In March 1990, in Vallecas, Spain, 18-year-old Estefania Gutierrez Lazaro and her friends attempted to use a Ouija board at their school in Madrid to contact a friend’s deceased boyfriend. A nun discovered them and, viewing their actions as occult activities, confiscated and broke the board. Some accounts suggest that when the board was broken, a strange smoke rose from it, which Estefania allegedly inhaled. Little did they know, this incident would mark the beginning of a series of inexplicable and terrifying events that would forever change the lives of Estefania and her family.
In the weeks following the ill-fated séance, the family of 18 year old Estefania Gutierrez Lazaro began to notice disturbing changes in her behavior. Estefania, once a normal and happy teenager, started experiencing terrifying hallucinations and violent convulsions. Her family grew increasingly worried as she would fly into uncontrollable fits of rage, barking, growling, and hissing at her siblings. Estefania confided in her family that she was seeing shadowy figures walking through her room at night, which only added to their growing concern.
The Lazaro family sought medical help, taking Estefania to numerous doctors who were baffled by her condition. Despite extensive testing and evaluations, no one could provide an explanation for the bizarre symptoms she was experiencing.
In August 1991, Estefania was admitted to a hospital in Madrid for further observation. However, even the hospital staff were unable to diagnose her condition as her health continued to deteriorate. Her seizures became more frequent and intense, and her hallucinations worsened. After three weeks in the hospital, Estefania was found lifeless in her bed with no visible signs of injury or trauma. The official cause of death was listed as a heart attack, but the mystery surrounding her sudden decline remained unsolved.
Following Estefania’s death, strange occurrences began to plague the Lazaro household. The family reported hearing disembodied whispers calling out “Mama” from within Estefania’s bathroom. When they investigated the source of the voice, they found the room empty. Despite their best efforts to keep Estefania’s room clean and orderly, they would frequently find it in disarray—bedsheets thrown about and objects scattered across the floor.
As time passed, the paranormal activity intensified. The family began hearing scratching noises along the walls and eerie laughter that seemed to come from above them. What started as faint cackling soon escalated into loud wailing and banging sounds that reverberated throughout the house as if someone were pounding on the walls with their fists. Lights flickered on and off by themselves, appliances malfunctioned without explanation, and doors would creak open on their own.
In an attempt to stop these disturbances, the family began barricading doors with furniture, including heavy pieces like sofas. However, this did little to prevent the strange occurrences; they would hear a powerful gust of wind sweep through the house as door handles turned on their own and furniture was flung aside as though by an unseen force. On one occasion, a door burst open with such force that it knocked a framed photograph of Estefania from a shelf onto the floor. When her mother picked up the picture, she screamed in horror as she watched it ignite spontaneously, burning through Estefania’s face.
The most terrifying events involved sightings of a dark figure that seemed to stalk the family inside their home. One of Estefania’s sisters described an encounter with this entity: “We heard a whistling sound like on other nights and then a groan near the door. We were so scared we couldn’t move. It was then that we saw something on the floor—the light from outside illuminated it—it was shaped like a man crawling towards us on all fours. It had no eyes or mouth—just a black head—and it dragged itself closer until we screamed.” At that moment, toys on a nearby shelf began flying across the room violently while loud bangs echoed around them.
Neighbors who visited the house also witnessed these strange phenomena firsthand. They reported seeing shadows darting across walls and objects inexplicably flying through the air with such force that they embedded themselves into walls.
In 1992, events reached their peak when Estefania’s mother awoke one night feeling an overwhelming pressure on top of her body. She described feeling hands gripping her feet and arms tightly before she managed to break free from whatever was holding her down. This terrifying experience prompted the family to contact local authorities for help.
At 2:40 AM, police arrived at the home to find a terrified family waiting outside. Chief Inspector Jose Pedro Negri led his team inside where they immediately encountered strange occurrences themselves—loud noises coming from an empty porch and doors opening in unnatural ways without any apparent cause. Inside one room, they witnessed a crucifix detach itself from its cross while other objects moved inexplicably around them.
The police documented their experiences in an official report which detailed how cupboard doors opened and closed on their own despite being perfectly functional when inspected by officers. They also noted how a tablecloth became stained with a mysterious brown substance resembling drool without any logical explanation for its appearance.
Officer Negri later recounted his experience during an interview with local news outlets: “We entered Estefania’s bedroom where her father told us about how his young son had been lifted off one bed and thrown onto another by something unseen while they were sitting together.” Negri went on to describe hearing blood-curdling screams coming from outside but finding nothing when he investigated further.
The police also observed religious items being affected by whatever force haunted the house—a wooden crucifix spun upside down while another smaller crucifix fell to the floor seemingly by itself—and deep scratches appeared on posters hanging behind doors as though clawed by invisible hands.
Shortly after these events unfolded under police supervision, the Lazaro family decided they could no longer endure living under such terrifying conditions and moved out of their home in Vallecas to an undisclosed location in Madrid. To their relief, once they left behind their haunted residence, all paranormal activity ceased entirely.
This case is particularly significant as it represents one of the few instances where Spanish law enforcement officially documented paranormal activity in a formal police report. The case began with a series of disturbing events that would challenge both law enforcement and rational explanation.
The Initial Investigation
At approximately 02:00 hours, Máximo Gutiérrez contacted authorities from telephone number 7.77.15.93, reporting paranormal phenomena occurring in his residence at Calle Luis MarÃn 8 in Vallecas, Madrid. The police report meticulously details how the family had been experiencing inexplicable events for several hours prior to their call.
The responding officers noted several unexplained occurrences:
Strange forces appeared to move household objects.
Unusual disturbances affected the bedsheets.
Three large scratches manifested on a wall-mounted poster.
A peculiar turbulence was observed in the room.
Acoustic phenomena verified by multiple witnesses.
What makes this case particularly compelling is the methodical approach taken by the authorities. The report indicates that specialists in parapsychology had previously visited the residence. These experts suggested the phenomena might be connected to what they termed “Casola,” a paranormal manifestation.
The document reveals that the family consisted of parents and five children, who had already experienced significant trauma with the loss of their daughter under mysterious circumstances the previous year. The mother reported that despite seeking medical intervention, doctors were unable to provide explanations for the daughter’s condition prior to her death.
The police response was thorough and professional, with multiple units involved including:
Local police, Civil Guard and Municipal authorities.
The phenomena appeared to follow no predictable pattern, occurring sporadically throughout day and night. The report notes that the family remained in a constant state of anxiety, never knowing when the next incident would occur.
The official nature of this document, complete with time stamps, case numbers, and formal police procedures, adds a layer of credibility to what might otherwise be dismissed as mere supernatural claims. The measured, bureaucratic tone of the report stands in stark contrast to the extraordinary events it describes, making it one of the most intriguing pieces of evidence in this famous case of unexplained phenomena.
