STEVE KILBURN: The Most Detailed Alien Abduction Ever Recorded – And The Alien Medical Exam Was Real
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On a desolate stretch of Maryland highway, Steve Kilburn experienced what would become an inexplicable moment in time. An uncomfortableness to feeling downright creeped out every time he crossed that forbidden territory turned into a nightmare of being abducted by aliens.

During hypnotic regression sessions with UFO researcher Bud Hopkins, Kilburn's repressed memories began to emerge about a night in the very early 1970s that would alter his life forever and change how he viewed reality. Kilburn began to struggle with remembering, and as sporadic memories came, an eerie story developed: alien creatures, a UFO sighting, and bizarre medical tests.

The more he regressed, the more details of his experience were revealed, and they sounded eerily similar to other documented cases of alien abductions. What stands out in Steve Kilburn's case, though, is the depth of his memories and how closely they track with actual medical tests whose results dumbfounded even skeptics. I'm Darren Marlar and this is Weird Darkness.

Welcome, Weirdos! I'm Darren Marlar and this is Weird Darkness. Here you'll find stories of the paranormal, supernatural, legends, lore, the strange and bizarre, crime, conspiracy, mysterious, macabre, unsolved and unexplained. Coming up in this episode... Velma Barfield was a sweet, god-fearing grandmother

Unfortunately, everyone in her life seemed to die mysteriously. Carolina Olsen climbed into bed in 1918 on a Swedish island and when she woke up, 30 years had passed. It's the story of a real-life Sleeping Beauty.

In the wilds of Australia, the persistence of yaoi folklore has endured for centuries, continuing into modern times with dozens of reported sightings and tales coming out of the area every year. Imagine driving through a graffiti-stained, decaying tunnel late at night when your car suddenly breaks down and you notice a shadowy figure in your backseat.

This eerie experience is just one of the chilling legends surrounding the Sensabaugh Tunnel in Kingsport, Tennessee. But first... When Steve Kilburn underwent hypnotic regression to try and understand where this dark, foreboding feeling he kept experiencing on a certain stretch of road came from, he discovered that something very strange indeed did take place years earlier. He had been abducted by aliens. We begin with that story...

Now, bolt your doors, lock your windows, turn off your lights, and come with me into the Weird Darkness. It was only by a strange sense of foreboding that would grip Steve Killeburn whenever he passed or even just thought about one particular stretch of Maryland road that memories of his alien abduction began to surface.

This alien emotion eventually led him to speak with UFO researcher Bud Hopkins. When Kilburn underwent hypnotic regression in an attempt to get further clarification on where this shadow of dread was coming from, it revealed that something utterly bizarre had happened there years back. Stephen not only saw a weird object that night during the early 70s while driving back home, but he was also visited by strange beings who eventually got him on board.

Even worse, he would be subjected to medical procedures for the better part of a year. The specifics that would later come to light through aggressive hypnosis wouldn't just offer insight into an encounter Stephen Kilburn experienced. A number of these precise details are present in universal human stories about alien abduction, adding credibility to his account.

This is yet another case from the files of Bud Hopkins, described in great detail by authors with a contemporary perspective who run through details not included elsewhere. It can be read about at length in the book "Missing Time: A Documented Study of UFO Abductions," which I will link to in the episode description. This, as we will see, is one of the most complex and nuanced cases in history.

When Stephen Kilburn first mentioned to Bud Hopkins this peculiar sensation troubling him, they were no strangers. Through his friendship with Bloucher, another Fortean Society member, Kilburn attended more than one meeting of UFO buffs at Hopkins' New York studio apartment, gatherings arranged and hosted by the two researchers.

In the book "Missing Time," Hopkins said that after a meeting where everybody was getting their things together and preparing to leave, Kilburn went up and said, "Something might have happened to me in college." He countered with, "There was probably nothing to it," but mentioned one particular stretch of road that he had to drive on whenever he visited his girlfriend. Hopkins asked if Kilburn could remember any UFO sightings connected with the road in question, to which Kilburn replied that he didn't recall anything particular.

However, he always had a sense that "something happened to me one time when I was driving home." That was when Kilburn mentioned that he would be interested in trying hypnotic regression to see if there was something more to discover. The two let the matter lie for a while. But one day, Hopkins called Bloucher and told him about his chat with Kilburn, confiding that he suspected there was more to those foreboding premonitions.

They eventually talked with psychologist Dr. Gerard Franklin, who agreed to do the session. What they discovered would be astonishing for all involved. The session took place in May 1978 at Dr. Franklin's office in downtown Manhattan, several weeks after Kilburn revealed his doubts to Hopkins about the strange events that occurred that night in 1973.

Stephen explained that when he lived in Baltimore before moving to New York, his girlfriend lived six miles away in Frederick. He remembered making the drive to see her, occasionally driving west along Route 40. "Ten or fifteen miles of that road is completely empty," he said. He added that he often left his girlfriend's house very late, and this part of the road was dark and seemingly endless. One night, about a year into doing this drive, he was driving from Frederick to Maryland.

"Somewhere between 2:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. I couldn't remember if I had actually seen something high up, but I felt it the first time." He added that all of a sudden he felt weird and didn't know why, noting, "that feeling someone is watching you when you wake from sleep." Ultimately, he said that for some reason the experience seemed too weird to him, or even weirder, going to be happening. After that, every time Steven drove down that road, he felt the same way.

As years passed, Stephen tried hard to forget the event. But every once in a while, he would wonder if the impossible had actually happened that night between Frederick and Baltimore. Dr. Franklin posed more questions about the night in question, attempting to access any memories Stephen could recall and what those recollections did for him before hypnotizing him. These memories were often nebulous at best.

