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Art Bell speaks with Father Michael Maginot, a Catholic priest from the Diocese of Gary, Indiana, who performed an exorcism on the Ammons family in a case that received worldwide attention. Father Maginot explains the theological framework of possession, tracing evil to Lucifer's rebellion, and details how curses and occult practices open doors to demonic influence.
The case began when a mother and three children moved into a Gary house and experienced escalating phenomena: swarms of horse flies, muddy footprints from the basement, pounding on locked doors, and children waking with unexplained blood. At a hospital, multiple professionals witnessed a nine-year-old boy walk backwards up a wall and flip over his grandmother. A seven-year-old was thrown against walls and spoke in a growling voice about death. Father Maginot's investigation pointed to the mother's ex-boyfriend as the source of a curse.
During his visit to the home, Father Maginot witnessed lights that responded to conversation, Venetian blind rods swaying in coordination, wet footprints materializing around the mother, and convulsions triggered by placing a crucifix on her forehead. He performed multiple exorcisms, finding the old Latin rite most effective in clearing the demonic presence from the mother and, through her, the children.
The case began when a mother and three children moved into a Gary house and experienced escalating phenomena: swarms of horse flies, muddy footprints from the basement, pounding on locked doors, and children waking with unexplained blood. At a hospital, multiple professionals witnessed a nine-year-old boy walk backwards up a wall and flip over his grandmother. A seven-year-old was thrown against walls and spoke in a growling voice about death. Father Maginot's investigation pointed to the mother's ex-boyfriend as the source of a curse.
During his visit to the home, Father Maginot witnessed lights that responded to conversation, Venetian blind rods swaying in coordination, wet footprints materializing around the mother, and convulsions triggered by placing a crucifix on her forehead. He performed multiple exorcisms, finding the old Latin rite most effective in clearing the demonic presence from the mother and, through her, the children.
Key Moments
Boy walks up the wall: Maginot says professional hospital staff witnessed a nine-year-old boy walk backward up a wall and flip over his grandmother.
Grandmother told it was time to die: Maginot recounts the child attacking his grandmother while a voice declared it was time for her to die.
House fills with horse flies: The family reportedly found swarms of horse flies and dead flies repeatedly returning inside the house.
Crucifix affects the light: Maginot describes using a crucifix on a malfunctioning light and concluding the phenomenon was responding to him.
Wet footprints appear: Maginot says wet footprints appeared around the mother before he placed a crucifix on her forehead.