(Publisher’s Note: This article is fictional.)
Ohio County Sheriff Howard Thomas revealed today he escorted the female apparition discovered inside a former Roney’s Point medical facility last weekend on a tour of neighborhoods in the area of downtown Wheeling.
The excursion, Thomas explained, took place after the “lost soul” apparently circled an area of Wheeling on a map placed on a table inside the conference room where the ghost has remained since she was transported to the sheriff’s office late Saturday night. East Wheeling and the Tunnel Green Recreational Park were the first areas covered, and then the sheriff covered Center Wheeling, South Wheeling, and Wheeling Island.
“I was hoping there would be a reaction,” Thomas said. “We drove up and down every street in those neighborhoods because I thought if we went past a house or an apartment building, she would recognize it and react to it. That didn’t happen, though. She just sat in the backseat and was pretty much still.
“I’m not sure what I expected,” the sheriff admitted. “Like I said the other days, she hasn’t walked through any walls or anything like that, so we don’t know what she’s capable of. We know what we have seen in the movies, but who knows if any of that is possible.”
Rubberneckers Galore
The sheriff confirmed the ride-along lasted more than three hours and that residents along the traveled streets were curious to see the apparition for themselves. Thomas was unaware if the spirit is visible to others or if she only allows for him and other deputies to see her. He said he is contemplating inviting one of the three county commissioners to the office building at 51 16th Street in downtown Wheeling.
“Since I was first elected in 2016, I told the residents of Ohio County that I would be as transparent as possible unless the media’s questions are about an ongoing investigation,” he said. “In this case, I just don’t know a lot of the answers to the questions I’ve been asked since Sunday. All we really know is that she asked us to take her home, and that she reacts when someone walks into the room. Other than that, she’s not made any other sounds.
“If one of the commissioners can see her, then we’ll know she is visible to others,” he explained. “But honestly, when I took her for the ride, I had the cruiser at the back of the building and that’s how she left and re-entered the office. We really didn’t want the large crowd of media people to cause any traffic problems along 16th Street.”
Sheriff Thomas said more areas will be visited in the near future, but he refused to divulge the schedule and where he and the spirit would visit next because he wishes to avoid creating issues involving traffic and privacy. The ghost has remained at the sheriff’s office since he and deputies responded to reports of screams at a former medical facility at Roney’s Point near Valley Grove.
When deputies and Sheriff Thomas arrived at the scene, they did not hear screams but did observe a light on the inside of the dilapidated structure. After entering the building, they encountered the glowing poltergeist that delivered only one message: “Take me home.” The ghost appears to be a female wearing only a hospital gown and a wedding ring on her left hand.
