The Indianapolis Poltergeist

In March 1962, the Beck family home in Indianapolis became the site of intense poltergeist activity. Objects flew, furniture moved, and phenomena occurred that were witnessed by family members, neighbors, police officers, and paranormal researchers. The case was documented with still photography and motion picture film.

The Family

The Becks were a working-class family with no history of mental illness or attention-seeking behavior. The mother, father, and teenage daughter lived in a modest home in Indianapolis.

The Activity

The phenomena began suddenly. Kitchen items flew off shelves. Furniture moved on its own. A refrigerator shifted across the floor. Objects that should have been stationary were found in different locations.

As news spread, police officers came to investigate and witnessed events they could not explain. The story reached newspapers and eventually attracted paranormal researchers.

Investigation

Researchers from the Parapsychology Laboratory at Duke University investigated the case. They documented phenomena using still cameras and motion picture cameras.

Some of the photographic evidence captured objects in mid-flight. The researchers could not replicate the effects through normal means and found no evidence of fraud.

The Focus

As in most poltergeist cases, activity centered on one family member—the teenage daughter. When she was present, phenomena occurred. When she was absent, the house was quiet.

Researchers noted that she seemed unconscious of causing the effects. She was frightened by the activity and had no apparent motive for fabrication.

Resolution

The phenomena ceased after several weeks. The daughter was older, and whatever energy or disturbance had caused the activity dissipated. The family returned to normal life.

The photographic documentation from the case became important evidence in parapsychological research, providing rare visual confirmation of poltergeist phenomena.

Assessment

The Indianapolis poltergeist case is significant for its documentation. Police officers and trained researchers witnessed the activity. Photographs captured objects in motion. The family gained nothing from the experience except disruption.

Whatever caused the phenomena at the Beck home—unconscious psychokinesis, an external entity, or something else—left behind evidence that researchers continue to study.