Anonymous Border Patrol agent’s fax: shadowy figures in fog at San Diego cliffs
Art Bell reads a fax he says he received from a person who identifies themselves as a Border Patrol agent in the San Diego area and wishes to remain nameless. The writer says they were working alone at night in an area where one of two agents had died falling from a cliff. The writer says they saw shadowy figures running through fog, followed footprints to a cliff edge, and found no one at the bottom of the canyon. The writer concludes that what they saw were the “spiritual remnants” of people who had died there. Bell later calls it a “tape loop” of spirit activity.
This clip comes from the source recording. AI chose where it starts and ends, so it may start or end a little early or late. The word-for-word transcript is not published. You can hear the source recording on the Internet Archive (file “Ghost to Ghost 1997.mp3”, starting at 4:20:34). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
The host says he has received many communications from police officers who ask not to be identified. He reads one fax whose author [quote withheld] as a Border Patrol agent. According to the letter, two Border Patrol agents in the writer’s San Diego area died falling off cliffs in the line of duty during the past few years. Several illegal aliens also died at the same locations trying to enter the US. The writer says they were working one night in the area where one of the agents died, in the middle of the night, as thick fog moved from the valley floor toward their position. When the fog surrounded their area, the writer reports a feeling of dread and uneasiness. As the writer prepared to leave, they say they saw [quote withheld] trailed by another about 25 yards behind. The writer called other officers to ask whether anyone was pursuing the people they took to be aliens and got no answer. The writer then moved toward the area, noting cliffs on three sides and that they covered the only way out. The writer says they searched the ground, found tracks, and followed them to the cliff edge, where the footprints stopped. Seeing no tracks in any other direction, the writer went to the bottom of the canyon expecting the worst, but found [quote withheld] The letter concludes that the writer believes they saw [quote withheld] It adds that others have told the writer they have seen similar things, and it asks that the writer’s name not be used. Bell says he will not use the name, notes that the writer gave it to him, and describes the story as the [quote withheld]
Reported events, in order
- 0:00
The host says he has received many communications from police officers who beg him not to read them on air because they would be identified. One has allowed him to read the fax.
- 0:22
In the letter, the author identifies themselves as a Border Patrol agent who wishes to remain nameless because their career might be affected.
- 0:35
The letter says two Border Patrol agents in the writer’s San Diego area died falling off cliffs in the line of duty in the past few years.
- 0:51
The letter says several illegal aliens also died at the same locations trying to enter the US.
- 0:58
The writer says they were working one night in the area where one of the agents died, in the middle of the night, as thick fog moved toward and around their location.
- 1:13
The writer reports a feeling of dread and uneasiness as the fog surrounded their area.
- 1:18
The writer says they saw several shadowy figures running through the fog, trailed by another about 25 yards behind.
- 1:33
The writer called other officers to ask whether anyone was pursuing the people they took to be aliens. The writer got no answer.
- 1:38
The writer moved toward the area, noting cliffs on three sides and that they covered the only direction out.
- 1:57
The writer searched the ground, found tracks, and followed them to the edge of the cliff, where the footprints stopped.
- 2:03
Seeing no other tracks in any direction, the writer went to the bottom of the canyon expecting the worst but found no sign or presence of anyone.
- 2:22
The letter says the writer believes what they saw were [quote withheld] and that others have told the writer they have seen similar things.
- 2:46
The letter asks that the writer’s name not be used on the radio. The host says he will not, and notes the writer did give him the name.
- 2:51
The host calls the story the [quote withheld] suggesting that a violent death would be repeated endlessly.
Claims
Each claim is labeled as something the person telling the story noticed (observation), what they made of it (interpretation), something others told them (hearsay), or something the host said (host statement).
- observation· 1:18
The writer saw shadowy figures running through fog and one figure trailing about 25 yards behind.
- observation· 1:13
The writer felt dread and uneasiness as the fog surrounded their position.
- observation· 1:57
The writer found tracks and followed them to a cliff edge, where the footprints stopped, and found no one at the bottom of the canyon.
- interpretation· 2:22
The writer believes what they saw were spiritual remnants of people who died at the site.
- hearsay· 2:32
Other people have reportedly told the writer they have seen similar things.
- host statement· 2:51
The host describes the story in terms of spirits repeating a death in an “endless tape loop.”
- hearsay· 0:35
Two Border Patrol agents and several illegal aliens are said to have died falling off cliffs in the same area.
Scores, with reasons
An AI model gave these scores using a fixed set of scoring rules (scoring-v1). They are editorial judgments and rough guides, not the odds that anything paranormal happened. How scoring works.
