the bishop gave his permission to exercise Ammons. This time the ritual was considered more powerful because it had the backing of the church. All and All Maginot performed three exorcisms, two in English and one in Latin.
After all these unpleasant experiences, the family could not live in the house anymore. Ammons and her mother moved back to Indianapolis. She regained custody of her children six months later. The family said they felt safe after they moved away from the Carolina Street house and the children no longer show any signs of demonic possession. The landlord of the Carolina Street house said there were no paranormal problems before or after Ammons lived in the house until he sold it. The landlord believed Ammons used the claims of paranormal activities to avoid payments on the rent when she was behind.
Demon House Documentary
The host and executive producer of ghost adventurers, Zak Bagans, heard about the story. He decided to buy the house, investigate, and film a documentary about the events. Bagans bought the house in 2014, filmed his documentary “Demon Hose” and then demolished the house afterward. Bagans said, “Something was inside that house that had the ability to do things that I have never seen before. There was something there that was very dark, yet highly intelligent and powerful.”
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| Photo by John Delano via the Indianapolis Star |
Conclusion
Was there really a demonic presence in the house or was the whole situation an elaborate hoax to get out of paying rent? It is unusual to have so many documented and collaborated paranormal observations. In the end, whether you believe the paranormal events happened is up to you. With the home being demolished, the story of this Carolina Street house has finally been put to rest.
References:
Bahr, Sarah and Kwiatkowski, Marisa (2018 Dec) Zak Bagans' 'Demon House' the real story: 10 things to know about the Gary, Indiana, case. Retrieved from https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2018/12/28/zak-bagans-demon-house-real-story-10-things-know-gary-indiana-latoya-ammons/2430585002/
Golgowski, Nina (2016 Feb) Notorious ‘Demon House’ Torn Down After Purchase By ‘Ghost Adventures’ Star. Retrieved from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/demon-house-torn-down_n_56b1fcdfe4b08069c7a58370
Butterly, Amelia (2014 Jan) Police captain confirms children 'possessed by demons. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-25943051
Kwiatkowski, Marisa (2014 Jan) Strange events lead Ind. family to resort to exorcism. Retrieved from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/01/27/family-possessed-seeks-exorcism/4939953/