Police captain confirms children 'possessed by demons'

  • Published
House with figure at the windowImage source, Hammond Police Department
Image caption,
Police said the house was unoccupied and can't explain the figure at the window

A US police captain says he believed a story about a woman who claimed her children were possessed by demons.

Latoya Ammons, from Indiana, said her three children walked up walls, levitated and spoke in voices.

Official reports filed in 2012 backed up her claims, with psychologists stating that they saw the nine-year-old child speak in "different deep voices" and walk "up the wall backwards".

"He flipped over and landed on his feet," they added.

Gary Police Captain Charles Austin, who has more than 35 years of experience, said he had been convinced by the story.

According to a local newspaper, the Indianapolis Star, he described himself as a "believer" after visiting the house and interviewing Ms Ammons and her family.

'Growling noises'

Official Indiana state documents detail more events, apparently witnessed by medical experts and those outside the family.

The children's names were removed from the papers to protect their identities.

"Medical staff reported they observed the children and heard the seven-year-old making growling noises and his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

"They observed [name blank] lifted and thrown into the wall with nobody touching him."

The report also detailed the time when the seven-year-old "walked up the wall" in front of a number of medical professionals.

"[Name blank] began to have a weird smile on his face and he charged at the grandmother's stomach and head butted her several times until she grabbed his hands and started praying.

"[He] was speaking in a different deep voice saying 'It's time to die,' 'l will kill you,' and staring around the room.

"[He] had the weird grin on his face and began to walk backwards while the grandmother was holding his hand and he walked up the wall backwards while holding the grandmother's hand and he never let go.

"He flipped over and landed on his feet in front of the grandmother and sat down in the chair."

'Dark shadows'

At other times Ms Ammons said she saw her daughter "levitate" out of her bed, while the 12-year-old also reported being "thrown across the room and grabbed by dark shadows".

Elsewhere in the reports, it shows that an unnamed witness had suggested the "mother may have mental health concerns".

They also said it may be that the "children are performing for the mother and that she's encouraging the behaviour".

The three children were removed from the family home by authorities after the reports were filed.

According to the Indianapolis Star, the day after the children were taken from Ammons, the hospital chaplain called on Rev Mike Maginot to carry out an exorcism on the children and their mother.

"Whenever you would praise God in Latin, no reaction," he said.

"But you start condemning the demon, condemning the evil spirit, all of a sudden she [the child] is reacting to that."

The children were returned six months later when the problems subsided.

There are now new tenants in the property and the landlord has not received any further reports of demonic possession.

Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter

Related Internet Links

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.