The mystery of the bleeding house

In short
On 8 September 1987, at William and Minnie Winston’s home at 1114 Fountain Drive, Atlanta, stains of type O human blood appeared on the floors and walls. Both of them had type A blood and neither was injured. The police investigated, but the case was never solved.

In 1987, stains of human blood were found in a house in the city of Atlanta. But the blood did not belong to anyone who lived there, and the house was nicknamed the bleeding house.

The bleeding house on Fountain Drive

On 8 September 1987, 77-year-old Minnie Winston was in the bathroom when she noticed bloodstains on the floor. Frightened, she looked for her husband, thinking he might be hurt, but when she shouted his name William Winston, 79, appeared without a scratch. In fact, he too was surprised by the bloodstains on the floor.

After searching the house, the Winstons discovered that the bloodstains were everywhere: in the bathroom, in the kitchen, in the basement, on the walls, under the television. The house, a 1945 brick bungalow at 1114 Fountain Drive in the Mozley Park neighbourhood, was locked and the alarm was on. Frightened, they decided to call the police.

The officers noted that there were no signs of a break-in and that the couple had no injuries. They took a sample of the red liquid to examine it, and the results left everyone stunned. It was type O human blood. Minnie and William Winston both had type A blood, so it was established beyond doubt that the blood was not theirs. But whose was it?

The investigation

The police treated the case as a crime scene, even though there seemed to have been no crime. Police reports state that “abundant quantities of blood” were found in the house. The news made the papers, and hundreds of journalists and onlookers turned up at the house on Fountain Drive.

Unlike many other cases of paranormal (or allegedly paranormal) events, the Winstons did not seek media attention. In fact, they were rather annoyed by the unwanted attention and did not want to give interviews. The investigation, led by Detective Steve Cartwright, went on, but the mystery remains unsolved to this day.

Theories

The writer Curt Rowlett, in his book “Labyrinth13: True Tales of the Occult, Crime & Conspiracy”, claims to have interviewed Mrs Winston after interest in the case had died down, and that she told him the stains were not blood but water mixed with rust. The police tests of course contradict this, but the woman never believed it was a supernatural event, perhaps because she did not want to admit she lived in a house haunted by some spirit.

Theories in this case range from the paranormal to the more rational. Supporters of the paranormal theory claim the house may have been the scene of a murder in the past. But the Winstons had lived there for a good 20 years and had never experienced anything paranormal before.

The more rational theories suggest that someone put the blood in the house, as a prank or to get something out of it. One of the theories reported at the time pointed at William Winston himself: being on dialysis, he could in theory have had access to human blood. But nothing was ever proven. It is generally ruled out that the couple staged it all to attract media attention, especially since they never wanted to give interviews or appear on TV programmes.

Who would have had an interest in doing such a thing? And how did they get the blood and get into the house on Fountain Drive without leaving a trace?

The case is still unsolved and is one of the very few in which human blood was found in a house with no explanation. A similar case may be that of Jackie Hernandez. In her case, however, the liquid oozing from the walls was not actual blood but plasma.

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