Oklahoma: Puckett’s Ghost

An American television series, “My Ghost Story” highlights people who have witnessed something strange that they feel is paranormal in nature. 

This show is compelling because most of these witnesses are not ghost hunters. Instead, they are people who are recounting a story that took them off guard or by surprise. 

The stories these people share are good examples that hauntings occur more often than most people realize.

One episode that stands out is about a ghost that was spotted at Puckett’s Wrecker Service located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 

On June 30, 2002, a resident of Oklahoma City, Tracy Martin, a 33-year old mother of twins, tragically sustained fatal injuries when she fell asleep at the wheel of her truck which then crashed. 

The police investigation determined that if Mrs. Martin had been wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash her injuries most likely would not have been fatal. 

Her wrecked red truck was towed to Puckett’s auto storage lot.

Eighteen days later on July 18 an overnight dispatcher at Puckett's, Kathy Henley saw a strange and startling image on the companies surveillance monitor. She watched as a female figure wearing overalls floated around the cars parked in the wrecking yard. 

This image was recorded the same day the truck had been moved to the front lot so Martin’s insurance company could pick it up. Employees came to believe that what they were seeing was Tracy Martin looking for her truck.

Martin’s family after viewing the images the security camera caught were convinced it was their relative. They stated that Tracy was wearing her favorite overalls that she had worn in a recent family portrait. 

They felt that it was just like Tracy to try and send them a message.

Since this surveillance video was captured, many paranormal researchers have viewed it. They all agree that it is authentic. 

On the other hand, one skeptical group feels that this image is faked. They state that it is just the old stage illusion called Pepper's Ghost. In another post entitled, Pepper's Ghost Illusion, I wrote about this illusion and how it works.

When this story aired on “My Ghost Story,” they interviewed Kathy Henley and other witnesses, including a police officer. These two share what they saw on the monitor.  

Four cameras were filming the area that night, and only one picked up the image. The officer points out that this image was shot at almost the exact time when Martin's accident had happened and that he could see through the image to items behind it.

Here is a news report that interviews one witness and shows the image the video captured.