White-haired woman with a white dog beside a desert road
A caller named [name withheld], from Salt Lake, tells Art Bell a story dated to 1981. [name withheld] says they and four friends were driving home from a California graduation trip. On a desolate desert road outside Palm Springs, they saw a white-haired woman in white holding a white dog on a chain. The woman’s dress and hair blew without wind, and her head turned unnaturally far to follow their car. The friends reportedly felt a horrible feeling and still discuss the encounter years later.
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 4:01:21). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
Caller [name withheld], from Salt Lake, tells Art Bell a story they date to 1981. [name withheld] says they and four friends were returning to Salt Lake from California after a high-school graduation trip. They left Palm Springs at night because it had been about 120 degrees during the day. They were on a two-way road outside Palm Springs when they saw a sign saying no services for a certain number of miles. They knew they were entering a desolate part of the desert. About an hour into the desert, they were tired and some were asleep. The driver, one of their friends, asked what was up ahead and said someone was off to the side of the road. As the passengers woke one by one and looked, [name withheld] says they all got a horrible feeling. The driver slowed. [name withheld] describes a woman about ten feet off the road with long white hair, white skin, and a long flowing white robe or dress, holding a white dog on a chain. [name withheld] says they had not seen cars, homes, or towns for a long time. Although there was no wind, the woman’s dress and hair were blowing, and she looked at them with [quote withheld] [name withheld] says they would never say the woman did not look human, but her skin was pale and white. As they passed slowly, the woman’s head turned far to follow them. [name withheld] says no human head could turn that far. [name withheld] says they were upset for a long time, and when the friends get together years later they still talk about the white lady and her dog in the middle of nowhere. The host responds, [quote withheld]
Reported events, in order
- 1:03
[name withheld] says that in 1981 they and four friends were driving home to Salt Lake from California after a high-school graduation trip. They left Palm Springs at night because the daytime heat was about 120 degrees.
- 1:26
They were on a two-way road outside Palm Springs when they saw a sign saying no services for a certain number of miles, which meant a desolate stretch of desert.
- 1:49
About an hour into the desert, they were tired and some passengers were asleep. The driver asked what was up ahead and said someone was off to the side of the road.
- 2:02
As the passengers woke one by one and looked, [name withheld] says they all got a horrible feeling.
- 2:14
The driver slowed. [name withheld] describes a woman about ten feet off the road with long white hair, white skin, and a long flowing white robe or dress, holding a white dog on a chain. They had seen no cars, homes, or towns for a long time.
- 2:46
Although there was no wind, the woman’s dress and hair were blowing. She looked at them with what [name withheld] calls the most evil eyes. [name withheld] says the woman looked human but her skin was pale and white.
- 3:04
As the car passed slowly, the woman’s head turned far to follow them. [name withheld] says no human head could turn that far.
- 3:22
[name withheld] says they were upset for a long time afterward, and whenever the friends get together years later they still talk about the white lady in a light dress with her dog in the middle of nowhere.
- 3:19
The host responds with a reference to the film The Exorcist.
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· 2:22
The figure was a woman with long white hair and white skin.
- observation· 2:32
The woman was holding a white dog on a chain.
- observation· 2:35
The location was desolate, with no cars seen for a long time.
- observation· 2:46
The woman’s dress and hair were blowing despite no wind.
- interpretation· 2:46
The woman’s eyes looked evil to the caller.
- interpretation· 3:13
The woman’s head turned farther than a human head could.
- host statement· 3:19
The host compared the story to The Exorcist.
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.
This is a clear firsthand story with a specific date, route, and sensory details, and it is consistent. It is held back from the top range because the central strange thing is a personal impression from a moving car, and ordinary explanations are not discussed.
Evidence for and against
- The caller was there and is one of five claimed witnesses.
- The story gives a specific year, route, weather, road sign, and physical description.
- The sequence is consistent and answers the host’s prompts without contradiction.
- A living person walking a dog at night could fit some details.
- The “horrible feeling” could be group suggestion or tiredness.
- The extreme head turn could be a misperception from a moving vehicle.