He remembered, for instance, staring at the dashboard during that particular drive but had no idea why. Then more memories were shared. He remembered walking in front of his car after it had been pulled over on the side of the road. He saw light emanating which he figured was from his car but couldn't be sure. He said he could not remember how he got outside the car but distinctly felt like he was out of the car while it was stopped behind him.

When Dr. Franklin asked what he was thinking when this occurred, Stephen replied that he remembered feeling scared, so much so that he felt shivers down his spine. He added that he felt "trapped" in his car and unable to go faster. As he continued to talk, flashing memories seemed to take over his thoughts. He remembered glancing at the rearview mirror as if searching for someone or something tracking him.

Even more troubling was the sensation that someone or something else had power over him. At this point, Dr. Franklin called for Stephen to be hypnotized, and the true revelations began. Dr. Franklin regressed Stephen to that evening when these strange feelings had crept in. He remembered that it was getting dark, which added to his sense of sleepiness. He opened the window to bring fresh air into the cabin as he tried unsuccessfully to regain his alertness.

Suddenly, the car stopped as he leaned in to examine what was on the dashboard. He was completely lost and did not know what to do. He then exited the car and glanced at a metal fence some yards away. He stopped there, continued silence as he was on the couch in his office. To all who were watching, he looked scared to death. He screamed, "On my shoulder! A clamp! Pain! And I cannot move!" The whole event veered into the surreal during that session.

Dr. Franklin tried to hush Stephen as a recorded incoming message clicked on his answering machine. The click prompted Stephen to literally almost jump off the couch. It was obvious that he had plunged into a massive state of fear and panic. At last, Dr. Franklin was able to calm him down enough for Bloucher to start asking Stephen questions. Bloucher then asked him what was on his shoulder.

Stephen said it looked like a big wrench and seemed to be coming from behind him, although he wasn't sure of that. He went on to say that this wrench-like item lifted him and landed about a foot on either side of his chest and back. Then he remembered seeing a light. Bloucher asked if that light was from his car, and Stephen immediately said, "No, there's something else you're not seeing behind the fence." He then mumbled, dressed in black, "Can't see their faces." More than two

three or more. He asked if the figures he saw were behind the fence. Stephen replied affirmatively, saying that they were. He began to panic again, saying over and over, "I don't know what's going to happen!" He paused, and then said, "There's something coming towards me!" While this was going on, Stephen said he heard some type of noise. He had no idea whether it was the sound of them inhaling or some kind of sliding noise.

Bloucher requested that he focus on the sound more. But instead of focusing, Stephen began talking about what was occurring. He insisted that his sides and back were hurting and it felt as though something had been twisting him towards the road. It was then that Stephen's memories started to blend together. He remembered being maybe six feet away from the car. And now it was light out.

Bloucher could hardly tell if it was day or not due to all the bright lights. Stephen exclaimed in confusion, "Day! But now it's night!" Stephen then described when one of the two figures that came out from behind or over the fence was now on his right. When ordered to describe the figure, Stephen managed to say that it was "very white" and later told investigators he did not want to look.

Bloucher asked Stephen whether the figure was as big as he was, and his answer was, "It's almost our size, only a little smaller." He added that its neck and face were very white, with no hair above the neck. Stephen said the figure kept flickering in and out of sight, then declared, "He ain't one of us," adding, "Every time I see him, it gives me a fright." This was followed by an account of something he said or did next. He put it this way, "They want something from me. I don't know what they want."

At this stage, it was agreed to conclude the session and bring Stephen out of the hypnotic state. He was shaken by the revelations, but it seemed Stephen had finally found some peace, knowing that they were starting to uncover the layers from years earlier. A few months later, he'd repeat the process for another session that showed more results than anyone would have expected. Seven months after the first session, Stephen was willing to undergo a second hypnosis session in 1978.

This time, the session was conducted by Dr. Aphrodite Clamart, who had worked with Hopkins before on an alien abduction case. Once more, Dr. Clamart brought Stephen back to that trip in 1973. He remembered that he was driving and feeling tired and sleepy. He said it was late, but when Dr. Clamart asked him to look at the time on the dashboard, he told her it wasn't working. He said he briefly turned on the light in his car to check his watch, then looked back at the road and suddenly woke up.

He remarked he had momentarily driven onto the shoulder, which woke him up. He was now driving down a hill and began to accelerate. At that point, he leaned forward toward the dashboard, maybe to adjust his seat. As he did so, a luminous light shined from somewhere. He wondered why there were no other cars around. The car then abruptly turned violently and snapped to the right. "Like a giant magnet just pulled it right to the right," Steven said.

The next thing he knew, the car came to a halt, and out of nowhere he felt an intense sensation that someone was watching him from behind. He looked in the mirror, but there was no reflection. The car stopped, and Stephen was asking himself why he had even pulled over in the first place. The situation, which he found beyond confusing, opened up before him.

As he started to scan the area, his eyes landed on a big tree and a fence not too far away. He was out of the car and staring at the fence. Surprised, he wondered whether or not another vehicle was driving by on the road surrounding him. It was only then, when he looked down, that he noticed that though his car had pulled off the road, it still was on something solid, as if it was the future location of a new street. He heard an alien noise by the fence, or just something wind-borne.

