1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:04,040 Speaker 1: Hello, it's Richard mcclin smith Here. Season seven of Unexplained 2 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:07,560 Speaker 1: will begin on Friday, July twenty eighth, as we replay 3 00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:10,680 Speaker 1: some of our favorite episodes in the meantime. This week, 4 00:00:10,720 --> 00:00:14,239 Speaker 1: we're going back to July twenty eighteen for me. The 5 00:00:14,280 --> 00:00:18,799 Speaker 1: Spanish film Veronica, directed by Paco Plaza and released in 6 00:00:18,840 --> 00:00:22,240 Speaker 1: twenty seventeen, is without doubt one of the best horror 7 00:00:22,239 --> 00:00:27,800 Speaker 1: films depicting demonic possession of recent times. Incredibly, the true 8 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:33,479 Speaker 1: story it's based on is even more terrifying. Incidentally, if 9 00:00:33,479 --> 00:00:36,880 Speaker 1: you want my absolute favorite film about possession, which also 10 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:39,159 Speaker 1: happens to be just one of the greatest films of 11 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:43,080 Speaker 1: all time, that would be Andre Zelewski's nineteen eighty one 12 00:00:43,159 --> 00:00:50,400 Speaker 1: masterpiece Possession. But for now, Here's Unexplained, Season three, Episode 13 00:00:50,440 --> 00:01:07,559 Speaker 1: seven shadow play. To paraphrase author Terry Pratchett, though light 14 00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:12,479 Speaker 1: might think it travels fastest, darkness appears always to find 15 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:17,400 Speaker 1: a way of arriving first. Wherever light goes, it seems 16 00:01:18,319 --> 00:01:24,600 Speaker 1: the darkness is already there, ready in waiting. In the 17 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:28,760 Speaker 1: United States, Detroit Institute of Arts hangs a strange and 18 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:33,560 Speaker 1: captivating painting of an unconscious woman dressed in white, her 19 00:01:33,600 --> 00:01:36,760 Speaker 1: body stretched out across a bed, with her arms and 20 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:41,920 Speaker 1: head dangling toward the floor. Squatting on her chest, staring 21 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:45,120 Speaker 1: out at the picture with dark red eyes is a 22 00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:50,760 Speaker 1: peculiar and somewhat grotesque cherubic imp. Though the woman is 23 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:55,000 Speaker 1: bathed in light, the imp, clearly a creature of the night, 24 00:01:55,760 --> 00:02:01,760 Speaker 1: resolutely remains steadfastly, refusing to be cast back into the shadows, 25 00:02:02,440 --> 00:02:06,960 Speaker 1: and in the darkness beyond, another creature is emerging, a 26 00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:13,760 Speaker 1: black horse with flared nostrils and bright white eyes. The Nightmare, 27 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:18,800 Speaker 1: painted by Henry Fuselli in seventeen eighty one, serves as 28 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:23,760 Speaker 1: an ironic repost to the Enlightenment, Europe's pervading cultural movement 29 00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:28,359 Speaker 1: of the day, or, as art historian doctor Noel Paulson 30 00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:32,919 Speaker 1: puts it, the painting demonstrates the ultimate futility of light 31 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:38,320 Speaker 1: to penetrate or explore the darker realms of the unconscious. 32 00:02:39,720 --> 00:02:43,600 Speaker 1: For many, myself included, the picture brings to mind the 33 00:02:43,720 --> 00:02:48,600 Speaker 1: terrifying and vivid effects of sleep paralysis, an uncanny phenomenon 34 00:02:48,919 --> 00:02:52,200 Speaker 1: that can result in the seemingly very real experience of 35 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:55,919 Speaker 1: believing you have woken from sleep, only to find yourself 36 00:02:56,200 --> 00:03:00,800 Speaker 1: completely paralyzed. Though I am now familiar with the experience 37 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:04,080 Speaker 1: enough to know it when it happens, what I have 38 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:07,079 Speaker 1: never grown used to are the occasions when I believe 39 00:03:07,120 --> 00:03:09,800 Speaker 1: I have woken up to find not only am I 40 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:13,600 Speaker 1: unable to move, but that there is a shadowy humanoid 41 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:19,280 Speaker 1: creature standing over me. Much worse, when that figure scurries 42 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 1: out from the corner of the room and launches itself 43 00:03:22,639 --> 00:03:27,680 Speaker 1: at me as I fight to regain consciousness. It was 44 00:03:27,720 --> 00:03:31,320 Speaker 1: some time before I discovered others had also had similar 45 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:36,360 Speaker 1: experiences