Victim Tells All

This is the true case of a female ghost returning in order to reveal the person that murdered her.

This story first appeared in a book, Houses of Horror by Richard Winer. It was then showcased in an episode of the television show Unsolved Mysteries in April of 1990.

In 1977, Allen Showery an African American hospital orderly was called in for questioning by the Chicago police. He knew what it was about.

The Victim

Born in the Philippines in 1929, Teresita Basa was a quiet and unassuming respiratory therapist at Edgewater Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. In February of 1977 the fire department was called to her apartment.

Teresita Basa

In the blaze her nude body was found under a burning mattress with a butcher knife buried in her chest.

The police pursued several leads but none panned out.

A Vision

In 1977, Remy Chua another respiratory therapist at the hospital also from the Philippines saw a disturbing sight in the Edgewater employee lounge. She saw the ghost of Teresita in this area.

Chua who had not known Teresita very well then started to have strange visions and dreams.

In these visions and dreams Teresita implored Chua to go to the police and tell them what had happened.

Chua started to take on mannerisms and habits that were not her own. At one point her coworkers heard her singing a song. Later she denied singing this song stating she didn’t even know it.

As things worsened Chua collapsed on her bed one night. Teresita’s voice taking over informed Joe--Remy’s husband a doctor--that Showery had killed her. When Joe asked for proof so others would believe him she listed jewelry that her murderer had stolen from her home.

The couple reluctantly approached the Chicago police who at first were skeptical. Detective Joe Stachula felt the Chua’s had given them enough information to implicate Allan Showery.

Confession and Conviction

As relatives identified jewelry found in Showery’s home as belonging to Teresita--he broke down and confessed to the crime.

He had been invited to Teresita’s home to fix her TV. He killed her and took her jewelry to give to his girlfriend.

Showery was convicted of murder in 1979. He was only given a 14-year sentence for this cold-blooded crime.

Allan Showery

Remaining Mystery

Remy has never had another experience like this one.

She and her husband and others involved in this case have not been able to explain what happened to her in 1977.

Footnote: The Edgewater Hospital building today is abandoned and many believe it is haunted.

Here is the Unsolved Mysteries 11-minute story about this case. At the time of this production the names of the couple were changed.