Discovery Channel recreates haunting of Deltona family.
By Audrey Parente
Staff Writer
Beth Dunnam says she and her husband, Edd, saw apparitions and moving objects in their rented Deltona home. Then things got even weirder. They heard disembodied voices and experienced freezing cold spots in the house -- so cold their chilled breaths hung in midair.
The couple, in their 30s with a 1-year-old and two teenaged boys at the time, began to question their own sanity and contacted Doris "Dusty" Smith, a paranormal researcher from Holly Hill, to investigate. Smith said the strange happenings continued.
All that was several years ago, and the family has since relocated to Orlando , but the violent and dramatic incidents in the Dunnam home have been captured in a dramatic re-creation for tonight's 9 p.m. episode of "A Haunting" on the Discovery Channel.
BETH DUNNAM:
Q. Do you truly believe the house you rented at 1474 East Hancock Drive was haunted?
I don't think they could even portray it accurately enough. It really did scare me, because it was an extremely horrifying experience, and I don't think anybody can grasp how terrifying it was living through it.
Q. Will you, your husband, Edd, and your three children be watching tonight's Discovery Channel re-creation of your haunting experience?
Yes. I want to see what they do with it and see if I look like a fool or not.
Q. Won't it just bring back bad memories?
Nothing could disturb me worse than going through it.
Q. What ill effects did the experience leave you with?
We have had really bad luck since we left there. Health-wise, my husband has been getting sicker and sicker. He suffered an aneurysm, memory loss and migraines and has been hit by lightning. Emily (the daughter, now 6) is very sensitive now. Her teacher said she is "a very, very sensitive child." And I have had my kidney rupture.
DORIS "DUSTY" SMITH :
Q. Months ago, you were interviewed in your mother's home in Daytona Beach for "A Haunting" episode related to occurrences at the Dunnam house. You did an investigation of incidents that eventually drove a family from their home. How do you feel about tonight's airing of the interview and dramatic re-creation of the eerie event?
I am nervous and getting butterflies. But I'm glad to be recognized for the work we (Daytona Beach Paranormal Research Group) do in helping people with these kinds of situations.
Q. You say your group has investigated many "hauntings," so how does this one compare, on a scale of 1 to 10, to other paranormal investigations you have conducted?
This definitely was a 10-plus. I don't want to say it's the worst case we have ever worked, but this one had the most activities -- the most intensity of activity of any case.
You said in past interviews that you "cleanse" properties. How successful were you?
We cleansed and cleansed and cleansed, but whatever was there did not want to leave.
Q. Do you expect people to believe this really happened?
A lot of people aren't going to believe what we went through in this particular case, but I didn't just do this to get on TV, so believe what you want.
Did You Know?
Polls taken to help scientists determine public levels of pseudo-scientific beliefs indicate a widespread acceptance of the paranormal.
· Nearly half of Americans believe in ESP, extrasensory perception (Gallup 1996; Southern Focus 1998).
· In 1996, 17 percent of poll respondents reported contact with a fortune teller or psychic, up from 14 percent in 1990 ( Gallup 1996).
· About one-third of Americans believe in astrology -- meaning the position of the stars and planets can affect people's lives (Harris 1998, Gallup 1996, and Southern Focus 1998).
· More than one-third of Americans believe in UFOs, unidentified flying objects, but fewer than one-third believes aliens have landed on Earth (Gallup 1996; Southern Focus 1998).
· More than one-fifth of Americans believe in haunted houses and ghosts (Harris 1998; Gallup 1996; Sparks, Nelson, and Campbell 1997)
SOURCE: National Science Board