to myself, and that these illusory creatures had a name, 46 00:03:37,480 --> 00:03:43,800 Speaker 1: shadow people. The terms modern iteration was popularized by Art Bell, 47 00:03:44,440 --> 00:03:47,840 Speaker 1: the much missed late night talk show host who sadly 48 00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:51,400 Speaker 1: died in April of this year. It was back in 49 00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:56,160 Speaker 1: April two thousand one that Art dedicated an entire episode 50 00:03:56,280 --> 00:03:59,760 Speaker 1: of his pioneering Coast to Coast AM show to the 51 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:05,200 Speaker 1: discussion of the phenomena. Listening to it again recently, I 52 00:04:05,320 --> 00:04:08,360 Speaker 1: was struck by how similar my own experiences had been 53 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:12,640 Speaker 1: to those described by his listeners, but also how different 54 00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:16,719 Speaker 1: some of them were, too, like the ones where listeners 55 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:20,040 Speaker 1: claimed to have seen shadow people when they were wide awake, 56 00:04:20,320 --> 00:04:24,599 Speaker 1: for example, or those who had come across their children 57 00:04:25,200 --> 00:04:29,200 Speaker 1: talking to themselves late at night, only for their children 58 00:04:29,279 --> 00:04:34,279 Speaker 1: to tell them that they weren't talking to themselves. The 59 00:04:34,320 --> 00:04:38,640 Speaker 1: episode reminded me also of a deeply unsettling story I 60 00:04:38,680 --> 00:04:45,120 Speaker 1: came across recently, regarding the twenty seventeen film Veronica. The 61 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:48,320 Speaker 1: film tells the story of a teenage girl from a 62 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:53,240 Speaker 1: suburb in Madrid who dies in terrifying circumstances after fooling 63 00:04:53,279 --> 00:04:57,680 Speaker 1: around with a Ouiji board. Many may, no doubt have 64 00:04:57,760 --> 00:05:01,080 Speaker 1: seen the film, but did you know that it was 65 00:05:01,160 --> 00:05:07,200 Speaker 1: based on a true story. You're listening to unexplained and 66 00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:19,440 Speaker 1: I'm Richard mc lean smith. Please, said the operator. You 67 00:05:19,520 --> 00:05:23,960 Speaker 1: need to calm down. You say there's someone in your house. No, 68 00:05:24,520 --> 00:05:27,640 Speaker 1: not some one, came back, the desperate voice on the 69 00:05:27,680 --> 00:05:36,800 Speaker 1: other end of the line. Something please hurry. Maximo Gutierrez 70 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:39,640 Speaker 1: had placed the call to his local police station in 71 00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:43,080 Speaker 1: the early hours of November twenty seventh, nineteen ninety two, 72 00:05:43,839 --> 00:05:47,200 Speaker 1: going on to explain that his family were being terrorized 73 00:05:47,320 --> 00:05:50,440 Speaker 1: by something in their apartment and that they didn't know 74 00:05:50,640 --> 00:05:56,280 Speaker 1: what to do. The operator listened with amusement as Maximo 75 00:05:56,440 --> 00:06:00,720 Speaker 1: frantically recounted the events of that night. He had been 76 00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:05,560 Speaker 1: woken by the screams of his terrified wife, Concepcion, shouting 77 00:06:05,560 --> 00:06:08,600 Speaker 1: about some one she couldn't see, pressing down on her 78 00:06:08,680 --> 00:06:13,480 Speaker 1: chest and grabbing at her arms and legs. Within seconds, 79 00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:17,599 Speaker 1: an incessant banging could be heard reverberating around the flat. 80 00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:23,360 Speaker 1: Concepcion screams, along with the terrible thumps, had brought four 81 00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:26,920 Speaker 1: of the couple's five children racing in fear into the bedroom. 82 00:06:28,080 --> 00:06:31,800 Speaker 1: Their fifth child, being a young baby, was now crying 83 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:36,960 Speaker 1: in its cot, panicked by all the commotion. Moments later, 84 00:06:37,440 --> 00:06:40,640 Speaker 1: the petrified family gathered in the living room, only to 85 00:06:40,680 --> 00:06:44,040 Speaker 1: watch with horror as the crucifix nailed to the wall 86 00:06:44,520 --> 00:06:50,359 Speaker 1: seemingly turned upside down on its own accord. Maximo concluded 87 00:06:50,680 --> 00:06:53,200 Speaker 1: that they had decided to stay together in the family 88 00:06:53,279 --> 00:06:58,520 Speaker 1: room since they were too afraid to leave the apartment. Why, 89 00:06:58,760 --> 00:07:02,880 Speaker 1: asked the operator, Because there was something standing at the 90 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:07,200 Speaker 1: end of the hallway blocking their way out, he replied. 