What Caused Don Decker's Mysterious Indoor Rain?

TL;DR

Water inexplicably emerged from the ceiling and walls of a Pennsylvania home while furloughed inmate Don Decker sat motionless inside. The landlord found no overflowing fixtures or plumbing above the affected area, and Decker displayed a strange smile and tense, moving fingers, prompting his friend Bob to conclude that something was wrong and call the police.

Transcript

today's story is about a series of very bizarre events that took place in 1983 that if they had not been so well documented nobody would have believed this story nine people including four police officers and one jail Warden officially testified that this stuff really happened but before we get into that story if you're a fan of the strange dark an... Read More

Key Insights

• Don Decker was a 21-year-old inmate serving a 4-to-12-month sentence for receiving stolen property when he received a temporary furlough to attend his grandfather's funeral on February 24, 1983.
• Decker's reaction to the funeral was intense anger rather than visible grief, and he sat apart from his family with clenched fists while relatives spoke positively about his grandfather.
• Decker believed that his deceased grandfather's lips moved inside the open casket, but the apparent movement did not repeat when he stood and continued watching the body.
• The bathroom became physically and uncomfortably cold while Decker washed his face, and he briefly thought that he saw an old man wearing a gold crown at the edge of the mirror.
• Deep scratches appeared across both of Decker's wrists after the bathroom experience, and he responded by pulling down his sleeves, concealing the injuries, and leaving the room without telling his hosts.
• Water began entering Bob and Jeanie Kyer's living room through the ceiling while Decker remained motionless on the couch, staring at the floor and showing no reaction to the growing disturbance.
• The landlord found no overflowing toilet, overflowing sink, audible running water, or plumbing above the affected part of the living room, leaving the source of the water unexplained.
• Decker displayed a contorted smile, exposed teeth, tightened hand tendons, and moving fingers as water spread from the ceiling to the walls, convincing Bob that something was seriously wrong.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why was Don Decker released from jail in February 1983?

Don Decker received a furlough, described as a temporary leave of absence, from the Monroe County Correctional Facility so he could attend his grandfather's funeral on February 24, 1983. He was 21 years old and serving a sentence of 4 to 12 months for receiving stolen property. Decker welcomed the opportunity primarily because it allowed him to leave jail briefly.

Q: How did Don Decker behave at his grandfather's funeral?

Don Decker sat in the last row, folded his arms, scowled, and clenched his fists while his relatives and other mourners cried and comforted one another. He did not speak with his family or approach the casket. His anger intensified as relatives praised his grandfather, and he eventually left after believing that the deceased man's lips had moved.

Q: What did Don Decker believe he saw in the open casket?

While concentrating on his grandfather's face in the open casket, Don Decker believed that he saw the dead man's lips move as though he were still alive. Decker stood so suddenly that his cousin stopped speaking and the other mourners turned toward him. The lips did not move again, and Decker left the funeral home without addressing anyone.

Q: What happened to Don Decker in Bob and Jeanie Kyer's bathroom?

Decker splashed cold water on his face in an attempt to calm his anger, but the bathroom then became so physically cold that he felt uncomfortable. He briefly believed that an old man wearing a gold crown appeared at the edge of the mirror. After turning and finding nobody there, Decker noticed deep scratches covering both of his wrists.

Q: How did Don Decker respond to the scratches on his wrists?

Decker reacted to the deep scratches by pulling down his sleeves to hide them. He did not investigate their source or tell Bob and Jeanie Kyer what had happened in the bathroom. Still unsettled by the cold room, the mirror image, and the marks, he turned off the water, hurried downstairs, and quietly joined his hosts for dinner.

Q: Where did the unexplained water first appear in the house?

The unexplained water first appeared in the living room when Bob heard what sounded like running water and then felt a drop land on his head. Looking upward, he saw water passing through the ceiling. He initially assumed that a pipe had burst, so he contacted the nearby landlord and asked him to inspect the apparent leak.

Q: Why could the landlord not explain the indoor water leak?

Bob and the landlord searched upstairs but found no obvious source. The toilet and sink were not overflowing, and they could not hear running water. When they examined the area directly above the affected part of the living room, the landlord said there was no plumbing there. Meanwhile, the leak expanded from the ceiling to the room's walls.

Q: Why did Bob decide that the police needed to be called?

Bob became alarmed because Decker remained motionless and stared at the floor while everyone else rushed around trying to locate the spreading water. When Bob asked whether he was all right, Decker did not answer or move normally. Instead, his mouth formed a strange smile, his lips pulled from his teeth, and his tense fingers began wiggling.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• On February 24, 1983, 21-year-old Don Decker attended his grandfather's funeral while temporarily released from the Monroe County Correctional Facility. Unlike the grieving mourners, Decker felt intense anger. After believing that he saw his grandfather's lips move inside the open casket, he abruptly left the funeral home without explaining himself.

• Decker visited Bob and Jeanie Kyer instead of joining his family after the funeral. In their bathroom, he experienced an uncomfortable drop in temperature, briefly saw what appeared to be an old man wearing a gold crown in the mirror, and discovered deep scratches across both wrists. He concealed the marks and hurried downstairs.

• After dinner, water began passing through the living-room ceiling while Decker sat silently staring at the floor. Bob and the landlord searched upstairs but found no overflowing toilet, sink, running water, or plumbing above the leak. The water then spread to multiple walls as Decker smiled strangely and moved his fingers.