He sat in front of the car and looked into the fence. All at once, the feeling hit him that he was not supposed to look that way toward the fence. Only then did his memory of what had brought him there come rushing back. He said when he was going downhill, he saw two lights in the sky and leaned forward to get a better look at them. He first thought it could be just a reflection in the car window, so he turned on the light inside to check if they were gone.

but they weren't. He then deactivated the interior lights and still stared at the lights. He said, "Look at it go right there! It's going way off to the right, up in the lights, over the highway and up at those trees!" At this point he was completely befuddled as to what the object could be, saying it looked like two light beams kinda worked diagonally, one off to his right and another in the lower left,

He said there were lights and a shadow of something behind the lights, indicating they may have been some sort of opaque object. The lights kept moving and flew toward the vegetation on his right. He went back the way he came down the road, and as soon as he got to where it looked like the object had landed, his car started turning right. We can suspect that something else was pulling him. He said, "I wasn't really that interested in going over there," but the car made a right turn, as if it had been yanked by some malevolent force.

He remembered looking at the fence from outside of the car. He watched the fence a few more seconds, and then just found himself back in his car, driving home. He said that when he thought of this, "I just don't want to remember. I shouldn't remember." Dr. Clamart asked him what he meant by this. His reply: "I know I'm not. It's really serious. I might die. I mean, I know I won't if I remember, but I feel really, really afraid to see."

Finally, Dr. Clamart brought him back to the point where he was outside his car staring at the chain link fence and feeling nauseous all over again. He said he felt the sense of things standing around him and that something was going on near the fence. He remembered seeing a light on the regular that lit up his surroundings. Then suddenly he was faced with three grotesque figures before him.

He could not say what made him so sure of it, but he knew one among them was overseeing the others. He said one of them was doing something behind him, and he believed they were suspicious about him. At that moment, he remembered the sight and sound of leather. Now, he could see that beyond their clothing, or whatever they were wearing, had a texture reminiscent of leather, and the material covered their arms and hands.

Looking back towards the figures, he continued, "I can see the faces and they're white, chalky, like they're made out of rubber or not rubber, something, only really a dull finish." One of them reached out and touched him. What struck him was that the moment one of those figures touched him, he felt pain. In addition to the hurt, he felt a sense of puzzlement from them. He said the figure in front of him was motioning to the others with his arm.

He believed it had some sort of suit. Is it part of him or is it a suit? It does not appear to be skin. He also described the figure's rubbery fingers as white plastic tubes, which seemed shiny. He added that one of the figures appeared to be digging behind him while the one in front, the leader, was encouraging it to speed up. Although he couldn't make out the figure behind him very well, it appeared more like it was poking around in the dirt than actually digging.

He felt that this figure was not particularly strong. Stephen realized there were a few other figures that he had not seen previously, digging near the first one. They were identical to the others and also watched as the figure behind Stephen continued to fill in the grayish soil. As Stephen recounted the events, he seemed to lose any sense of fear. At one point, the troubled tone vanished entirely, and his speech was even punctuated by small ironic chuckles.

Hopkins realized he was in some manner artificially calmed, apparently by the figure on his left. We remember that Stephen felt a bump in his hand as soon as he noticed it. What kind of narcotic was the figure injecting into him? One to turn the hysterical Stephen calm, even serene. Due to this newfound calmness, Stephen let more information about his surreal environment emerge.

He remembered, for instance, when his fear of the fast-moving vehicle just stopped, and he looked around to see if any more cars were coming from a distance. None.

He then turned his gaze towards the figures in front of him, a figure he called "The Boss" and more specifically at the eyes. They were really shiny, he remembered, quite large and devoid of pupils. He said the figure's head was not roundish but more like an upside-down teardrop and had what looked like a big, huge, rounded bar across it. He followed this up by stating he looked like he wasn't alive and that he was very wooden and awkward to be there.

Steven said that while no communication from the figure had been made, it was clear to him that it hoped simply to leave. Steven remembered getting the sense the figure "wants me to say something" or "help him out" or whatever, but he did not understand what. He later said he felt compelled by the figures, that they could make me do whatever. They wanted to control him. He explained that he saw them kind of communicate with each other, but they're not talking, or at least nothing audible.

Dr. Clamart replied, "Do you think they were speaking in their minds?" To which Stephen responded that it appeared so, because there was no doubt about what they were talking about. He further said that there was a common thread among them as they engaged in some kind of argument or dispute, saying the leader wanted something while another didn't. Stephen got the impression they were arguing over where to dig, but he wasn't sure.

Stephen refocused his view toward the light penetrating the walls from behind, revealing silhouettes with a strong tang of musty, fiery old smell, finally putting a face to everything he saw. He looked back down at the eyes and said they were so black and bottomless, like a liquid but fitting perfectly.

Not content with being perceived as uncomfortable, the figure shifted slightly, allowing Stephen to realize it moved, like "my knees hurt really bad," hobbling clearly in discomfort. The figure dragged its feet a little. Stephen described the boots, but there was no mention of feet. He further detailed that the feet were shaped like cats' eyes, had no toes, and pointed frontwards or backwards.

He observed that the figure's ankles, legs and arms were very long and slender. He stared into the mouthless face and realized for the first time there were no ears, only a slit where a mouth would be. He pointed out that the figure never expressed any emotion. The figure's eyes trailed behind Stephen, where the blinding light originated. Stephen heard what sounded like something coming down, causing shadows to shift.

At this time, unable to guide his attention away from the falling object, Stephen again saw what had seemed like digging behind, experiencing something like two forms of attack, one in front and another from behind. Hopkins described it as so obvious that Stephen was holding back from getting further into his story, the kind of reflex we all possess. This might suggest something had been implanted in his mind to keep him from continuing, even under hypnosis.