91 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:13,440 Speaker 1: Wary of how all this might sound, Maximo passed the 92 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:16,720 Speaker 1: phone around his wife and children, who all repeated the 93 00:07:16,760 --> 00:07:22,680 Speaker 1: same to the operator with equal desperation. If their story 94 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:26,560 Speaker 1: seemed confusing to the officer. The distress in their voices 95 00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:31,680 Speaker 1: at least was real enough. The officer duly advised Maximo 96 00:07:31,920 --> 00:07:35,560 Speaker 1: to keep the family together and try to stay calm, 97 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:38,600 Speaker 1: and offered to send a squad car to investigate at 98 00:07:38,600 --> 00:07:44,040 Speaker 1: the first available opportunity. It would be another forty minutes, however, 99 00:07:44,560 --> 00:07:49,120 Speaker 1: before Chief Inspector Jose Pedro Negri, along with four other 100 00:07:49,360 --> 00:07:53,600 Speaker 1: armed officers, pulled up alongside the vast thirteen story housing 101 00:07:53,600 --> 00:07:59,320 Speaker 1: block on Calier Louis Marin. The street was located in 102 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:03,800 Speaker 1: the Veyeka district of Madrid in Spain, a proud and 103 00:08:03,880 --> 00:08:08,040 Speaker 1: tight working class neighborhood on the southeastern fringes of the city. 104 00:08:09,400 --> 00:08:12,840 Speaker 1: On exiting the car into the freezing night air, the 105 00:08:12,920 --> 00:08:16,520 Speaker 1: offices were surprised to find the family, including the baby, 106 00:08:16,840 --> 00:08:20,720 Speaker 1: whose conception clasped firmly to her chest, now standing in 107 00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:23,720 Speaker 1: a huddle in the entrance way to the apartment block. 108 00:08:25,160 --> 00:08:28,040 Speaker 1: Approaching them from across the road, it was clear to 109 00:08:28,120 --> 00:08:31,679 Speaker 1: the bespectacled Inspector Negri that they were in a state 110 00:08:31,920 --> 00:08:38,040 Speaker 1: of deep distress. Maximo explained that they had been unable 111 00:08:38,120 --> 00:08:42,400 Speaker 1: to withstand the strange activity any longer and finally plucked 112 00:08:42,480 --> 00:08:48,199 Speaker 1: up the courage to abandon the apartment. Moments later, having 113 00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:52,760 Speaker 1: been reassured by the presence of the police, Maximo, followed 114 00:08:52,800 --> 00:08:55,760 Speaker 1: by the rest of the family, led the offices into 115 00:08:55,760 --> 00:09:07,200 Speaker 1: the building and towards the apartment. Anxious faces peered out 116 00:09:07,320 --> 00:09:10,880 Speaker 1: from behind half closed doors as the family and police 117 00:09:10,920 --> 00:09:15,520 Speaker 1: officers made their way along the narrow hallway, with Inspector 118 00:09:15,559 --> 00:09:19,520 Speaker 1: Negri assuring each one as they passed that all was 119 00:09:19,559 --> 00:09:26,960 Speaker 1: fine and to go back inside. Finally, Maximo stopped through here, 120 00:09:27,040 --> 00:09:32,520 Speaker 1: he said, pointing the way into the flat. Negree could 121 00:09:32,520 --> 00:09:35,679 Speaker 1: clearly see the reticence on the family's faces as they 122 00:09:35,760 --> 00:09:40,640 Speaker 1: lingered outside the entrance. Taking the lead, he made his 123 00:09:40,679 --> 00:09:47,720 Speaker 1: way inside, followed closely behind by the other officers. Clean 124 00:09:47,760 --> 00:09:50,640 Speaker 1: and well kept, if a little cramped for a family 125 00:09:50,679 --> 00:09:54,559 Speaker 1: of seven, the flat seemed much like any other family 126 00:09:54,600 --> 00:09:58,840 Speaker 1: home that Negrie had visited, with the exception of one thing. 127 00:10:00,360 --> 00:10:03,880 Speaker 1: On stepping into the living room, Negrew's attention had been 128 00:10:03,920 --> 00:10:07,600 Speaker 1: caught immediately by what looked like some kind of shrine. 129 00:10:07,920 --> 00:10:10,559 Speaker 1: Lined up along the mantel piece of a back wall, 130 00:10:12,840 --> 00:10:17,040 Speaker 1: a row of vases filled with bright plastic flowers, small 131 00:10:17,080 --> 00:10:21,360 Speaker 1: angel figurines made from porcelain, and just above it, in 132 00:10:21,400 --> 00:10:24,120 Speaker 1: the middle of the wall, hung a large painting of 133 00:10:24,160 --> 00:10:28,600 Speaker 1: a girl, and underneath it was the original photo of 134 00:10:28,679 --> 00:10:35,160 Speaker 1: the same, all watched over by the beatific face of Jesus. 135 00:10:36,080 --> 00:10:40,400 Speaker 1: Come and sit, said Maximo, inviting the police to join 136 00:10:40,520 --> 00:10:44,360 Speaker 1: him around the dining table. The officers looked to each 137 00:10:44,360 --> 00:10:47,959 Speaker 1: other with concern, having expected to be chasing out an 138 00:10:47,960 --> 00:10:52,840 Speaker 1: intruder by now. It will only happen when we are calm, 139 00:10:53,240 --> 00:10:58,200 Speaker 1: he continued. The officers sat down at the table while 140 00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:00,760 Speaker 1: the rest of the family gathered round, a look of 141 00:11:00,800 --> 00:11:07,840 Speaker 1: apprehension on their faces. Negree watched intrigued as Conception collected herself, 142 00:11:08,440 --> 00:11:11,400 Speaker 1: before nodding to one of her children to switch off 143 00:11:11,720 --> 00:11:18,000 Speaker 1: the light. Though