History & Claims

Medium Impression by Violet Bloom

Miss Muriel (pronounced “Merle”) Baldridge was a beautiful vivacious 17-year-old cheerleader who grew up in a good family in Prestonburg, Kentucky, deep in the heart of Appalachia. Every year the townsfolk looked forward to a carnival the last week in June through the 4^th of July.

On June 27, 1949 Muriel went out with friends, first to the movies, and later to the carnival. Afterwards the girls walked home together and they parted ways at the historic West Prestonburg Bridge. One of her friends offered to walk her the rest of the way home, but Muriel had never been afraid to cross the bridge alone.

Muriel never made it home that night-she was brutally assaulted and murdered by someone lurking in the shadows. Her lifeless body was found under the bridge the next morning.

Even though police had several leading suspects, including carnival workers and respected members of the community, no one was ever convicted and her murder has never been solved. Seventy-six years later, only Muriel knows exactly what happened that night.

Her killer was never on anyone’s radar. Muriel cannot find eternal peace until her killer has been identified and named, even though it is likely that he is already dead. If and when her case is ever solved, the spirit of this beautiful young girl will finally be at rest.

After her death, Muriel’s spirit attached to her bronzed baby shoes and baby portrait. When I saw a photograph of this haunted item, a steady stream of disturbing thoughts came to mind.

I feel that Muriel was a lovely young lady, chaste and uncorrupted. She was kind and sweet to everyone, but she was unfamiliar with the ways of the world. She didn’t realize that a kind word to the wrong person can be twisted into something quite dark and unnatural.

As Muriel walked home that night, she happened upon a young man on the bridge. They didn’t run in the same crowds, but whenever she saw him in town, she was always kind to him. This young man was a few years older than Muriel. He had lived a primitive life and he didn’t understand Muriel was simply unattainable.

His people lived on the side of the devil and he simply was unable to develop a moral compass. He fantasized about Muriel and because she was always kind to him, he thought she thought of him too.

That night on the bridge, Muriel wasn’t frightened as he stepped out of the dark. She trusted him blindly. The bridge was almost pitch black. Only a pale crescent moon hung in the sky. There were a few seconds of peace, which dissolved in an instant.

He tore at her clothes and began to touch her inappropriately. She screamed at the top of her lungs trying to fight him off. He fractured her skull, and as she lay dying he raped her. Then he disappeared into Appalachia’s unbridled primal wilderness.

Muriel’s spirit is restless, angry, and confused. I picked up the sound of her bronze shoes hitting the floor. I hear her screams, and heartbreaking pleas to a man named Ortho. He took what he wanted, without any guilt. I have to tell you this impression left me feeling sick and nauseated.

I recommend using a digital recording device and a surveillance camera with night vision and audio capabilities to capture Muriel’s spirit activities. If you notice cold spots in the room, the spirits are absorbing heat to be able to manifest their activities. Lighting candles, playing happy music, and singing along will boost the energy of Muriel’s spirit and she will become more active. This is a method historically used by mediums at seances and these are the fastest ways to help spirits energize and ultimately communicate.