Zombies – The Real Story of Undead (Part 3)

More modern cases of zombies of Haiti.

If the Davis’ research was valid of not, there are more modern studies that are involving real zombies. The English medical journal The Lancet published incredible article on October 11, 1997 edition, volume 350, examining three clinical cases of actual zombification in south of Haiti from the years 1996 to 1997. The whole article was describing three cases of real zombies.

The first case is involving subject only know as FI. FI died in the age of 30 as a result of  a febrile illness. FI was buried and 3 years later she suddenly reappeared. Her family, her husband and also priest recognized her. When they found her, she was delirious, couldn’t talk and she was also unable to feed herself. The family opened her grave, found out it was empty and after that they started to suspected that she is a zombie. They didn’t know what to do so they admitted her to psychiatric hospital. After complex examination the doctors didn’t find anything, what could cause her odd behavior – she refused to speak, walked slow and stiffly and her head was always lowered. And she looked younger than her age.  She was officially diagnosed  with catatonic schizophrenia.

A Haitian zombie, circa 1983. Photo: E. Wade Davis

The second case, 26 year old subject known as WD, a son of a secret policeman. WD became sick with unexplainable illnes at the age 18 and died 3 days after. WD showed up 19 months later on a cock fight, where was also his father. He was kept in the father’s house and was chained to a wood so he couldn’t wander off.  He was also examined by doctors. They also stated, that he looked younger. He was always sitting in odd positions, he rarely spoke. The final diagnosis was organic brain syndrome and epilepsy with anoxia. But later DNA analysis showed that WD was not even the family’s real son and this case was only mistake.

Voodoo believers, when possessed, eat fire without harm. Photo: E. Wade Davis

The final case, known as MM was 31 year old woman. When she was 18, she joined praying session for a neighbor, that was believed turned into zombie. Shortly after this MM fell ill with diarrhea and died within few days. After the traditional funeral, MM appeared 13 years later in the market of the village she used to live.  She said, that she was eventually released after her bokor had died. MM was considered very “non zombie” type at first because over the time she gained most of her previous abilities. However, her story is not as simple as the previous two cases. MM was brought to the village she claimed she was imprisoned before she came back. On the local market, she was recognized by a woman, who said, that she was a local woman who disappeared 9 months before and was known to be slightly retarded. Now, both were claiming, that she was from their village and started to accusing each other from zombifying her. The official opinion was that the woman had been abducted or had run away to another village where she was mistakenly identified as another family’s dead daughter.

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So does the zombies exist? People of Haiti definitely agree. Zombies on Haiti are so “popular” that there are as many as up to one thousand new cases of zombifycation every year and it is even crime under Haitian Penal Code (Article 246).

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