it was dark, Negree was still able 144 00:11:18,040 --> 00:11:20,640 Speaker 1: to see all the family gathered close to the table 145 00:11:21,320 --> 00:11:24,800 Speaker 1: when the sound of a cupboard door creaking open broke 146 00:11:24,880 --> 00:11:30,520 Speaker 1: the silence. Moments later, another door was opened suddenly, before 147 00:11:30,640 --> 00:11:36,040 Speaker 1: violently slamming back shut with an almighty bank. An officer 148 00:11:36,160 --> 00:11:38,800 Speaker 1: jumped from the table and swiftly turned on the light, 149 00:11:39,880 --> 00:11:42,680 Speaker 1: revealing at the far side of the room a cupboard 150 00:11:42,760 --> 00:11:46,600 Speaker 1: door which had been closed when they sat down was 151 00:11:46,679 --> 00:11:51,800 Speaker 1: now wide open. Inspector Negrey walked over to the door 152 00:11:52,080 --> 00:11:56,240 Speaker 1: and pushed it shut, expecting it to loosely swing back open, 153 00:11:57,080 --> 00:12:01,120 Speaker 1: but it remained firmly shut. He turned back to the 154 00:12:01,160 --> 00:12:05,160 Speaker 1: family and looked again to the shrine along the back wall. 155 00:12:07,840 --> 00:12:13,200 Speaker 1: Her name was Estefania, the couple's third child. She had 156 00:12:13,240 --> 00:12:18,600 Speaker 1: died just over a year ago, explained Conception, before proceeding 157 00:12:18,640 --> 00:12:22,839 Speaker 1: to tell the offices about everything that had happened ever since. 158 00:12:30,240 --> 00:12:33,360 Speaker 1: It had all started after the death of Conception's father 159 00:12:33,720 --> 00:12:38,040 Speaker 1: in nineteen ninety, when he had fallen gravely ill that year. 160 00:12:38,880 --> 00:12:42,680 Speaker 1: Although they had rarely got on, Conception requested that the 161 00:12:42,720 --> 00:12:46,400 Speaker 1: family gather round his hospital bedside to comfort him in 162 00:12:46,480 --> 00:12:52,840 Speaker 1: his final moments. However, it was reported that the elderly man, 163 00:12:53,600 --> 00:12:57,600 Speaker 1: still bitter and cantankerous from many years of family feuds, 164 00:12:58,120 --> 00:13:02,280 Speaker 1: was unmoved by the gesture, vowing that not even death 165 00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:05,679 Speaker 1: would prevent him from continuing to be a nuisance to 166 00:13:05,720 --> 00:13:12,120 Speaker 1: the family. A short time after the old man died, Estefania, 167 00:13:12,559 --> 00:13:16,320 Speaker 1: who was sixteen at the time, arrived at school one morning, 168 00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:20,800 Speaker 1: shocked to discover that her friend's boyfriend had been tragically 169 00:13:20,880 --> 00:13:26,560 Speaker 1: killed in a motorcycle accident. At some point, perhaps in 170 00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:30,720 Speaker 1: an effort to alleviate her friend's suffering, Estefania made a 171 00:13:30,720 --> 00:13:36,320 Speaker 1: peculiar suggestion, what if she thought they tried to contact him. 172 00:13:38,880 --> 00:13:42,199 Speaker 1: Her friend, who had been understandably devastated by the death, 173 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:47,640 Speaker 1: leapt at the opportunity, desperate for any comfort she might find. 174 00:13:49,120 --> 00:13:52,319 Speaker 1: A few days later, Estefania set off on the short 175 00:13:52,440 --> 00:13:56,960 Speaker 1: journey to the Colegio Aragon, located barely five minutes walk 176 00:13:57,080 --> 00:14:00,800 Speaker 1: from her family's apartment, with something extra peeking out of 177 00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:07,600 Speaker 1: her rucksack, her Wigi board. That afternoon, she and her friend, 178 00:14:08,200 --> 00:14:11,200 Speaker 1: along with another classmate, made their way to the back 179 00:14:11,240 --> 00:14:15,320 Speaker 1: of the playing field, finding a quiet, secluded spot in 180 00:14:15,360 --> 00:14:20,520 Speaker 1: the shadow of the nearby Callia Louis Marin apartment blocks. 181 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:24,120 Speaker 1: With the three of them sat cross legged in a semicircle. 182 00:14:24,760 --> 00:14:27,840 Speaker 1: Estefania laid the board out in front of them as 183 00:14:27,880 --> 00:14:31,160 Speaker 1: another of the girls removed a glass tumbler from her bag, 184 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:35,040 Speaker 1: turned it upside down, and placed it in the middle 185 00:14:35,080 --> 00:14:39,960 Speaker 1: of the board. It wasn't clear how long they had 186 00:14:39,960 --> 00:14:43,840 Speaker 1: been sat there when the teacher found them, asking questions 187 00:14:43,840 --> 00:14:47,800 Speaker 1: into the air with their fingers lightly touching the glass. 188 00:14:47,960 --> 00:14:52,600 Speaker 1: As it moved around the board. When the teacher demanded 189 00:14:52,640 --> 00:14:55,360 Speaker 1: to know what was going on, it was said that 190 00:14:55,400 --> 00:14:58,960 Speaker 1: the glass shot off the board and smashed into pieces 191 00:15:00,080 --> 00:15:03,160 Speaker 1: soon after. One of the girls would later claim that 192 00:15:03,200 --> 00:15:07,160 Speaker 1: in that moment, a strange, dark vapor was released from 193 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:10,840 Speaker 1: the glass, rising like the smoke of a recently blown 194 00:15:10,840 --> 00:15:18,200 Speaker 1: out candle, straight up and into Estefania's knows. The teacher, 195 00:15:18,480 --> 00:15:23,320 Speaker 1: scolding the children, demanded their return to class immediately, before 196 00:15:23,360 --> 00:15:27,520 Speaker 1: picking up the board and breaking it in two. It 197 00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:31,200 Speaker 1: was only a few weeks later when the voices started. 