The story is consistent and gives concrete detail about the surroundings (San Diego, cliffs on three sides, tracks ending at an edge). But it reaches us as an anonymous letter read on air, and an ordinary reading fits the reported observations closely: real people moving at night in fog, whose footprints the writer followed.
Evidence for and against
- Concrete setting and geography: [quote withheld]
- Physical trace reported: [quote withheld]
- The writer hedges what they saw: [quote withheld]
- Anonymous source that cannot be checked: [quote withheld]
- An ordinary explanation fits: the writer was looking for and expected [quote withheld]
- No date is given, only [quote withheld]
- The labels showing who is speaking switch between the host and the caller mid-sentence, so the read text may be wrongly attributed.
- 0:58
- 1:48
- 2:16
What the model inferred (not said on air): The components are scored as follows: closeness to the source 16 (a claimed firsthand witness whose text arrives as an anonymous letter read by the host, so it cannot be verified), specificity 11, internal consistency 15, alternative explanations 5, and calibration 7. The total is 54, under the cap of 60 for secondhand stories. The explanation that these were real people is my guess about the events, not a statement about the writer.
The only support is the writer’s word plus broad specifics that could be checked (a federal agency and a city), which are not checked here. Claimed other witnesses are unnamed. No document, photograph, or recording is examined on air.
Evidence for and against
- Specifics that could in principle be checked exist: [quote withheld] and the agency named.
- The writer claims others back them up: [quote withheld]
- No document is examined on air; the host only reads text.
- The witnesses who back the writer up are unnamed and do not speak.
- The claimed tracks were not photographed or preserved.
- Whether the host actually held the fax is stated but not shown.
- 0:28
- 2:46
What the model inferred (not said on air): This falls in the 11 to 25 range because specifics that could be checked and claimed witnesses are present, but nothing was checked. There is no witness on air and no object examined, so it is nowhere near the 26 to 40 range.
The setting (night, thick fog, cliffs where several people died) and the image of shadowy figures running through fog with one trailing behind are genuinely unsettling. But there is no reported threat, contact, or harm to the writer, and the story ends quietly.
Evidence for and against
- Deaths tied to the exact spot: [quote withheld]
- Dread when the fog arrives: [quote withheld]
- The trail ending with nothing found: [quote withheld]
- No physical contact, attack, or pursuit of the writer is reported.
- The tone of the text read on air is procedural and like a report.
- Whether [quote withheld] was meant as a pursuer or a separate figure.
- 1:18
- 2:03
What the model inferred (not said on air): Rated around the “genuinely unsettling” level rather than higher because the story reports no menace aimed at the witness and no escalation.
Shadowy figures in fog are a familiar motif. But the specific setting is a distinctive combination: a border patrol, deaths at cliff sites, and a track that ends at a cliff edge with an empty canyon below.
Evidence for and against
- Site tied to known local deaths: [quote withheld]
- Distinctive physical detail: tracks ending at an edge.
- The core event (indistinct shadow figures at night) is a stock ghost-story element.
- The [quote withheld] framing is a common interpretation.
- How rare this is compared with the rest of the archive cannot be judged from a single story.
- 1:57
- 2:22
What the model inferred (not said on air): The model score is provisional at 58 (a familiar setup plus a distinctive detail). No comparison with the rest of the archive is available.
Scoring confidence 0.65 · analysis confidence 0.72 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: Text of an anonymous fax read aloud by the host; No document, photograph, or recording examined on air; No second witness speaking on air; Claimed backing from unnamed others, not heard directly. The originality score blends the model's score (58) with how rare the story's details are across the archive. This method is still provisional.
Ordinary explanations to consider
These are possibilities only. None is a finding about what happened.
- Real people moving at night were misread in thick fog. The writer took them for aliens and found physical footprints on the ground. · [quote withheld] and “found the tracks”
- Fog and darkness weaken the sense of distance, outline, and depth, which would affect how well indistinct figures could be made out and the reported gap to a trailing figure. · [quote withheld] and [quote withheld]
- The tracks may not belong to the figures seen. They could belong to the writer, other officers, or earlier traffic in a patrolled area, and track detail may be lost at a rocky cliff edge. · [quote withheld] and [quote withheld]
What stands out
The story is an anonymous fax from a law-enforcement officer rather than a live caller. The reported events are tied directly to identifiable local deaths at cliff sites the writer patrols. The most concrete detail is a line of tracks ending at a cliff edge with no one found below.
Related stories
Matched by shared recurring details, categories, and wording.