Paranormal Case: The Exorcism of Anneliese Michel

Anneliese Michel (21 September 1952 – 1 July 1976) was born in the town of Klingenberg in Germany. When she was 17, she started suffering from convulsions and epileptic seizures. The exact diagnosis made at the time (1969) was Grand Mal epilepsy. 

Her and her family were fervent Catholics  and it was not uncommon for Anneliese to perform penance for the sins of others. When Annelise started to claim that she was hearing demonic voices and seeing devilish faces during the day, many people worried that she may be possessed. She was unofficially diagnosed during a pilgrimage where she was said to emit a hellish smell, and was observed avoiding images of Jesus as well as holy water.

Between 1973 and 1975 she was committed to a psychiatric hospital where drugs did nothing to help her condition. Finally, her parents gave up on hospital care, seeking only the help of Catholic exorcists Father Arnold Renz and Pastor Ernst Alt.

Over a 10 month period, Annelise had gone through 67 exorcisms, as the exorcists tried to cast out the demons possessed her. When asked, Annelise claimed that she was possessed by Hitler, Nero, Cain, Judas Iscariot, and even Lucifer.

Anneliese at this time was refusing medical care, refusing to eat, and talking about her death being a form of atonement for other people’s sins.

On 1 July 1976, Anneliese died in her sleep. The autopsy report stated her cause of death as malnutrition and dehydration from almost a year of semi-starvation while the rites of exorcism were performed. She weighed 30.91 kilograms.

The Exorcism of Anneliese Michel