During the summer of 1983, in a quiet town near Minneapolis, Minnesota, the charred body of a woman was found the the oven of an old farmhouse. A video camera was also found in the kitchen, standing on a tripod and pointing at the oven. No tape was found in the camera at the time. Although the case was originally labeled as a homicide by the police, an unmarked VHS tape was later discovered at the bottom of the farms well (which had apparently dried up earlier that year).
Despite its worn condition, and the fact that it contained no audio, police were still able to view the contents of the tape. It depicted a woman video taping herself in front of a video camera (seemingly using the same camera the police had found in the kitchen). After positioning the camera to face both her and the oven behind her in the image, the tape showed her turning on the oven, opening the door, crawling inside, and closing the door behind her. Eight minutes into the video, the oven can be seen shaking violently, after which point thick black smoke can be seen emanating from it. For the remaining 45 minuted of the video, until the batteries of the camera died, it remained in its stationary position.
To avoid disturbing the local community, the police never released any information about the tape, or even the fact that it was found. Police were also unable to determine who put the tape in the well, or why the height and stature of the woman in the video didnt come close to matching the body they found in the oven.
