Paranormal investigators help Doris Bither with escalating supernatural activity in her home, including physical and sexual assaults. The investigators explore orbs of light, skepticism around the case, and the haunting continuing after moving.
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Quick takeaways
The investigation into Doris Bither's paranormal activity revealed the presence of flying objects, foul odors, and orbs of light that reacted to the investigators' questions and emotions.
Criticism arose due to the investigators' failure to collect personal biographical information about Doris Bither and their use of flawed photography techniques, raising doubts about the validity of their findings.
Despite controversy, significant phenomena were observed during the investigation, including intense orb activity that resulted in traumatic reactions and the inability to capture clear evidence due to the challenges posed by the moving orbs.
Deep dives
The Haunting of Doris Bither
Doris Bither, a single mother of four, sought help from paranormal investigators Barry Taft and Kerry Gaynor after experiencing paranormal activity in her California home. The activity included objects moving on their own, foul odors, and physical and sexual assaults. Initially skeptical, the investigators witnessed strange occurrences, such as a flying frying pan. They also observed orbs of light that reacted to their questions and emotions. Attempts to capture the orbs on camera were challenging, but when successful, the photos lacked context for perspective. Despite controversy, the orbs became the focus of the investigation and increased intensity over time, even illuminating the entire room at one point. The investigators documented the orbs by duct-taping black poster boards on the walls, but capturing clear evidence remained difficult.
Scrutiny and Criticism
The investigators faced criticism for their failure to collect personal biographical information about Doris Bither or press her for more details about her life. Some argued that they prioritized researching a genuine haunting rather than helping a troubled woman. The lack of background information and the use of flawed photography techniques raised doubts about the validity of their findings. Their controversial photos of the orbs of light featured inconsistent conditions, making comparisons inconclusive. The investigators' overexposed and improperly managed photographs limited their ability to provide definitive evidence.
Significant Findings and Unsolved Mysteries
Although the investigators' findings were subject to scrutiny, significant phenomena were observed during the investigation. The presence of flying objects, foul odors, and orbs of light remained unexplained. Witnesses reported traumatic reactions to the intense orb activity, with some individuals passing out. While the investigators attempted to capture clear evidence of the orbs, the lack of context and the challenges posed by capturing the moving orbs on film presented significant obstacles. The true nature and origin of the orbs of light remain a mystery.
Doris Bither's Difficult Life and Haunting Experiences
Doris Bither experienced a difficult life from a young age, experimenting with drugs and alcohol as a teenager to cope with her abusive home life. She was eventually kicked out of her home and had multiple failed marriages before moving to the house on Braddock Street in Culver City. The paranormal activity started with the feeling of being watched and escalated to objects moving on their own and even a lamp flying across the room. Doris experienced a horrific sexual assault by an unseen entity, and the activity eventually involved her children. The presence in the house was described as male, and the haunting continued even after Doris moved to a new house. The authenticity of the case and the evidence remains a subject of debate.
Investigation and Controversy Surrounding Doris's Haunting
Paranormal investigators Barry Taff and Carrie Gaynor conducted a 10-week investigation into Doris's claims and captured a photograph of Doris with an arc of light over her head. The investigation included setting up a grid network and sealing off the room to document the phenomenon. However, skeptics pointed out discrepancies in the photo and questioned the validity of the evidence. Thelma Moss, who allowed the investigation, did not witness any unusual activity during her visit, leading to the conclusion of the project. The investigation and attention received by Doris raised debates over the true nature of her experiences and the motivations of the investigators.
In the summer of 1974, paranormal investigators and UCLA students Barry Taff and Kerry Gaynor were approached in a bookstore by a woman who’d overheard their conversation about the supernatural and said she had a friend who needed help from someone with their expertise. The friend in question was Doris Bither, a middle-aged single mother of four who claimed she and her family were under attack from unseen entities in their Culver City, California home.
According to Doris, the attacks began several months earlier and included, among other things, objects moving on their own, the presence of inexplicable foul odors in the house, unusual noises with no point of origin, and most distressingly, multiple physical and sexual assaults that were increasing in frequency and intensity.
Thank you to the lovely David White for research assistance :)
References
Biddle, Kenny. 2021. "A Closer Look at the Entity Photographs." Skeptical Inquirer 45 (6).
O'Keeffe, Ciaran, James Houran, Damian Houran, Neil Dagnall, Kenneth Drinkwater, Lorraine Sheridan, and Brian Laythe. 2019. "The Dr. John Hall story: a case study in putative “Haunted People Syndrome"." Mental Health, Religion & Culture 22 (9): 910-929.
