Paramedic’s 1981 suicide call and a later claim that the house was haunted
[name withheld], from Ohio, tells Art Bell that in 1981, as a paramedic in a Cincinnati suburb, they responded to their first suicide, a gunshot death in a house. In 2002, they say, they met a woman in Gettysburg who claimed the same house was haunted, that the dead man had been murdered, and that the man had appeared to her son. [name withheld] maintains that the 1981 death was a suicide. Art Bell then comments that suicides and murders leave spirits behind.
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The story as told
[name withheld], calling from Ohio, tells Art Bell that in 1981 they were a paramedic in a suburb of Cincinnati and that the call they describe was their first suicide. They say they received a call at the station and had a strong sense that the person had hanged himself. But when they arrived, the residence smelled of gunpowder. A woman in the living room pointed upstairs and said the man was up there. [name withheld] reports finding a man alongside a bed with a gunshot wound to the head and a note. They say they and their partner treated the man, but he did not survive. They insist the death was a suicide, that police were present, and that an investigation would have followed. In 2002, they say, they and their wife [name withheld] were vacationing in Gettysburg and, after a ghost-story presentation, met another couple. A woman told them her house was haunted and that she was suing the realtor or previous owner. [name withheld] mentioned a 1981 suicide run on her street, Timely Terrace. She said that was when it happened. She claimed the man had been murdered, not a suicide, and that he had appeared to her son and said “she murdered me.” [name withheld] says they can only vouch for the 1981 suicide call. Art Bell then comments that suicides and murders may leave spirits wanting to be known.
Reported events, in order
- 0:11
[name withheld] says that in 1981 they were a paramedic in a Cincinnati suburb and were called to their first suicide.
- 0:33
They say that on the way they had a strong sense the person had hanged himself.
- 1:00
At the residence they report the smell of gunpowder and a woman in the living room pointing upstairs.
- 1:13
They report finding a man alongside a bed with a gunshot wound to the head and a note. They say the man did not survive.
- 1:49
In 2002, [name withheld] says they and their wife [name withheld] were vacationing in Gettysburg and met another couple after a ghost-story presentation.
- 2:21
The woman says the house she lives in is haunted.
- 2:38
[name withheld] says they mentioned a 1981 suicide run on her street, Timely Terrace.
- 2:50
The woman says she is suing the realtor or previous owner because the house is haunted. She claims the man was murdered.
- 3:15
The woman claims the man appeared to her son and said “she murdered me.”
- 3:08
[name withheld] insists the 1981 death was a suicide and that police were present. They say they can only guarantee their part of the story.
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· 0:11
[name withheld] says they were a paramedic in a Cincinnati suburb in 1981 and attended their first suicide.
- observation· 0:33
[name withheld] says something told them the person had hanged himself before they arrived.
- observation· 1:00
[name withheld] reports the residence smelled of gunpowder.
- observation· 1:03
[name withheld] reports a woman in the living room pointed upstairs.
- observation· 1:13
[name withheld] reports finding a man alongside a bed with a gunshot wound to the head and a note.
- hearsay· 2:21
A woman in Gettysburg is reported to have said the house she lives in is haunted.
- hearsay· 3:06
The woman is reported to have said the man was murdered, not a suicide.
- hearsay· 3:15
The woman is reported to have said the man appeared to her son and said “she murdered me.”
- observation· 3:08
[name withheld] maintains the 1981 death was a suicide and that police were present.
- host statement· 3:56
Art Bell states that suicides frequently seem to cause spirits to remain.
- host statement· 4:47
Art Bell states that murdered people want what happened to them known.
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 ordinary parts are specific and consistent. But the strange claim is entirely secondhand, from a woman the caller met by chance, and no details of the haunting itself are independently described.
Evidence for and against
- A specific year, occupation, area of the city, and street are given.
- The caller separates what they can personally guarantee from what the woman told them.
- The story runs consistently from the 1981 call to the 2002 meeting.
- The claims of a ghost and a haunting are reported speech from an unnamed woman.
- No dates, names, or documentation are given for the haunting or the alleged murder.
- The caller’s sense before arriving that the man had hanged himself does not match the gunshot scene.
- The automatic transcript has many broken lines.
- The street name may be mistranscribed.
- The woman’s identity and the son’s account are unavailable.
- 0:11
- 2:38
- 3:08
What the model inferred (not said on air): Scored toward the middle because the caller’s firsthand account of the emergency call is detailed, but the part about the haunting is hearsay and unverified.
There are details that could be checked, such as a year, area of the city, and street. But no police record, photograph, document, or second witness on air is presented.
Evidence for and against
- The caller gives a year, occupation, area of the city, and street name.
- The caller says police were present at the 1981 scene.
- No police report or death record is cited.
- No witness speaks on air to confirm the haunting or the son’s experience.
- No physical evidence of the alleged ghost is described.
- The street name and some phrasing are uncertain in the transcript.
- The woman and son are not identified or available.
- 2:38
- 2:50
- 3:15
What the model inferred (not said on air): Only details that could be checked are present. None are examined or backed up on air.
The story includes a graphic suicide scene and a child’s reported encounter with a figure accusing someone of murder. That gives it a moderately unsettling tone without lasting menace.
Evidence for and against
- The scene includes gunpowder, a gunshot wound, and a note.
- The caller describes suicides as gurgling on blood.
- A child is said to have seen the dead man and heard “she murdered me.”
- The caller tells most of it in a matter-of-fact way.
- The haunting is reported secondhand and briefly described.
- The host’s comments are thoughtful rather than alarming.
- The child’s age and the circumstances of the ghost’s appearance are not stated.
- 1:00
- 1:13
- 3:15
What the model inferred (not said on air): Creepiness is raised by a violent death and a child witness, but limited by the brief, secondhand account of the haunting.
The haunted-house and suicide themes are familiar. But the chance meeting at Gettysburg and the paramedic recognizing the same street give the story an unusual frame.
Evidence for and against
- A paramedic’s first suicide call is later linked to a house described as haunted.
- The caller meets the occupant by chance in Gettysburg years later.
- The ghost reportedly accuses someone of murder rather than simply appearing.
- A haunted house, a suicide, and a murder revelation are common ghost-story ingredients.
- The haunting itself is described only in summary.
- The transcript is broken up and the street name is uncertain.
- 2:38
- 3:15
What the model inferred (not said on air): A familiar core is combined with an unusual frame of personal recognition, so the provisional originality score is mid-range.
Scoring confidence 0.68 · analysis confidence 0.78 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller’s firsthand story about the 1981 suicide call; The caller’s secondhand report of a woman’s haunting claim; No documentation, photograph, or second witness on air. 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.
- The woman’s haunting claim may come from a dispute over the house sale or from talk circulating around the property. · [name withheld] reports she was [quote withheld] because the house was haunted.
- The son’s reported encounter could reflect a child’s imagination or overheard household talk about the dead man. · The claim that the man appeared to her son is secondhand, with no direct description of the circumstances.
- [name withheld]’s sense before arriving that the person had hanged himself may have been an expectation during a stressful first suicide call rather than knowledge from an unknown source. · The caller says they were [quote withheld]
What stands out
The claim of a haunting comes from a chance meeting years later at a Gettysburg ghost presentation. The caller does not endorse the haunting. They insist only on the 1981 suicide call.
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