Doris Bither’s story is possibly one of the most terrifying and well documented paranormal accounts. Not only was she repeatedly plagued by three poltergeists, but these three poltergeists raped her on several occasions, and many of these events were witnessed by doctoral researchers from the University of California.
In August of 1974 Dr. Barry Taff, a doctor in psychophysiology, a biomedical engineer, and a world-renowned parapsychologist was discussing issues related to his latest case with an associate while browsing books at the local bookstore. Doris Bither overheard the conversation and approached Dr. Taff telling him that her house was haunted and she needed help. He agreed to investigate and at the time thought it to be another standard case no different than his hundreds of other reports.
Arriving at Doris’ home at 11547 Braddock Drive, Dr. Taff noted that the home was in a state of squalor – Doris was a single mother living with her adolescent daughter and her three sons. In his initial discussions with Doris, Dr. Taff reported that she was the victim of an abusive childhood and to that day was demonstrating symptoms of a deep psychological trauma. Although he didn’t immediately dismiss the case, these discoveries added to his scepticism and possibly heightened the degree of investigation.
The children first told Dr. Taff about the entity they called “Mr. Whose-it”, which all four had claimed to witness on numerous occasions. He noted that their depictions were remarkably accurate, not just matching each other’s, but also in details commonly attributed to entities from his other cases.
In 2009 Ghost Theory conducted an interview with Doris’ middle son, Brian Harris who stated; “We all experienced some form of attack. There was the pushing, biting and scratching being done to us. There were about 4 entities in the home, and they made themselves known by appearing all the time….I think it took a lot of energy for them to do that.” He described the entities as follows: “it was always like a fog. Like a human…but not quite.” During one incident, Brian, who was in his early teens at the time attempted to intervene in his mother’s attack and was thrown across the room. Reading the full interview is guaranteed to send some chills down your spine.
Doris described her attacks saying that there were in fact three entities, two smaller ones that would hold her down while the third larger entity raped her. These attacks left marks on Doris’ body indicative of a rape, including bruises on her inner thighs and throat. The combined testimony of the family convinced Dr. Taff to establish a base for the monitoring of the paranormal phenomenon in the house. He brought in specialized lighting, cameras, and audio recording equipment as well as a team of colleagues from UCLA. On their first formal investigation of the entity plaguing Doris Bither, Dr. Taff requested that she attempt an appearance by provoking the beings, which she did. The results were astounding, lights appeared to shoot through the room arching in mid-air. Many were caught on film and all of this was witnessed by the twenty something researchers present.
The Entity
In 1982 the events that took place at 11547 Braddock Drive were recreated in the movie “The Entity”. However, many liberties were taken with regards to the portrayal of Dr. Taff’s study of the actual entity going so far as to depict the team capturing the entity. In reality Dr. Taff and his team did everything they could for Doris Bither and her family, but in the end the Bither family moved away, first to San Bernadino California, then Texas, and finally back to San Bernardino. With each new move the entity followed Doris Bither and her family. In the late 1980’s, her children now grown, Doris disappeared.
In 1995 the Entity’s real-life victim, Doris Bither, (a.k.a. Doris Donner & Doris McGowan) passed away at the age of 58 of cardiopulmonary failure. While it was stated that her death was the result of multiple organ failure, the precise cause of Doris Bither’s untimely death was never medically determined.
