THE STORY
Reported Haunting
Employees at the Otero County Courthouse in Alamogordo have reported an apparition dressed in an early-1900s suit, doors closing or slamming on their own, unexplained falling objects, cold chills, and even the sensation of being touched by an unseen presence.
The Otero County Courthouse in Alamogordo, New Mexico, has been the subject of numerous paranormal reports from employees who work inside the building. Witnesses have described seeing the apparition of a young man dressed in a suit resembling clothing from the early 1900s. Maintenance worker Kenneth Shaffer reported doors that had been propped open suddenly slamming shut and unexplained cold chills while walking through the courtroom. Another courthouse employee, Teresa Gonzalez, said she felt someone pull her hair while she was alone in a restroom. Employees have also reported objects falling without explanation, including a donation jar and a bowl near an X-ray machine, incidents reportedly captured on surveillance footage. One theory among staff associates the activity with a man who allegedly died by suicide in the building during the late 1960s or early 1970s, although that identification has not been definitively established. The present courthouse building dates to the mid-1950s and replaced an earlier courthouse constructed at the beginning of the twentieth century.