198 00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:41,760 Speaker 1: The first time Estefania heard them, they were little more 199 00:15:41,800 --> 00:15:46,320 Speaker 1: than whispers in the night, hurriedly spoken words she couldn't 200 00:15:46,360 --> 00:15:50,840 Speaker 1: quite discern, But soon she found she could understand them. 201 00:15:52,280 --> 00:15:57,640 Speaker 1: They were calling out her name, and it wasn't long 202 00:15:58,000 --> 00:16:03,400 Speaker 1: before she could see them too, wispy, shadowy shapes that 203 00:16:03,520 --> 00:16:07,200 Speaker 1: seemed to flicker in the edges of rooms. It was 204 00:16:07,240 --> 00:16:12,760 Speaker 1: clear to her that they were stalking her. Conception had 205 00:16:12,800 --> 00:16:16,600 Speaker 1: noticed the quiet change in Estefania, how she had become 206 00:16:16,640 --> 00:16:21,440 Speaker 1: irritable and withdrawn. At first, she merely put it down 207 00:16:21,480 --> 00:16:25,280 Speaker 1: to the shock of her friend's boyfriend's death, but after 208 00:16:25,400 --> 00:16:28,800 Speaker 1: hearing about the incident at the school, she began to 209 00:16:28,840 --> 00:16:34,200 Speaker 1: wonder if it might not in some way be related. 210 00:16:34,320 --> 00:16:37,880 Speaker 1: One morning, after hearing a commotion coming from her daughter's bedroom, 211 00:16:38,680 --> 00:16:42,600 Speaker 1: Conception found her lying rigid on her bed and foaming 212 00:16:42,640 --> 00:16:46,240 Speaker 1: at the mouth, with her eyes rolled in to the 213 00:16:46,240 --> 00:16:51,920 Speaker 1: back of her head. Moments later, Estefania came to with 214 00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:57,440 Speaker 1: no recollection of the event. For the next six months, 215 00:16:57,960 --> 00:17:02,440 Speaker 1: she would be plagued by similar incidences. Conception, who had 216 00:17:02,480 --> 00:17:05,639 Speaker 1: suffered for years from epilepsy, began to wonder if her 217 00:17:05,720 --> 00:17:10,360 Speaker 1: daughter was suffering from a similar infliction. However, after countless 218 00:17:10,359 --> 00:17:14,600 Speaker 1: trips to various doctors and hospitals, nobody was able to 219 00:17:14,600 --> 00:17:21,680 Speaker 1: give a satisfactory diagnosis. One evening, Conception found Estefania sat 220 00:17:21,760 --> 00:17:26,800 Speaker 1: upright in her bed, her eyes wide with terror. They 221 00:17:26,800 --> 00:17:30,440 Speaker 1: were beckoning me to go with them, she said. Her 222 00:17:30,440 --> 00:17:33,560 Speaker 1: mother could only look on aghast, trying her best to 223 00:17:33,600 --> 00:17:36,639 Speaker 1: comfort her daughter, who would later request that, if the 224 00:17:36,720 --> 00:17:40,000 Speaker 1: time came, that she be buried with a photo of 225 00:17:40,040 --> 00:17:48,280 Speaker 1: her mother and father. On Tuesday, August thirteenth, Mariannella, Estefania's sister, 226 00:17:49,280 --> 00:17:53,159 Speaker 1: entered the bedroom they shared together, only to find Estefania 227 00:17:53,440 --> 00:17:57,879 Speaker 1: in a peculiar state. Having at first not registered the 228 00:17:57,880 --> 00:18:03,000 Speaker 1: sister's presence, Estefania turned toward her suddenly, before leaping from 229 00:18:03,040 --> 00:18:06,760 Speaker 1: the bed and trying to grab her, managing to jump 230 00:18:06,800 --> 00:18:10,520 Speaker 1: away just in time. Marionella could only watch on in 231 00:18:10,560 --> 00:18:15,560 Speaker 1: horror as her sister then collapsed to the floor, convulsing violently. 232 00:18:17,960 --> 00:18:22,000 Speaker 1: The fit lasted only a few minutes before Estefania regained 233 00:18:22,040 --> 00:18:27,439 Speaker 1: full consciousness, but again having no recollection of the event. 234 00:18:30,080 --> 00:18:33,440 Speaker 1: That evening, Estefania went for a walk with her boyfriend 235 00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:38,120 Speaker 1: in the warm summer air, returning home later that night. 236 00:18:40,800 --> 00:18:43,000 Speaker 1: It was some time in the early hours of August 237 00:18:43,160 --> 00:18:46,679 Speaker 1: fourteenth when the family were woken by the strange and 238 00:18:46,760 --> 00:18:51,360 Speaker 1: hideous sound of gurgling and grunting coming from Estefania's room. 239 00:18:53,359 --> 00:18:56,040 Speaker 1: Maximo switched on the light to find her in the 240 00:18:56,040 --> 00:19:00,480 Speaker 1: grip of yet another terrible seizure, writhing about in her bed. 241 00:19:02,320 --> 00:19:06,120 Speaker 1: Terrified and screaming at each other to do something. They 242 00:19:06,160 --> 00:19:09,600 Speaker 1: did their best to restrain her, while Conception rushed to 243 00:19:09,640 --> 00:19:15,359 Speaker 1: call an ambulance. Estefania, having slipped into a coma, was 244 00:19:15,400 --> 00:19:19,240 Speaker 1: already unresponsive when the ambulance arrived and rushed the now 245 