Holden Slaughter

Holden Slaughter is a freelance reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News, and Philadelphia Weekly, among others.  In the fall of 2015, Slaughter unwittingly wrote a series of stories about the horror that sleeps inside our fellow neighbors and loved ones.  At first, he didn't see the pattern.  The more individuals Holden interviewed the more he came to believe something very sinister was happening and that this story wasn't about people who simply sleepwalked.  

Holden is not believed to have contracted the virus.

Dear Holden,

Thank you for shining light on what's been happening in Philly.  When I read your piece about the boy who vanished I was heartbroken.  For the past few months I'll wake up to realize my bed is empty and my husband is not in the house.  Several times his shoes and jacket remained in the house but he was gone for hours.  He always comes home, gets back in bed, and in the morning has no knowledge of his activities the night before.  I don't know where he goes or what he does but I know he spends money.  One morning I found ten boxes of Twinkies in his car -- that's 100 Twinkies!  I've known my husband since high school, thirty two years.  My husband doesn't like sweets.

Sincerely                                                                                                                      

Martha C. from East Falls

Mr. Slaughter,

You should be ashamed of yourself.  Exploiting victims of a giant hoax is not journalism.  Just because you found some dots and connected them doesn't mean they actually connect.  Each sleepwalker you profile lacks evidence and I'm afraid you're stories are as meaningless as reporting on people who experience static electricity.  I teach high school science but also edit the school paper.  I've shown your suspicious methods to my students as an example of what NOT to do as a reporter.

Regards,

John M. Hecker   

Holden saw a pattern emerging but couldn't convince his editors to green-light a larger piece about the Philly sleepwalking trend.  He decided to pursue the project on his own.  As Holden dug deeper, his magazine piece evolved into something more the size and shape of a book.

Texts between Holden Slaughter and Charles MacNeil, his editor

Holden discovered Henry Rowe, who shot a treasure trove of YouTube videos capturing his sleepwalks as well as other bizarre behaviors seemingly attributed to the virus.   

Holden began to profile Henry Rowe and Stan Parks.

Holden abandoned his book project, which his editor claimed never had a title, for reasons still unknown.  Holden seems to have left the area or gone into hiding, I have not been able to contact him.

I was, however, able to get a hold of Charles MacNeil, Holden's editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer.  He supplied me with some text, video, and excerpts from Holden's unfinished book.


 Excerpt from Holden Slaughter's introduction of Henry Rowe:

 Henry Rowe