- The exact road and location are not remembered.
- The labels showing who is speaking are inconsistent.
- No ordinary explanations are discussed by the caller or the host.
- 1:07
- 2:14
- 3:13
What the model inferred (not said on air): I add points for firsthand testimony, concrete details, and a consistent sequence. I deduct for the easy ordinary possibilities (a person walking a dog, a misperception from a moving car, group suggestion) that the caller does not address.
Only the caller’s word is present. The caller gives specifics that could be checked (1981, Palm Springs, Salt Lake, a graduation trip) and claims four other witnesses. But none is checked or speaks on air, and there is no physical evidence.
Evidence for and against
- The date, route, and destination are stated.
- The caller says four friends shared the experience.
- Sensory details are provided.
- No second witness speaks on air.
- No photograph, recording, document, or physical trace is claimed.
- No outside check was done.
- No outside check was done.
- The four friends are claimed, but none speaks on air.
- The exact road location is not remembered.
- 1:03
- 1:07
- 1:15
What the model inferred (not said on air): The score sits in the 11 to 25 range because specifics that could be checked are given but not checked, and the claimed witnesses are not on air. No physical evidence is claimed.
The isolated desert road at night, the all-white figure with a white dog, the shared feeling of dread, the “evil eyes,” the unnatural head turn, and the unresolved ending make this an unsettling story.
Evidence for and against
- The setting is a desolate road at night with no services.
- The witnesses reportedly felt horrible before they made out the figure.
- The figure’s gaze and head movement are described as hostile and impossible.
- No one is touched, chased, or harmed.
- The encounter ends when the car drives past.
- The story is brief and does not escalate.
- The encounter is brief, and there is no direct threat or physical contact.
- The caller’s emotional reaction is reported but cannot be independently observed.
- 2:02
- 2:46
- 3:04
What the model inferred (not said on air): The isolated night road, shared dread, hostile gaze, and impossible head turn make the story frightening to a listener even though nothing physically harms the witnesses.
The setup is familiar (a woman in white beside a road at night), with a few distinctive details: the white dog on a chain, the desolate desert setting, and the head turning unnaturally far to follow the car.
Evidence for and against
- A woman in white on a road at night is a recurring ghost-story motif.
- The white dog on a chain and the extreme head turn are specific, less common details.
- The desert setting and the group of five young women add context.
- No single element is unique; the story is built from familiar motifs.
- The caller does not develop the figure’s history or identity.
- Comparison with the rest of the archive was not done in this run.
- The story uses several familiar motifs, so its distinctiveness depends heavily on the unusual combination of the white dog, desert setting, and head turn.
- 2:32
- 3:04
- 3:13
What the model inferred (not said on air): I treat the familiar “woman in white” and road-at-night elements as stock. The white dog on a chain, the desert isolation, and the head-turning detail are distinctive enough to place the provisional model score near the middle of the scale.
Scoring confidence 0.85 · analysis confidence 0.90 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller’s firsthand story; Claimed four other witnesses, none of whom speak on air; No physical evidence, recording, photograph, or document is claimed. The originality score blends the model's score (55) 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.
- A living person walking a dog beside a desert road at night, with white clothing and pale hair, could account for the basic sighting. · [name withheld] says there was a woman about ten feet off the road holding a white dog on a chain. [name withheld] does not report the figure vanishing or leaving no tracks.
- Tiredness and group suggestion in a car of five young women after a long drive could have produced the shared “horrible feeling” before the figure was clearly seen. · [name withheld] says they were tired, some were asleep, and they all got the horrible feeling as they woke one by one and looked.
- As the car passed slowly, the head of a person standing still could appear to turn unusually far because of the car’s motion and the low light. · [name withheld] says the car went by them slowly and that the head turned to follow them. [name withheld] saw this from a moving vehicle at night.
What stands out
The story combines a desolate desert road with an all-white figure, a white dog on a chain, and a head that turns unnaturally far to follow the car. The caller does not call the figure a ghost but says it could not have been human.
Related stories
Matched by shared recurring details, categories, and wording.