00:19:19,320 --> 00:19:25,280 Speaker 1: seventeen year old to nearby Gregorio Morannan Hospital. Despite attempts 246 00:19:25,320 --> 00:19:29,280 Speaker 1: to resuscitate her, she was declared dead at two a m. 247 00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:35,240 Speaker 1: Though there was no obvious explanation for the cause of death, 248 00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:39,480 Speaker 1: a subsequent autopsy would conclude that she had died as 249 00:19:39,520 --> 00:19:44,760 Speaker 1: the result of asphyxiation. Tissue samples sent off for further 250 00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:56,359 Speaker 1: tests yielded nothing. In the months following Estefania's death, her 251 00:19:56,359 --> 00:19:59,240 Speaker 1: grieving family did what they could to support each other, 252 00:20:00,320 --> 00:20:04,040 Speaker 1: praying each day for her salvation at the makeshift shrine 253 00:20:04,040 --> 00:20:10,160 Speaker 1: that conception had constructed for Estefaniel's siblings. Especially, the strange 254 00:20:10,240 --> 00:20:13,800 Speaker 1: nature of her death and her disturbing behavior prior to it, 255 00:20:14,320 --> 00:20:20,959 Speaker 1: had left an indelible mark. Though her sister's decision to 256 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:24,040 Speaker 1: move out of the bedroom they shared together had primarily 257 00:20:24,080 --> 00:20:26,880 Speaker 1: been made on account of how unbearably sad it was 258 00:20:27,040 --> 00:20:30,160 Speaker 1: to sleep there. She couldn't help but feel a little 259 00:20:30,200 --> 00:20:34,480 Speaker 1: scared when in there too, But if she had hoped 260 00:20:34,520 --> 00:20:37,879 Speaker 1: a change of rooms would bring her peace, she was 261 00:20:37,960 --> 00:20:43,359 Speaker 1: going to be very much mistaken. It began in the 262 00:20:43,400 --> 00:20:49,000 Speaker 1: early hours one morning, as winter settled into the city. 263 00:20:50,440 --> 00:20:54,440 Speaker 1: The sisters heard it first, a quiet voice coming from 264 00:20:54,440 --> 00:21:01,639 Speaker 1: somewhere in the apartment always after the lights had gone out, Mamma, Mamma, 265 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:06,040 Speaker 1: it seemed to be saying, with no sign of it abating. 266 00:21:06,760 --> 00:21:10,040 Speaker 1: One of the girls decided to investigate and made her 267 00:21:10,080 --> 00:21:15,000 Speaker 1: way to the bedroom door. Opening it, she found only 268 00:21:15,080 --> 00:21:22,080 Speaker 1: the emptiness of the apartment. Beyond Mamma came the voice again, 269 00:21:23,359 --> 00:21:26,320 Speaker 1: but this time from the direction of the bath room. 270 00:21:28,119 --> 00:21:30,919 Speaker 1: Quietly making her way over to it so as not 271 00:21:31,040 --> 00:21:35,480 Speaker 1: to disturb her parents, Slowly she pulled open the door, 272 00:21:36,440 --> 00:21:44,080 Speaker 1: but there was nobody there. A few days later, when 273 00:21:44,080 --> 00:21:48,000 Speaker 1: the flat was empty, Conception was cleaning the apartment when 274 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:51,920 Speaker 1: she heard a tremendous racket coming from Estefania's old room. 275 00:21:53,840 --> 00:21:58,400 Speaker 1: The room was kept clean and virtually untouched, but when 276 00:21:58,400 --> 00:22:01,880 Speaker 1: she opened it that morning, he found it completely rearranged, 277 00:22:02,400 --> 00:22:06,119 Speaker 1: with bed sheets, books, and toys strewn across the floor. 278 00:22:07,960 --> 00:22:11,520 Speaker 1: Soon after, the children began to complain of a bizarre 279 00:22:11,560 --> 00:22:16,520 Speaker 1: scraping sound coming from inside the walls. Appliances would turn 280 00:22:16,560 --> 00:22:20,359 Speaker 1: off and on randomly, whilst doors slammed open and shut 281 00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:25,960 Speaker 1: without anyone standing near them. Thinking it nothing more than 282 00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:28,800 Speaker 1: the effects of a draft coming from the communal hallway, 283 00:22:29,800 --> 00:22:33,240 Speaker 1: Maximo took to placing the sofa across one of the doors, 284 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:37,000 Speaker 1: as well as a heavy marble table in an effort 285 00:22:37,160 --> 00:22:41,159 Speaker 1: to stop it from opening. One night, whither all the 286 00:22:41,200 --> 00:22:44,959 Speaker 1: family gathered in their living room, a heavy pounding noise 287 00:22:45,520 --> 00:22:49,160 Speaker 1: was followed by what seemed like an inordinately strong gust 288 00:22:49,200 --> 00:22:53,119 Speaker 1: of wind, unlatching the door and sending the table and 289 00:22:53,240 --> 00:22:57,399 Speaker 1: sofa sliding back across the room, knocking a photo of 290 00:22:57,560 --> 00:23:02,720 Speaker 1: Estefania to the floor in the process. Conception picked up 291 00:23:02,760 --> 00:23:06,159 Speaker 1: the frame, only to drop it again when it burnt 292 00:23:06,240 --> 00:23:11,600 Speaker 1: her fingers. When Maximo picked it up moments later, he 293 00:23:11,680 --> 00:23:15,159 Speaker 1: turned it over, only to find, to his horror that 294 00:23:15,240 --> 00:23:20,399 Speaker 1: the photograph was now burning from inside the frame. He watched, 295 