It would take almost two years before Stephen agreed to be hypnotized once more. By then, he remembered that some physical examination had been made after an object came out of the sky. Due to the nature of what this involved, he resisted more regression sessions.

Nonetheless, when the session resumed in February 1979 and drew a blank, another session two years later presided over by Dr. Clamart would reveal much more about this bizarre encounter with apparent alien entities. Stephen was directed in the sessions by Dr. Clamart to walk back to his BMW, where the figure, the leader, was waiting outside.

He remembered what happened after the object fell from above behind him. He said, "This long clamp kind of thing, seemingly from nowhere, grabbed him around the shoulder." He described, "It has a joint in the center like an elbow, one almost shaped like part of an arm around my shoulder, and I catch it standing behind me to my right side. It's related to it. I have no clue what this can be. It seems like a frisbee."

He went on to say that this particular saucer was "whitish" and looked like it was standing upright from some sort of platform. He felt the vice around his lower back. The figure then started waving its arms, and the clamp moved him in a direction that turned his back to them. He wasn't quite sure what he saw, but it was completely dark. Next, he saw a ramp, and it was clear the figure was trying to lure him inside. He then said that he could hear a weird noise that sounded like it was coming from the object.

"It sounds like vibrating," he said, but stationary in one place. It then clamped down on his shoulder and shoved him toward the object. The next thing he knew, he was moving along a tunnel-like walkway and realized he was actually walking. The clamp had vanished, and the figure was walking next to him. Moving into the familiar mass abduction sequence, he found himself being guided through a door into another white room, well illuminated with the same, almost all-white light.

Despite the light, it didn't seem to come from any real source of illumination. It was as if the very walls were themselves luminescent. He remembered something going into his back and then suddenly being on the table in the middle of the room. At this moment, he saw that the walls were curved with no straight lines. He could make out more of the peculiar figures in the room. Two were near him and several others were against one wall.

While looking around and wondering how everything had this metallic glow to it, including himself, he noticed he was no longer wearing his clothes but some sort of crisscross-type adult diaper, a gadget he described as like a fancy ray gun with a needle attachment descended from overhead. It started to spin on its own. It appeared that no one was controlling it. It stopped when its needle was right on top of him.

He could not see it any longer, but he immediately felt something touch his back and imagined the needle had struck him. At the same time, Stephen noticed that the person who showed him in was standing in a corner of the room, watching everything unfold. During the exam, he was instructed to lay on his back, each side, and then his front. By the time he had done so, they had likely run a full body sweep, with various devices placed on or around him.

Despite the surreal circumstances, he managed to stay calm, almost as if a sedative was already in his bloodstream. There was something about the feeling of being unable to move yet at peace that made him fall asleep. At this juncture, the regression session ended, and Stephen emerged from hypnosis. In the days that followed, Stephen remembered additional minor details that were common in other alleged alien abduction scenarios.

He recalled how the table didn't just sit in the middle of the room but seemed to grow out of the floor with no seams or bolts visible, as if carved from the same material. Many of the other devices used during these procedures were no different. They either emerged from the floor or hung down from the ceiling, and even side walls as integral parts rather than separate apparatus.

There were probably more memories still buried deep in Stephen's unconscious, but he had found the key to the mystery that had cornered him for so long. Something very strange and unusual had happened. According to Hopkins, certain elements of Stephen's story could only be validated by other documented cases of alien abduction.

such specifics as the texture of their skin and the description from Travis Walton of his purported captors, which took place a little over two years after Stephen's experience. Walton not only said the creatures were about Stephen's size , but also described their "marshmallow white" flesh, with no fingernails on their fingers and spotless hands with bare, smooth, non-wrinkled fingers.

Stephen described the hands similarly, saying, "And all those fingers were full-on beautiful." Among other incidents, Hopkins mentioned several others dating back to 1957, where "marshmallow-like skin" or "color and consistency" was noted, and "strange hands" were described.

The detail about substances apparently administered to pacify Stephen also recurs in many alien abduction encounters, as does Stephen's strong feeling that he shouldn't remember and that his memory was deliberately abolished. The abductors in numerous other alien abduction cases seem to have made a point of mental programming to ensure the victim forgets the incident and resists any attempts like hypnotic regression to recall it.

Hopkins added that under hypnotic regression, Stephen had no memory of his original sighting until the UFO re-contact session. Counterintuitive as it may seem, this is true in many other instances, an indication of intentional efforts to ensure witnesses remember nothing about their experiences. The Stephen Kilburn abduction seems to have been one of the most complicated cases in terms of time spent pulling it out, and also one that appeared realistic.

After the third and final hypnotic session with Stephen, Hopkins called neurosurgeon Dr. Paul Cooper. Stephen had detailed an elaborate neurological examination administered by his alien abductors, so he asked Dr. Cooper to evaluate whether the responses mimicked what would be expected during a real exam. The findings were interesting.

Ten days after Dr. Cooper met with Stephen for the final time, he spent an afternoon with him and then called Hopkins, describing it as the "spookiest two and a half hours of his life." He stated that no matter which process Stephen described, his answers about what would happen to his body and where exactly it would be felt were accurate. To sum it up, short of having advanced medical knowledge, Stephen described a verifiable event.

In his medical opinion, Cooper concluded that they only wanted to examine Stephen, they just wanted to see how he works. This conclusion is one that many alien abduction researchers and investigators have reached. Up next, Velma Barfield was a sweet, God-fearing grandmother. Unfortunately, everyone in her life seemed to die mysteriously.

