The house that bled

Throughout my life, I have witnessed many unexplained occurrences. I figure we can’t know everything. Our creator does not make us privy to everything that happens for a reason. However, when we encounter strange events, we will keep trying to figure them out.

I considered 1987 to be a significant year. I completed high school and joined the military. Although 1987 was a good year for me, it was a nightmare for an elderly Atlanta couple named Willie and Minnie Winston. The couple lived at 1114 Fountain Drive in Atlanta, Georgia. Their story is so strange, the details are still discussed over thirty years later.

On September 8, 1987, their nightmare began.

Minnie Winston was relaxing in her bathtub. She had spent the day caring for her ailing husband, Willie. After stepping out of her bathtub, she stepped into a red, bubbling liquid on the floor. The same red fluid trickled down the walls. Also, the substance creeped up from the hallway floors and saturated the living room carpet. Red fluid was everywhere!

Minnie initially thought Willie was bleeding from an injury. She soon realized it wasn’t him. The couple was convinced the red fluid was blood. Despite being confused, Minnie said she wasn’t scared. However, her entire house was covered in blood. The couple sought help from the fire department, who alerted law enforcement about a bloody house.

It is likely that someone from the police department asked, “Who was murdered?” In 22 years of living in the house, the couple had not seen anything like this. Police and EMTs expected to find a corpse when they arrived. Willie and Minnie told them they weren’t bleeding or hurt. Also, there were no leaks or problems with Willie’s dialysis equipment. Property managers also examined the basement and found no dead bodies, damaged pipes, or anything else unusual.

Atlanta Police Department Detective Cartwright started his investigation. He must have wondered where all the blood came from. There must be a logical explanation, thought the detective. Either someone died in the house or someone spilled all the blood inside the house as a sick joke. The couple told Detective Cartwright they had locked the doors and set the alarm. No one could have brought the blood into the house without the couple’s knowledge.

Law enforcement took photos and collected samples of the red fluid. Officers were discussing the strangeness they were experiencing at the scene. The officers wondered if it was an evil supernatural force at work.

Cartwright acknowledged that it could be blood, but said he wouldn’t be surprised if it was paint. Perhaps someone poured red paint throughout the house. Nobody wanted to believe the house was soaked in blood. It’s just not possible for houses to bleed.

Law enforcement, the Winstons, and even the media were shocked by the results of the tests. It turned out to be Type O human blood! It didn’t belong to the Winstons, because they both had Type A blood. As part of their investigation, the police investigated the history of the house. Albert Thompson and his wife were the previous residents. Law enforcement found nothing unusual.

The Atlanta Police Department held a press conference on September 10, 1987. They acknowledged they found copious amounts of blood inside the house that did not belong to Willie or Minnie Winston. The police called it strange. Detective Cartwright said he had never seen anything like what he saw at Fountain Drive.

As soon as the story broke, the media unmercifully hounded the Winstons. Reporters staked out their house looking for any chance to interview them. Reporters even called with questions. Millie requested that reporters leave her and Willie alone. Unfortunately, the story developed a life of its own. Even a Saudi Arabian newspaper carried the story about the bloody house.

Psychics began calling the elderly couple and claiming to be able to solve the mystery. The story eventually died down. The house still exists and has never bled again.

Minnie and Willie have since passed away. Today, no one can explain why the house bled. Was it a supernatural event? Had someone been murdered in the house? There are those who claim it was a hoax. But if true, where did all the blood come from? This story will go down in history as a mystery without explanation.

Marc is a longtime resident of Clermont County and an avid reader. Contact him through his website at www.themarcabe.com or through Facebook: www.Facebook.com/themarcabe or his twitter account @themarcabe. Marc also has a podcast called Catch my Killer where he interviews family members seeking justice for their murdered loved ones. You can listen at www.catchmykiller.com.