Sumith Prasad
Netflix’s horror film ‘The Deliverance’ revolves around Ebony Jackson, who battles a demonic spirit in the house she moves in with her mother, Alberta, and her children, Nate, Shante, and Andre. Lee Daniels made the film with screenwriters David Coggeshall and Elijah Bynum based on the true story of Latoya Ammons, who allegedly dealt with a series of paranormal activities with her mother and three children like Ebony. The incident resulted in an investigation by the Gary Police Department and intervention by the Department of Child Services. Eventually, Ammons had to rely on religious intervention to find peace and comfort in life again. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Latoya Ammons and Her Family Moved Into the Allegedly Haunted House in 2011
Latoya Ammons, her mother, Rosa Campbell, and the former’s three children started living in the house at 3860 Carolina Street in Gary, Indiana, in November 2011. It did not take long for the family to encounter strange occurrences in the home, as they said they started witnessing big black flies on their porch in the next month. However, they had to wait until March 10, 2012, to realize the gravity of the predicament they were dealing with. According to Ammons and Campbell, they found the former’s 12-year-old daughter levitating above her bed without consciousness. After the child woke up without memory of what happened, the two women started seeking explanations.
Ammons reached out to churches and even two clairvoyants, who told her that her house was home to more than two hundred demons. Since the family didn’t have the financial resources to move away from the house then, she joined her loved ones to battle the alleged supernatural forces with prayer. She set up an altar in the house’s basement and read the Bible. However, these were not enough to bring peace to the household. According to the mother, her children had bulging eyes, “evil smiles,” and deepened voices during this period. After more strange occurrences, she visited the family physician, Dr. Geoffrey Onyeukwu, in April 2012.
As per a DCS report, what happened next was bizarre. It mentioned Ammons’ youngest son was “lifted and thrown into the wall with nobody touching him.” Her two boys also confronted Onyeukwu in supposed demonic voices. The mother and grandmother then took care of them after they passed out until police officers reached the doctor’s office. That was when the DCS intervened. The agency received a phone call from an anonymous person who said that Ammons might have a mental illness. The individual also asked the department to investigate the matter to find possible child abuse or neglect, believing that the children were “performing” for their mother, who was “encouraging” them in the caller’s eyes.
Latoya Ammons Underwent a Series of Exorcisms to Eliminate the Supposed Demonic Presence
After the DCS intervention, Latoya Ammons was examined by a psychiatrist, who concluded that she had a “sound mind.” Meanwhile, a DCS officer named Valerie Washington examined the two sons in the family. The 9-year-old then stunned her by “[gliding] backward on the floor, wall, and ceiling,” as per her testimony to the police. In the wake of the events, the DCS assumed the children’s custody, which was unbearable for their mother. “We’d already been through so much and fought so hard for our lives. It was obvious we were a team, and we were beating it — whatever we were fighting. We made it through together as a team, and they separated us,” Ammons told The Indianapolis Star about her separation from her kids.
In April 2012, Reverand Michael Maginot arrived at Ammons’ house and concluded that there was a demonic presence in the place. Following his advice, she and Campbell sought safety in a relative’s house. Her youngest son was evaluated by a clinical psychologist named Stacy Wright. “This appears to be an unfortunate and sad case of a child who has been induced into a delusional system perpetuated by his mother,” Wright wrote in her evaluation, as per The Indianapolis Star. The conclusion of Joel Schwartz, who examined Ammons’ daughter and elder son, was not drastically different either.
The psychologists who evaluated Ammons did not find “symptoms of psychosis or thought disorder” in her. It was then Maginot performed a minor exorcism on her. “We felt like someone was in the room with you, someone breathing down your neck,” Ammons added about the experience of undergoing the exorcism. Three major exorcisms followed the minor ritual, this time with the approval of the Catholic Church, in St. Stephen, Martyr Parish in Merrillville, Indiana, in June 2012. Ammons experienced intense pain during the exorcisms. “I was hurting all over from the inside out. I’m trying to do my best and be strong,” she said in the same interview with The Indianapolis Star.
Latoya Ammons Opened a New Chapter of Her Life With Her Family in Indianapolis
In between the major exorcisms, Latoya Ammons and Rosa Campbell moved out of the allegedly haunted house in Gary to a new home in Indianapolis, Indiana. Maginot blessed the house before the two women started living in the same. Ammons continued to have nightmares for a while, which ended when a piece of paper with a demon’s name was burned. She had to wait six months in Indianapolis to reconnect with her children, who reunited with their mother and grandmother in November 2012. “It was just awesome. I hadn’t been that happy in God knows how long,” Ammons added about regaining the custody of her children. The DCS closed the case in 2013.
As of 2021, Ammons lived with Campbell and three children in Indianapolis. After reuniting with her kids, she decided not to remain stuck in the past. “We [Ammons and her children] don’t talk about it. They’re healthy and happy. All they wanted to know and be sure of was, ‘Are we safe here [Indianapolis]?’ And I believe yes, [we] are. They don’t remember any of the time they were possessed,” she told Daily Mail. After the move, Ammons didn’t hear the alleged demonic voices and complaints from her children. She started believing that God resolved her problems.
Latoya Ammons Started Leading a Private Life Following Overwhelming Attention and Backlash
In 2014, Ammons opened up about her experiences to publications such as The Indianapolis Star and Daily Mail as a testament to the power of God. “Sometimes it bothers me that I know people don’t believe it. But I want to give my testimony. God saved my life. He saved my family’s life. I want this message to go out to non-believers because if you have witnessed the demon, you have to know there is a Higher Power,” Ammons added to Daily Mail. In April 2014, she optioned the rights to her life story to Relativity.
After the production company went bankrupt, Tucker Tooley, one of the producers of ‘The Deliverance,’ gained the rights. Ammons is attached to the film as the associate producer. After The Indianapolis Star published her story, she struggled to deal with the attention she received. People showed up at her house and Facebook account. Some even falsely claimed that she was friends with them. CNN and Syndication’s talk show ‘The Dr. Oz Show’ requested her interviews, but she chose to appear only on an episode of ‘Inside Edition.’
“I figured that we would get some type of uproar, that I would get uproar from… my hometown, but I never imagined that it would go viral. I never knew. I never thought it would do that,” Ammons said in a different 2014 The Indianapolis Star interview. When negative comments accumulated on social media platforms, she stopped accessing them. “They can say whatever they want to say. I’m fed up with the backlash,” she added. Ammons does not currently have an active social media presence. After the overwhelming reaction she received upon opening up about her experiences, she has chosen to stay away from the spotlight to lead a private life.
On October 8, 2021, Ammons’ youngest son passed away in her “arms while she prayed for him,” as per his obituary. The family hasn’t publicized his cause of death. Lee Daniels crafted ‘The Deliverance’ to emphasize the power of God, which aligns with Ammons’ intention behind sharing her experiences with the world.
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