Viswa Vanapalli
Lifetime’s latest true crime offering, ‘Phrogging: Hider in My House,’ focuses on a startling phenomenon that left people scared for their safety in their own homes. Phrogging is a term used to describe strangers living in someone else’s home without their permission, sometimes for weeks and even months. The first episode details the stories of two women who went through this and lived to share their stories: Madisyn Gidrey and Brittany Campbell. So, let’s find out more about the two then, shall we?
What Happened to Madisyn Gidrey and Brittany Campbell?
Madison Gidrey lived in Greensboro, South Carolina, when she suddenly noticed that her clothes were missing. When she told her friends about it, they didn’t take her seriously, telling her that it was all in her head. However, things turned dark when she saw a handprint on her mirror that she didn’t make. On the show, Madisyn talked about how she suddenly realized someone was in her closet.
Madisyn then decided to confront that person and tried to bust the door open. However, there was pressure from the other end pushing against the door. When she opened it, she was in utter shock, and she saw a man inside. Suddenly, all the weird occurrences in her house began making sense. Elsewhere in Honolulu, Hawaii, a family of four discovered a stranger living in their house upon their return from a vacation in 2019.
Brittany and James Campbell had gone with their two sons to visit some family for a few days. But when they returned home on September 20, 2019, they noticed a strange man inside their house, trying to hold the door closed. James then picked up a sledgehammer while Brittany called 911. As he came out, they noticed that the intruder, later identified as Ezequiel Zayas, was wearing James’ clothes.
The police eventually arrested Ezequiel, and the Campbells discovered precisely what happened in their home while they were away. Apart from utensils piled on top of one another, there were weird concoctions in the kitchen. The couple’s belongings were strewn about, and bodily fluids were over their furniture. What was more unsettling was that the Campbells weren’t sure how long Ezequiel had been staying in the house.
There were some journal entries regarding Brittany undergoing fertility treatments, which they hadn’t told anyone about. The couple also found knives in their bedroom and a manifesto discussing sexual reconstruction surgeries and a hand transplant. Brittany said, “He wanted to play doctor on us — and not in the cute little kid way. [He wrote about] how he could make us into perfect people.”
For Brittany and James, the strange things happening in the house suddenly began making more sense. Things like unlocked doors and the webcam turning on, among other things. Brittany said, “He violated – he violated our family, he violated our home.” While Ezequiel was arrested, he was released soon after. However, he was taken into custody again on a charge of vandalism. It has been reported that Ezequiel was accused of murdering his cellmate in 2020.
Madisyn Gidrey and Brittany Campbell Are Focusing on Moving On
Madisyn has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and has previously worked part-time for Burlington and Amazon. She has been employed as an associate at a travel arrangement company for the past year. Madisyn still lives in Greensboro and seems to be doing much better now. As for Brittany, she and James married in 2018; they reconnected after knowing each other in high school. Brittany, a stay-at-home mom, and James, who is in the Navy, have since left Hawaii with their family. From what we can tell, they live in Iowa. Brittany said, “This is an incident that has really affected us psychologically as a family. It’s uprooted our entire lives. Recovering from this has been really difficult.”
Read More: The Meaning of Phrogging, Explained
