Original unretouched image taken by Carla Baron w/ cell phone
Date: March 6, 2009 @ 5:30am PT
Location: Cellblock D – Alcatraz
This photo was taken by me during my MysteryQuest location shoot for History Channel. It was snapped in the very early morning hours in Cellblock D at the infamous Alcatraz prison compound. (In fact, I still have this photo saved on that very same cell phone.) Low resolution. No flash. Nothing but me taking what I thought would be a few interesting shots while I had an hour to kill, and the production crew were setting up for the walkthroughs and interviews that morning.
As there was no light source whatsoever inside the individual cell units on D-Block, I had to shine a utility flashlight inside the cells while taking photos. I really didn’t expect to see anything as I did this, making my way deeper into the haunting dark corridors. I usually end up taking over 100-150 photos when on location in order to get maybe 40 or so really nice ones. Now granted… I am not a professional photographer, by any means, but I do have an “eye,” it seems – sensing when & where to capture an image. Maybe one day, I’ll graduate to a real camera. 😉
I knew Alcatraz to be a foreboding structure, housing many dark & twisted spirits that remain indefinitely trapped within those icy cold concrete walls – fusing together their own perception of justifiable Hell. But I still did not know exactly what I would sense psychically there until we were ferried to the island by charter boat that particularly brisk, windy March morning, arriving with the rest of the film crew in the wee hours of 4am Pacific time.
It happened to be my grandfather’s birthday that day. He had passed away a while ago, but I often thought of him and my grandmother – they were the ones who used to take me to my first psychic, Mary, when I would come to visit. So it was I thought of him that morning, wishing him well .. telling him I loved him .. was he taking care of my grandmother? That sort of conversation we all have had at one time with relatives, friends, loved ones who have crossed over.
Carla’s Checklist:
Cellblock D. ✓
Cell phone charged. ✓
Utility flashlight at the ready. ✓
Snap, snap .. snap, snap, snap.
Had an eerie feeling as I wandered the prison halls, eyeing posted notices, mug shots of some of the most gruesome, violent criminals of the day – Al Capone, Doc Barker (the last surviving member of the Ma Barker gang,) Floyd Hamilton (gang member/ driver for Bonnie & Clyde), George “Machine Gun” Kelly, and the “Birdman” himself – Robert Franklin Stroud.
The filming went well, and I was exhausted as I had only 2 hours sleep before having to get my midnight breakfast @ Denny’s, take a shower, hair and makeup. I boarded the public ferry back to the mainland around 11am so that I could pack my bag, and get to the airport in time for my flight back to L.A.
It was on the ferry I started to flip through some of my cell phone shots to see what I had captured, if anything. And then ..
WHAT? What the hell was that on my screen? Some big burst of light. Wait – oh yeah … I can “zoom” with this thing…
OMG.
I just sat there dumbfounded, my heart racing. I had never in my life seen an image like that up close. The detail was striking – her face, the hair, the empire bodice of her dress. What was she doing there? She certainly didn’t belong in this hideous place, not dressed like that!
Trying to calm down, I came to the realization this lovely woman may have been connected to me somehow – maybe this was her one chance, the perfect set of circumstances, lighting – no dramatic announcement ahead of time that she would make her presence known. Maybe this was my grandmother who had been so very close to me. She did look very similar when she was younger, as I recall from her photo albums.
Immediately, I had to call someone at the location. I called my segment producer. She said to forward the pic to her cell. “What IS that?!” is all she kept saying over & over. I called my other producer at History Channel who booked me for this gig, and she also wanted to see the photo right away. SHE WAS SILENT. I thought she hung up, or the call got dropped.. still silence. “That is UNBELIEVABLE! WHAT IS THAT?!” She wanted to know if it would be alright to show my “angel” photo to the execs @ History, as she just couldn’t believe her eyes. (I’m still on the phone with her as I’m about ready to board my flight back home. I said it was more than fine to share my photo as long as they were made aware it was mine, and how I came to take the snapshot.)
The execs @ History Channel paid me for use of the photo during the episode , along with the appropriate credits. Needless to say – they seemed impressed, and totally awestruck, as was I. There was not enough time to get my photo into the episode, as they had much to edit into the hour. However, I will never forget this as long as I live. Nor will they.
This is the most promising evidence of a full-bodied ghostly apparition I have ever witnessed or seen directly. (And I know – I took the photo, how convenient.)
But my story is true, and there are several production associates @ History Channel who bore witness to this amazing paranormal event.
There are ghosts.
Believe.
~.~
Psychic Carla Baron 