00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:24,720 Speaker 1: completely stunned as the smiling face of his daughter melted 296 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:34,760 Speaker 1: and turned to ash right in front of him. Late 297 00:23:34,800 --> 00:23:38,119 Speaker 1: one night, with the family fast asleep, two of the 298 00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:41,720 Speaker 1: sisters who shared a room together, were awoken by the 299 00:23:41,800 --> 00:23:47,240 Speaker 1: sound of whistling outside the apartment. The noise soon dissipated, 300 00:23:47,800 --> 00:23:52,040 Speaker 1: only to be replaced by a strange groaning. But this 301 00:23:52,160 --> 00:23:56,119 Speaker 1: didn't come from outside the apartment. It came from outside 302 00:23:56,560 --> 00:24:03,080 Speaker 1: the bedroom door. One of the girls screamed, look she said, 303 00:24:03,680 --> 00:24:09,080 Speaker 1: on the floor. Now Huddled together on one bed, the 304 00:24:09,160 --> 00:24:14,560 Speaker 1: sisters stared in disbelief at the ground. There. Caught in 305 00:24:14,600 --> 00:24:18,679 Speaker 1: the soft orange glow of the street light outside, was 306 00:24:18,720 --> 00:24:24,560 Speaker 1: the silhouetted shape of a man crawling towards them. The 307 00:24:24,640 --> 00:24:28,080 Speaker 1: pair screamed together as the shape brought one arm over 308 00:24:28,119 --> 00:24:34,399 Speaker 1: the other and dragged itself closer and closer. They cried 309 00:24:34,400 --> 00:24:37,760 Speaker 1: out again as the toys on their shelf were sent 310 00:24:37,880 --> 00:24:42,119 Speaker 1: flying across the room, followed by loud, banging noises that 311 00:24:42,280 --> 00:24:47,520 Speaker 1: echoed throughout the house. By the time their parents arrived, 312 00:24:48,040 --> 00:24:51,960 Speaker 1: the activity had stopped and the shadow man was nowhere 313 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:58,040 Speaker 1: to be seen. From that moment on, however, the family 314 00:24:58,119 --> 00:25:01,840 Speaker 1: continued to witness what they took to strange humanoid shapes 315 00:25:02,400 --> 00:25:07,760 Speaker 1: drifting about inside their apartment. Neighbors and friends also reported 316 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:11,919 Speaker 1: seeing them, and it wasn't long before local paranoral investigators 317 00:25:12,440 --> 00:25:17,679 Speaker 1: were queuing up to see them too. By autumn nineteen 318 00:25:17,760 --> 00:25:20,960 Speaker 1: ninety two, the family had been suffering for the best 319 00:25:20,960 --> 00:25:24,560 Speaker 1: part of a year before finally deciding to seek help. 320 00:25:25,960 --> 00:25:30,159 Speaker 1: In October, they were visited by two self described psychics 321 00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:33,280 Speaker 1: who promised to help them get to the bottom of 322 00:25:33,320 --> 00:25:38,000 Speaker 1: their troubles. Their subsequent efforts were filmed by a local 323 00:25:38,040 --> 00:25:44,520 Speaker 1: news channel and broadcast later that month. The report documented 324 00:25:44,640 --> 00:25:48,560 Speaker 1: a number of bizarre occurrences, including what seemed like the 325 00:25:48,640 --> 00:25:51,920 Speaker 1: voice of a young girl speaking through a radio device 326 00:25:52,320 --> 00:25:56,879 Speaker 1: that had been placed in the bathroom. The voice said simply, 327 00:25:57,680 --> 00:26:03,359 Speaker 1: beware of Grandpa. It was only a few weeks later 328 00:26:03,560 --> 00:26:07,159 Speaker 1: when Conception awoke with the sensation of some one pressing 329 00:26:07,160 --> 00:26:12,239 Speaker 1: down on her chest and grabbing at her hands and feet. 330 00:26:14,320 --> 00:26:21,080 Speaker 1: Investigator Negri, having listened patiently to the family's story, was speechless. 331 00:26:22,720 --> 00:26:24,960 Speaker 1: As they stood up from the table to examine the 332 00:26:24,960 --> 00:26:28,720 Speaker 1: rest of the flat. One of the officers noticed a rusty, 333 00:26:28,760 --> 00:26:32,560 Speaker 1: brown colored stain that seemed to be materializing on the 334 00:26:32,600 --> 00:26:36,680 Speaker 1: tablecloth right in front of them. Pulling a pen from 335 00:26:36,680 --> 00:26:39,639 Speaker 1: his pocket, he prodded at it, finding it to be 336 00:26:39,760 --> 00:26:43,440 Speaker 1: damp and made from something like the drool of a dog. 337 00:26:45,359 --> 00:26:49,320 Speaker 1: Three of the officers, deciding they had seen enough, requested 338 00:26:49,320 --> 00:26:52,920 Speaker 1: permission to leave the flat, before hurriedly making their way 339 00:26:53,119 --> 00:26:58,600 Speaker 1: downstairs and out at the building, Negrie asked to see 340 00:26:58,600 --> 00:27:02,199 Speaker 1: the bathroom first, where the family believed many of the 341 00:27:02,240 --> 00:27:08,720 Speaker 1: bizarre noises had first originated. By this point, so terrified 342 00:27:08,760 --> 00:27:11,199 Speaker 1: were they of it. They used it only as a 343 00:27:11,200 --> 00:27:16,360 Speaker 1: store room and kept it locked at all times. As 344 00:27:16,400 --> 00:27:20,000 Speaker 1: soon as Negre stepped inside, he felt the temperature plummet, 345 00:27:20,880 --> 00:27:25,520 Speaker 1: but otherwise there was little of note, and then they 346 00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:36,600 