The Columbus Poltergeist

In March 1984, the Resch family of Columbus, Ohio, experienced violent poltergeist activity centered on their adopted fourteen-year-old daughter Tina. The case attracted national media attention when phenomena were captured on video.

The Activity

Lights turned on and off. Objects flew across rooms. A telephone shot across the room repeatedly. Glass shattered. The activity was so violent that the family called the police, who witnessed events they could not explain.

The Media Coverage

A Columbus Dispatch photographer captured famous images of objects flying near Tina. Television crews filmed phenomena occurring. Parapsychologist William Roll investigated and documented genuine anomalous events.

The Controversy

Some footage appeared to show Tina pulling a lamp. Critics claimed fraud; supporters argued the genuine phenomena were mixed with teenage attempts to reproduce them for cameras. The case became polarizing.

The Aftermath

Whether or not Tina consciously caused some events, Roll and other investigators believed genuine poltergeist activity occurred. Tina’s troubled history as an adopted child fit the pattern of poltergeist focus persons.

Assessment

The Columbus case illustrates the complications of media attention on poltergeist cases. The pressure to perform may have led to attempts to fake phenomena, but the core activity witnessed by police and investigators before media arrived appears genuine.