Family Learns Strange ‘Odor’ Detected In Their House Is Actually An Ominous Sign
The Lutz family had never dreamed of living in such a big house, let alone one with a heated swimming pool, a finished basement, and waterfront access. But there was something about the beautiful colonial home that seemed to call to them. So, they happily moved in... only to flee just 28 days later. And now, we may finally know what happened to the Lutzes when they braved life in the Amityville Horror house.
112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville
Once, the windows of 112 Ocean Avenue were an unusual shape — almost triangular. When the lights were on, they looked like eerie eyes peering down at the street below. And back in the ’70s, these windows captivated the nation. For good reason, too, as unspeakable horrors had occurred right behind them.
Ronald DeFeo, Jr.
Before the house skyrocketed to fame in the late ’70s, it was where the DeFeo family lived. But according to oldest son Ronald DeFeo Jr., it wasn’t a happy home. He claimed that his father had routinely abused him, and that the only way he could endure the torment was by drinking and doing drugs.
November 13, 1974
Then again, DeFeo Jr. wasn’t exactly known for his dependability. He reportedly had trouble holding down his job, and he grew increasingly violent towards his father. Given his erratic behavior, then, it wouldn’t have been that unusual when he didn’t come home on November 13, 1974.
He screamed bloody murder
What was unusual, though, was what happened the next morning. At 6:30 a.m., DeFeo Jr. burst through the doors of a bar — the one he’d only left a few hours earlier — and started screaming, well, bloody murder. “You got to help me! I think my mother and father are shot!” he apparently shouted. But he was leaving out some crucial details.
