Man Buried Alive Returns 18 Years Later, Claims

A man declared dead in 1962 was seen alive nearly two decades later, claiming he had been turned into a zombie and enslaved. 🌐 #News #MiamiFL #Florida #WeirdNews

MIAMI, FL — It’s a story that made headlines here in Florida, and many locals are still trying to make sense of its bizarre claims. A man from Haiti, Clairvius Narcisse, was officially pronounced dead and buried in 1962—but in a stunning turn, he reappeared in his home village 18 years later, telling a chilling tale of forced zombification and years of labor under a sorcerer’s control. Let’s take a deep dive into this wild news story ripped from Miami newspapers decades ago…

A Sudden Death in Deschapelles

Narcisse fell gravely ill in April 1962, checking himself into a hospital in Deschapelles, Haiti, with severe symptoms including fever, chills, and coughing up blood. Over the next two days, his condition worsened until doctors declared him dead. Family members identified his body, and it was placed in cold storage for a full day before burial in his hometown of L’Estère.

That, by all official accounts, should have been the end of his story.

A man declared dead in 1962 was seen alive nearly two decades later, claiming he had been turned into a zombie and enslaved.

The Man Who Came Back

In 1980, nearly two decades after his funeral, a man approached Angelina Narcisse in a local marketplace and identified himself as her brother Clairvius. The man convinced not only Angelina but also other family members and villagers of his identity by recounting private details only the real Narcisse could have known.

His explanation stunned them all: he claimed he had been buried alive, later exhumed by a bokor—a sorcerer practicing Vodou—and turned into a zombie through the use of drugs and spiritual rituals. From there, he was allegedly forced to work alongside others in a remote sugar plantation, kept in a docile state until the death of the bokor allowed him to escape.

Years of Silence and a Timed Return

According to Narcisse, he had remained in hiding across various regions of Haiti for over 16 years, fearing retribution or recapture. It wasn’t until his brother’s death—one of the few family members who may have been involved in his zombification—that he felt safe returning to L’Estère.

He told researchers that a land dispute within his family may have prompted one of his siblings to arrange the ordeal as a form of punishment or removal. Once he believed the threat was gone, he made his way home.

A Case That Sparked Scientific Curiosity

The bizarre story captured the attention of both scientists and anthropologists. Haitian psychiatrist Lamarque Douyon, who had studied similar cases of so-called zombification, deemed the account credible enough to investigate further. He interviewed Narcisse personally and reviewed the original death certificate and hospital records, confirming that someone matching Narcisse’s identity had in fact been declared dead.

In the mid-1980s, Harvard-trained ethnobotanist Wade Davis traveled to Haiti to study the case. He theorized that Narcisse had been dosed with a powerful neurotoxin—tetrodotoxin—capable of inducing paralysis and a death-like state. Davis also speculated that a second drug, likely derived from plants such as Datura, had been used to keep him in a hallucinatory, compliant state.

Skepticism Among Experts

While Davis’s research was published widely and later dramatized in books and film, his findings drew criticism from the scientific community. Some researchers disputed the chemical composition of the supposed “zombie powder,” noting inconsistencies in its reported ingredients. Others argued that psychological or cultural factors may have played a stronger role than toxins in shaping these kinds of cases.

Still, the story of Clairvius Narcisse remains the most well-documented and widely studied account of alleged zombification in Haitian history.

Did You Know?

The term “zombie” originated from Haitian folklore and Vodou beliefs, referring to a reanimated body controlled by a sorcerer (National Geographic).
Tetrodotoxin, the neurotoxin believed to mimic death, is most commonly found in pufferfish and is 1,200 times more toxic than cyanide (CDC).
Haiti’s legal code once included a statute classifying zombification as equivalent to murder, recognizing the cultural weight of the phenomenon (Haitian Penal Code, Article 246).

Moment for Reflection

Sometimes, the most unbelievable stories hold quiet lessons about faith, fear, and the enduring will to return home. Clairvius Narcisse’s journey, whether physical or spiritual, reminds us that even when buried by the world—literally or figuratively—our path back to the light can never be fully blocked. With time, truth often finds a way to rise again. May we all hold space in our hearts for second chances and the mystery of the unknown.

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RELATED TOPICS: Florida | Haiti | Paranormal | Weird News