The caretaker of an abandoned hospital tonight recalls on Ghost Adventures how he has been repeatedly choked in his sleep by what he believes is an unseen evil force.
Phelps Dodge Hospital was built next to the huge New Cornelia open-pit copper mine near Ajo, Arizona, to serve the local community of miners.
But when the pit shut in 1983 the hospital died with it, leaving it abandoned. Today it is looked after by caretaker Ignacio, who has experienced a large amount of what he believes is paranormal activity within his walls.
Some instances have seen him apparently attacked in the night and choked while he is sleeping.
He tells Zak Bagans and the Ghost Adventures crew how he then wakes up “gasping” for air — something which the team attempt to capture on camera during the episode.
While patrolling the old hospital at night, Ignacio has also heard doorknobs rattling and shaking and doors slamming. He says he feels a particularly high level of paranormal activity while inside the old operating room, where surgeries would take place.
Before it closed its doors, countless people died in the hospital and Zak and his crew believe the fact the ground it is built on has a high metallic and mineral content this amplifies the paranormal activity and energy in the area.
Watch footage of Zak at the hospital below as he explains how there are multiple layers — including the fact Native American land has been disturbed by the mining activities — that could be leading to the apparent negative energy.
He says: “This hospital was built for all the miners that died and all the different injuries and we saw all the death here.
“And once we start peeling back the layers of history we’re discovering a lot of unique events that could conntribute to a negative spirit here — rough and tough miners that murdered people, committed suicide.
“You’ve got Native American land here and, you know, it’s disturbed. You know, there’s a huge hole in it, and they just left it like that.
“So many different layers that could be contributing to the negativity here.”
Ghost Adventures airs Saturdays at 9/8c on Travel Channel.