Plus, Carolina Olsen climbed into bed in 1918 on a Swedish island and when she woke up 30 years had passed. Yet her life was barely changed as the decades of bizarre mystery surrounding her continued to mount. Her 30-year coma, combined with her seven-and-a-half-year recovery and the bizarre behaviors it all caused, provided countless wonder to doctors around the globe. These stories and more when Weird Darkness returns.

I get asked all the time why we only represent people who've been accidentally injured or had loved ones die tragically. And I tell them about my father, who worked in the mines of Kentucky, then came to Gary to work in the steel mill. Through him, I learned what hard work was, what dangerous work was, and saw that workers like him needed a voice when bad things happen. I know what I do every day would make my dad proud.

My dad worked in the mines of Kentucky in the steel mill in Gary, where I eventually joined him. Through him, I learned what hard work was and saw that the men and women like him were the backbone of our community. Through my law practice, I've been fortunate enough to give back to those in need with food programs, clothing and toys for children, and educational support. Every day through the Allen Law Group, I want to make my community and my father proud.

My dad worked in the mines of Kentucky in the steel mill in Gary. Through him I learned what hard, dangerous work was and saw that workers like him need a voice when tragic things happen. That's why I focus my law practice on helping hardworking people get justice. Like Mike, whose hand was mangled at work because of a dangerously defective machine. We fight every day to protect the rights of accidentally injured people. In fact, it's all we do. I guess you can say it's in our DNA.

Ronnie Burke, Velma Barfield's son, once said, "You know, it's the saddest thing, but it seems like everybody my mother ever gets close to dies. How could the good Lord let something like this happen to a loyal Christian and church lady such as Velma Barfield? It was one of those questions a lot of folks wanted to ask.

Even as the full story was released and the new serial was being readied for broadcast, nobody could really work out how Velma Barfield had ended up on death row, strapping into old Sparky like some nightmarish rocket ride. A church-going grandmother who was so religious that not even Reverend Billy Graham could find a bad word to say about her. Not long after that, the first cries of her freedom erupted across much of the world. Externally, she was the image of a perfect angel.

But maybe that is how she killed six people and got away with it. Thomas Burke, her first husband, was the first to die just for keeping his nose too close to Velma Barfield. Velma and Thomas were married young when she was only 17, and for the early years they seemed like a match made in heaven. The two had married out of desperation and because Velma was so anxious to leave home.

Her father, who outwardly seemed nothing but adoring and good, would come creeping into her room at night. Velma married Thomas only to have an escape route from her ordeal. Then it was okay for a bit. They bore two children and then grew apart when Velma had a hysterectomy and became addicted to prescription pain pills. After some time Thomas took to the bottle and the two started fighting. Following an altercation, Velma bolted with the kids and left Burke alone in the house.

Then, while she was gone one day, a fire broke out and burned Burke alive before sunrise. Her kids were heartbroken, and from all appearances, so was Velma. The tragic suicide of an English professor provided Velma with a template to fix things, and her life followed a pattern of calamity after disaster. Although she lost her husband, Velma moved on and eventually found love again.

But as far as everyone around her could tell, bad luck always seemed to come looking for her. Barfield, the widower of another Pennsylvanian who had two children by his late spouse, would also die in an unexplained way. As the couple bickered about Morrison's prescription abuse and the word "divorce" was floated, Jennings suddenly fell ill, dying of a disease that led to a fatal heart attack less than a year after they wed. Her parents were next.

A brief relationship with another boyfriend ended in flames as well, his body being found after the house Velma was living in suddenly caught fire and burned to the ground not long afterward. Velma Barfield then moved back in with her parents. However, just hours later, both of them were dead. First, her father got lung cancer, the only death she might not have been responsible for, and then a few weeks later, her mother fell ill.

It was a strange coincidence. A few years and one husband later, Velma buried her mother, who had been vomiting and complaining of a burning sensation inside. Oh, it was too good to be true. But no one would put two and two together for another couple of decades. When Velma Barfield's mom died, the bodies just piled up. For a time, she got a job working for Montgomery and Dolly Edwards as a cleaner before both of them were hospitalized sick within one year.

Next, she landed a job with Record Lee, and only months later, her husband, John Henry, developed the same mysterious malady. To her family, she remained simply an extraordinarily unfortunate woman. They believed her new boyfriend, Stuart Taylor, would prove an anchor for this turbulent period. Even he, though, would not come out the other side of Velma intact. The fatal error Stuart made was on February 3rd, 1978,

He had recently discovered that Velma was writing checks in his name, and they were fighting. Stewart thought she was calling a truce one morning before church when she handed him a beer to go with the eggs. But then he started feeling ill during the service. He had tried to make himself strong for as long as he could, but it felt now that the heat was creeping through his body. Later, Stewart got up, sensing guilt somewhere in the air, and headed to the truck for some rest.

Before long, his sweet Velma was there beside him, soothing his furrowed head. "You do not have to pretend you are strong," she said. She would drive home. Stewart writhed all night in queasy agony, and by morning he wailed at Velma to drive him to the ER. The doctor declared nothing was to be found and gave him a diagnosis of simple gastritis. He was instructed to take care of himself at home and assured he would be fine in the morning.

By morning, Stewart was numb on all points. Members of Velma Barfield's family turned out to support her at Stewart's funeral because it just seemed impossible that such a thing could happen to this woman. This poor woman had endured nothing but heartache since she lost Thomas Burke.