Speaker 1: showed him into Estefania's old bedroom. The room had not 347 00:27:36,720 --> 00:27:40,480 Speaker 1: been much changed since the day Maximo and Concepcion's daughter 348 00:27:40,880 --> 00:27:46,360 Speaker 1: had died. Posters and pictures of Estefania and her friends 349 00:27:46,760 --> 00:27:49,960 Speaker 1: lined the walls, as well as a large crucifix with 350 00:27:50,080 --> 00:27:54,680 Speaker 1: a smaller pearly crucifix hanging off it. The two twin 351 00:27:54,760 --> 00:27:57,720 Speaker 1: beds that she and her sister had slept in remained 352 00:27:57,760 --> 00:28:03,480 Speaker 1: side by side, unused for The inspector took a seat 353 00:28:03,560 --> 00:28:08,720 Speaker 1: on Estefania's old bed and looked about, noticing another large 354 00:28:08,760 --> 00:28:13,080 Speaker 1: poster stuck to the back of the door. He had 355 00:28:13,080 --> 00:28:15,560 Speaker 1: been sitting for less than a minute when an odd 356 00:28:15,640 --> 00:28:20,680 Speaker 1: sound was heard coming from the balcony right outside the room. 357 00:28:21,040 --> 00:28:23,480 Speaker 1: It was as if a heavy stone was being rolled 358 00:28:23,480 --> 00:28:27,320 Speaker 1: about on the concrete. It was drowned out moments later 359 00:28:27,880 --> 00:28:31,040 Speaker 1: by a terrible scream that came from the same direction. 360 00:28:32,720 --> 00:28:36,320 Speaker 1: Negrie and his partner rushed to the balcony, flinging open 361 00:28:36,359 --> 00:28:42,080 Speaker 1: the door unleashing a cold wind into the room. Outside, However, 362 00:28:42,640 --> 00:28:48,800 Speaker 1: they found the balcony completely deserted. Turning back into the room, 363 00:28:49,560 --> 00:28:55,240 Speaker 1: Negree could see that something was wrong. The family stood frozen, 364 00:28:55,840 --> 00:29:02,000 Speaker 1: staring at the wall, their faces completely pale. Negree followed 365 00:29:02,040 --> 00:29:06,000 Speaker 1: their gaze to the crucifix that was now turned completely 366 00:29:06,320 --> 00:29:11,760 Speaker 1: upside down. The smaller crucifix seemingly thrown into the middle 367 00:29:11,920 --> 00:29:18,320 Speaker 1: of the room. Look, said one of the children, pointing 368 00:29:18,320 --> 00:29:22,400 Speaker 1: to the back of the door. Negre moved in for 369 00:29:22,440 --> 00:29:27,400 Speaker 1: a closer inspection, completely stunned to find three slash marks 370 00:29:27,440 --> 00:29:31,040 Speaker 1: in the poster, as if something had clawed at it, 371 00:29:33,400 --> 00:29:36,360 Speaker 1: pulling it away from the door. He could see also 372 00:29:36,600 --> 00:29:39,480 Speaker 1: that the scratches had gone right through into the wood. 373 00:29:42,920 --> 00:29:47,840 Speaker 1: Utterly dumbfounded and cautious of the family's obvious distress, Negri 374 00:29:48,040 --> 00:29:50,960 Speaker 1: agreed to stay with them for a while longer until 375 00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:54,280 Speaker 1: he was satisfied that whatever had been occurring had come 376 00:29:54,320 --> 00:30:00,440 Speaker 1: to an end. Later that morning, the inspectors kept back 377 00:30:00,480 --> 00:30:03,440 Speaker 1: into the cold and joined his colleagues in the car 378 00:30:03,720 --> 00:30:07,520 Speaker 1: before driving back to the station. Not one of those 379 00:30:07,560 --> 00:30:14,200 Speaker 1: officers being entirely sure what on earth they had just experienced. 380 00:30:14,400 --> 00:30:18,360 Speaker 1: Inspector Negri's official report of the event, attesting to what 381 00:30:18,480 --> 00:30:21,960 Speaker 1: he heard and saw, remains the only report in the 382 00:30:22,040 --> 00:30:25,680 Speaker 1: history of Spain's police force to allude to the possibility 383 00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:30,120 Speaker 1: that what had been witnessed had been of a paranormal nature. 384 00:30:39,800 --> 00:30:43,640 Speaker 1: This episode was written by Richard McClain smith Unexplained as 385 00:30:43,640 --> 00:30:48,000 Speaker 1: an Avy Club Productions podcast created by Richard McClain Smith. 386 00:30:48,680 --> 00:30:51,960 Speaker 1: All other elements of the podcast, including the music, were 387 00:30:51,960 --> 00:30:56,600 Speaker 1: also produced by me Richard McClain smith. Unexplained. The book 388 00:30:56,600 --> 00:30:59,960 Speaker 1: and audiobook, with stories never before featured on the show, 389 00:31:00,480 --> 00:31:04,560 Speaker 1: is now available to buy worldwide. You can purchase from Amazon, 390 00:31:04,840 --> 00:31:09,640 Speaker 1: Barnes and Noble, Waterstones, and other bookstores. Please subscribe to 391 00:31:09,800 --> 00:31:12,920 Speaker 1: and rate the show wherever you get your podcasts, and 392 00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:15,280 Speaker 1: feel free to get in touch with any thoughts or 393 00:31:15,320 --> 00:31:19,080 Speaker 1: ideas regarding the stories you've heard on the show. Perhaps 394 00:31:19,160 --> 00:31:21,640 Speaker 1: you have an explanation of your own you'd like to share. 395 00:31:22,280 --> 00:31:25,760 Speaker 1: You can find out more at Unexplained podcast dot com 396 00:31:25,800 --> 00:31:29,480 Speaker 1: and reach us online through Twitter at Unexplained Pod and 397 00:31:29,680 --> 00:31:34,400 Speaker 1: Facebook at Facebook dot com. Forward Slash Unexplained Podcast