Well, almost everyone. When Velma was sobbing her way through the service, a woman she thought to be long dead called 911, claiming they were sisters. She told them Velma was a murderer too, of her own mother as well as Stuart Taylor. The police were not interested until Stuart was autopsied. But it was as the caller had claimed. There was arsenic from rat poison in his belly.

They began investigating each and every one of the tragic deaths that had befallen those in Velma's life. And in each case, they discovered trace elements belonging to the exact same rat poison brand. It was not until Mrs. Fitzgerald's son, Ronnie Burke, questioned her that Velma feigned ignorance of the matter. She couldn't lie to her son. Out of desperation, she just sobbed in front of him. "It was an accident," she said. "I only wanted to poison him."

Velma Barfield confessed to four of the murders. Thomas Burke's death was a freak accident, she insisted. Jennings Barfield just got sick. The police could prove nothing about Burke, but they had reason to suspect her. She was for sure lying about Jennings too, as he had also died from rat poisoning like the others. She then ended up on death row. No woman had been on her way to the executioner chamber in more than 15 years since the death penalty was reinstated.

This made it a media circus. There were thousands rallying for this woman's life. By this time, her psychiatrist was trying to convince the judge that she had multiple personality disorder, claiming Velma would never have killed these people. And Velma herself, ironically, considering how we first met her, attempted to appear as a reformed Christian. The judge wouldn't budge. On November 2nd, 1984, Velma Barfield was executed.

She had a telephone conversation with Billy Graham earlier, hoping that he could wield whatever power to spare her life. Instead, though, as they parted, Graham said to her, "'Velma, in a way I envy you because you are going on to heaven before me.'" A crowd had formed outside. Three hundred of them were gathered outside the prison walls to chant hymns and hold candles, praying for her.

On the other side of them were 98 more people who shouted "Die, B-word, die!" She managed one last meal: a bag of cheese doodles and some Coca-Cola. She walked into the execution chamber with guards behind her. She assured her family she was not alarmed. "When I enter that gas chamber," Velma Barfield said, "it will be my ticket to heaven."

According to reports from witnesses, she did not suffer. She simply lay back and let the vile poison course through her swollen veins like the countless bodies she had filled. An American woman executed for the first time in 22 years. After the final dose, those who had gathered outside to keep vigil turned out their candles and broke into a lilting rendition of Velma Barfield's favorite hymn, "The Others, Sheared."

One day in 1918, a young girl named Carolina Olsen went to bed complaining of a toothache on a small island in Sweden. She did not wake up again until 30 years later, or so the tale is told. The second of a family with six children, Carolina was born on October 29th, 1861. She had all younger brothers.

Carolina's mother handled the duties and responsibilities of running a household with children perfectly. Still, she could not have Carolina be a deadbeat like herself, so she taught her basic skills for building swiftly through the house, evidently haphazardly. In the late autumn of 1875, a good five years after she might have first started school, Carolina herself began attending.

Carolina had attended school for not more than a month when one day, after finishing in the yard and leaving with her brothers for home, she complained of a toothache and general indisposition. The family thought she could possibly be a victim of witchcraft or possessed by an evil spirit. Her mom told her to get some sleep. Beside a toothache, Carolina was fine, but when she went to sleep that day, she did not get up from her bed.

Carolina's father was a poor fisherman who could not afford medicine. The town midwife had advised the family instead. Carolina quit moving but was cared for by her mother and was made to drink two bowls of milk a day.

Eventually, the neighbors covered the expenses for a doctor to come and treat her. But finding him unable to wake up the girl, he ordered that she should be taken out of bed as it turned out that she was in a coma. The doctor returned a year later and, unable to find treatments elsewhere for Carolina's perpetually slumberous state, wrote an appeal in English to the editor of Scandinavia's premier medical journal asking other professionals to devise therapy.

In 1892, a doctor named Johann Emil Omblod came to the town and took Carolina to a hospital for observation. Carolina's condition had not changed. She was at the hospital as if in a comatose state, almost devoid of all bodily functions and responses, unresponsive to needle sticks or touch. She was labeled hysterical by the doctor and left with a diagnosis of dementia paralytica,

Dementia paralytica is one of the most severe neuropsychiatric disorders associated with late-stage syphilis, but there is little evidence to support the claim that she suffered from it. Kiralina spent one month in the infirmary before being sent home. Not until 32 years later, when she awoke from her slumber, would she be examined by a doctor again.

Carolina was not seen by a psychiatrist during her illness. Those specialties were a very rare breed at that place and time, if not nearly unheard of. Carolina had been interviewed by journalists several times, but no real research was ever done on the process in which she got ill and under what circumstances the recovery happened. Two years after she regained consciousness, Dr. Harald Fraderstrom came to visit her in Stockholm and spent days trying to decipher the riddle of the Swedish woman.

At the hospital, Broderstrom heard from the two brothers that in all those years they had not once seen their sister get out of bed. On the other hand, the father remembered her crawling on all fours to move along the floor a few times and recalled hearing his daughter talk on at least three separate occasions. Once she was in bed and her father heard her cry out, "Good Jesus, have mercy on myself!" She crawled back into bed and covered herself.

Carolina's only caregiver was her mother. The family believed Carolina was only drinking two glasses of milk a day. Bread they might place by the side of her bed, but she never gave it a glance. Now and then, caramels would arouse some appetite in her, though it was repressed. The housekeeper never heard a word out of her, but sometimes could hear Carolina cry or moan. While the housekeeper and others were working on their farm, Carolina was left to her own devices.

Nevertheless, the housekeeper did on occasion find that a few things in the room seemed to be moved while she was outside. Carolina started crying after her mother passed away in 1905. While her crying would continue for days without end, she was still in a very poor state of health. Her father cared for her in the absence of his wife, feeding and watering her every day. But then Carolina got sick and she was lying in bed, losing weight.

On April 3rd, 1908, the housekeeper walked in and found Carolina sobbing on her hands and knees on a bare floor. When ordered forcefully to bed, Carolina said, "Where is mummy?" She did not recognize her brothers when they returned home. "They were really little, so they're not my brothers," she added. She was nothing more than skin and bones with a pale complexion resembling someone who had been starved. In the first few days, she was weak, avoided bright light, and moved with difficulty.

Incredibly, she had a massive appetite and ate her meals with joy. She remembered her school going and church visits, but this time she began doing housework too. She was very intuitive, but she never asked because what happened was the last thing she would ask about. She made no inquiries about how her mother died. Carolina was rated above average in intelligence by Froderstrom.

She could read and write, she knew who her country's king and queen were, but had no idea where Stockholm was on the map. Broderstrom argued that Carolina could not survive a full hibernation, while others outright disagreed, stating it was impossible for her to experience such an elongated period without eating. He speculated instead that Carolina may have experienced a kind of post-traumatic psychosis

This prompted her to crawl under her duna, a kind of blanket or bedding, as a force field away from the mean world. During this long and difficult phase of her life, she was supported by her loyal mother, who helped cover up the fact that she wasn't actually in hibernation. She was, in effect, left to die, as family members and even Carolina's own relatives were led to believe she was merely asleep.

All the while, her mother knew and did not let on that Carolina remained fully conscious through her illness. The family's insistence that she had eaten nothing but two glasses of milk for 32 years is consistent with a caregiver who was secretly feeding her. Unknown to others, it was the caregiver working behind the scenes. The extreme weight loss that followed her mother's passing could be seen as due to not being fed as she was before.

Carolina's story is eerily similar to that of the Japanese sleeping girl Ellen Sadler, who allegedly slept for nine years. Ellen, like Carolina, was under the care of her mother, who fed Ellen with port wine, coffee, and milk while refusing to allow visitors or doctors to critically assess her. When Ellen's mother passed away, her sister took over looking after her, but perhaps the responsibility was too much, and that's why Ellen resurfaced five months after their mother's passing.

Carolina, much like Ellen, went on to lead a pretty normal life, participating in societal activities after her awakening. She passed away on January 1, 1950, at the age of 88 from an intracranial hemorrhage. When weird darkness returns, imagine driving through a graffiti-stained decaying tunnel late at night when your car suddenly breaks down and you notice a shadowy figure in your backseat.

This eerie experience is just one of the chilling legends surrounding the Sensabaugh Tunnel in Kingsport, Tennessee, a place known for its haunted history and ghostly encounters. But first... In the wilds of Australia, the persistence of Yowie folklore has endured for centuries, continuing into modern times with dozens of reported sightings and tales from native tribes as well as opinions from enthusiastic outsiders.

Australia has been home to great mysteries, but few can rival the intriguing legend of the Yowie. Fragmented reports of strange sightings, mysterious disappearances and other bizarre events can all be traced back to this legendary creature, which has fascinated people for thousands of years. The Yowie, Australia's answer to Bigfoot, was recently listed in the Australian Contents Directory as a creature not yet to be seen, but rumors persist that sightings continue.

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A notable reference comes in 1804 from John Pinkerton's publication "Modern Geography: A Description of the Empires, Kingdoms, States, and Colonies with the Oceans, Seas, and Isles in All Parts of the World." It refers to a few original Australians near Sydney Harbour identified by certain unique body features.

To the Aboriginal Australians, however, these were separate beings called Yahoos, or more popularly known as Yahu Yowie, recognized by their scent of furball. In North Queensland, the Kukuyalongi tribe recounted times of interactions and confrontations with the Australian Bigfoot, which are now a part of the culture's written history. Their description of the Yowie mirrors the Sasquatch legends from tribes in northwestern America.

Huge historical narratives have developed around two completely separate types of yaoi plaguing Australia. The larger of the two, Gigantopithecus, stands 6 to 10 feet tall and weighs nearly half a ton. This enigmatic being resembles a giant, shaggy brute with hands like rakes. Its face is more primate-like, and its attitude towards humans is described as quite explosive. There is also a lesser yaoi, standing about 4 to 5 feet tall,

While tales of this creature are surrounded by skepticism, some postulate that these creatures may represent ancient hominids who have somehow continued to exist. This is supported by indigenous rock paintings depicting tall, hairy beings alongside typical, shorter Aboriginal figures.

Euro-Yowie contact is said to have started during the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet in Sydney. Colonial ancestors were often regaled with nightmare stories of Simian beasts lurking in Australia's wild landscapes. A letter from 1820 to London tells of an event in 1789 where hunters claimed they saw a monster on all fours, peering through trees and much taller than any man.

The yaoi in this part of Australia had its first documentary sighting in 1849 on Phillip Island, Victoria. Witnesses said they saw such tall creatures by a lake resembling man-baboons. Several years later, in 1936, something unusual occurred with Rich Jones capturing a mythical giant monster in a group photo between two loggers.

In 1979, a seriously compromised kangaroo carcass was found by a couple who attributed it to a large, hairy, man-shaped creature seen near where the ruminant died. Society tends to look down upon the odd menagerie of unique creatures in Australia. The European settlement of the land which held the platypus did not start in a friendly way or with disbelief to a certain extent.

For example, a strange variety of animal characteristics in this mammalized monster was only considered genuine when more than one specimen turned up. Nowadays, yaoi sightings mostly come from the southern and central coastal regions of New South Wales, with a few scattered around Queensland's Gold Coast, mainly in or near the Blue Mountains.

Yowie enthusiast Rex Gilroy has investigated more than 3,000 reported sightings, many from distrustful anonymous informants, suggesting a potential link to North American Bigfoot research.

While there are numerous reported sightings, many researchers doubt the Yowie's actual existence. A definitive 2006 volume, "The Yowie: In Search of Australia's Bigfoot" by Tony Healy and Paul Cropper, captures everything we know and suggests that it has been subjected to much more evidence than the Yeti or Sasquatch. I'll link to the book in the episode description.

Quietly going about his business, away from any prying eyes, you never know what's waiting to pounce until it presents itself. For instance, recent reports of yaoi sightings have emerged. In 2016, a hiker claimed to have seen a seven-foot yaoi, and footage captured on YouTube includes photographs of the Ipswich yaoi. Another sighting was reported near a kangaroo carcass along Carnarvon Highway.

Legends of simian-like beings are common in world folklore, such as the Himalayan Yeti, China's Chichi, Mongolia's Almas and Australia's forest men. Australia adds itself to the list of lesser-known locations where Bigfoot-like creature reports are described. The reality of the yaoi will always be in question. However, the role these stories play within our culture is undeniable.

For centuries, indigenous tribes passed down stories of these beings, and those narratives often dovetail with their worldview on the land, nature, and how mankind fits into that framework alongside myth. Picture yourself going for a peaceful drive late at night. In front of you is a graffiti-stained, cracking cement tunnel that looks like it needs major repairs.

You head on through anyway, only for the car to suddenly conk out. You attempt to fire it up, but no dice. In the rearview mirror, you see the shadow of a woman sitting behind your seat. This is a possible outcome of driving through the Sensabaugh Tunnel. Sensabaugh Tunnel is located off Big Elm Road in Kingsport, Tennessee. This dam was built in the 1920s on land owned by Edward Sensabaugh, who assisted in its construction along the Holston River.

To provide for the railroad tracks of the CC&O Railroad, which ran across and over it, a hill had been blown out to make room for both the road and the tunnel. The tunnel, which is more than 12 feet tall and stretches 380 feet long, often fills up with water from the Holston River during heavy rain, resulting in a constantly wet and slippery floor. Now the facade is cracked and graffitied, with some laundry hanging outside windows on a recent weeknight.

Right up the road is one of the ten most haunted places in Tennessee and a nationally recognized urban legend, the Sensabaugh Tunnel. The legend goes that Edward was a good Christian man who opened his home to a homeless man. But he did not anticipate that the homeless man was also a thief. The homeless man pocketed what money and jewelry he could find. When Edward caught him, he pulled a gun on the man, but that wasn't enough to stop the thief.

The homeless man took Edward's baby daughter hostage as he ran away from the house. The homeless man fled, but he was not going to be able to keep the toddler, especially with Edward right behind him. As he came to the Sensaba tunnel, he saw an opportunity and released the baby to distract Edward, allowing him to escape into the darkness. Another version of the legend tells that Edward Sensaba went insane and murdered his family, moving their bodies to the tunnel before committing suicide himself.

The third legend of the Sensabaugh family, and the one most likely closest to fact, is that the family lived in the area until at least the 1950s, with the children grown and gone, leaving Edward alone near the tunnel. By that time, the tunnel had already become a popular spot for teenagers to hang out. It was a hotspot for hoodlums. Edward, now an old man, grew upset with the kids for using his tunnel.

He took to lying in wait at one side of the tunnel, screaming and shouting to scare them away. That's when the rumors began to spread that a ghost of some kind was wandering at night, searching for lost souls and bodies. Another story that a woman was driving home from work one night during a thunderstorm when her car died as she arrived at the Sensabaugh Tunnel. She set out to the Sensabaugh residence but never arrived.

The last legend tells of a young pregnant woman who was run out from her home. As she walked up to the tunnel, she yelled for help, but no one came. In that tunnel, she and her baby lost their lives together. It's said that if your car gets stuck in the tunnel, whether you voluntarily turned the engine off or were unlucky enough to get stuck, you will find the ghost of Edward Sensabaugh approaching from behind while you keep trying to get the car started.

The car will start back up just as he's about to reach you. People who have been stuck in the tunnel have reported hearing Edward's footsteps and seeing a woman's shadow in their backseat at times. Some have even reported seeing her in the rearview mirror despite never getting stuck in the tunnel. Next, the wails of a newborn. These days, the tunnel only serves local traffic, and few above First Street would drive that way if they could avoid it.

If you're ever in the area, check it out and see for yourself whether or not the legends hold some truth. Thanks for listening! If you like what you heard, be sure to subscribe so you don't miss future episodes. All stories used in Weird Darkness are purported to be true unless stated otherwise, and you can find links to the authors, stories, and sources I used in the episode description as well as on the website at WeirdDarkness.com. Weird Darkness is a registered trademark. Copyright Weird Darkness.

And now that we're coming out of the dark, I'll leave you with a little light. Proverbs 16, verse 17, The highway of the upright avoids evil. He who guards his way, guards his life. And a final thought, never let mistakes or wrong directions, of which every man falls into many, discourage you. There is precious instruction to be got by finding where we were wrong. Thomas Carlyle, I'm Darren Marlar, thanks for joining me

in the Weird Darkness.

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