For the most part, an imaginary companion is exactly that—an invention of a child’s mind. Kids across the globe conjure them, leave an empty chair at meals, argue over candy, and treat them like any other playmate. Yet, occasionally, the notion of an unseen buddy hides something far more unsettling. These 10 perplexing stories reveal how imagined friends have become the centerpiece of bizarre crimes, eerie legends, and unsettling psychological cases.
10 Perplexing Stories Overview
Below you will discover ten chilling accounts where invisible confidants have spurred violence, mystery, and madness. From courtroom testimonies to internet folklore, each tale shows just how powerful a phantom pal can become.
10 The Murder Of Ricky Cole
Ricky Cole engaged in a string of assaults and alleged murders until a young man named Jason Cote delivered a fatal blow with a pipe in 2013, ending Cole’s violent streak.
During the trial, Cote’s attorney testified that Cole maintained an imaginary companion residing in a black box, calling itself Vern. According to the testimony, Vern whispered instructions to Cole, urging him to maim and kill. Cote claimed he overheard these unsettling conversations and, fearing for his own safety, took matters into his own hands.
Defense counsel argued self‑defense, suggesting that drugs found in Cole’s system could have induced psychosis and possibly birthed the Vern persona. Prosecutors, however, insisted that Cote murdered Cole in cold blood after the latter refused to supply the drugs Cote demanded.
In 2016, Jason Cote received a 45‑year prison sentence.
9 The Boy In The Closet
When three‑year‑old Rebecca began mentioning a new friend named Jonathon, her parents brushed it off as typical toddler imagination. She grew fixated on her closet, insisting Jonathon lived inside, yet the family dismissed the claim as harmless.
After Rebecca’s mother became pregnant again, the family moved to a larger home to accommodate the upcoming baby. Rebecca seemed to outgrow Jonathon, and the parents stopped paying attention. Several months later, the new occupants of their former house contacted Rebecca’s father, reporting a hidden trapdoor at the back of a closet. Beneath it lay a small cavity containing a box.
The box held baby photographs and infant clothing, all stamped with the word “Jonathon’s.”
8 Karl‑Anthony Towns’s Alter Ego
At 21, NBA star Karl‑Anthony Towns became the third‑youngest player in three decades to record at least 45 points and 15 rebounds in a single game. In 2015, Sporting News ran a piece after fans noticed Towns speaking to someone unseen during play.
The article revealed that Towns confessed to having an imaginary friend that evolved into an alter ego he called Karlito. He described Karlito as a “little voice” perched on his shoulder during games. Teammate Tyler Ulis added that when Towns appeared to stare at the floor and speak softly, he was actually conversing with Karlito. This inner voice allegedly helps Towns resist reacting negatively to coaches’ criticism, and the coaching staff seemed unbothered as long as Karlito’s influence remained positive.
7 January Schofield’s Imaginary Friends
By the age of four, January Schofield was surrounded by a legion of imaginary companions that overwhelmed her parents. Some of these “friends” commanded her to harm the family dog and even her newborn brother. Whenever she attempted to strike her infant sibling, her father had to restrain her, after which she would bite him somewhere on his body. At school, she would hurl herself at windows and doors.
These outbursts lasted seconds to minutes, after which January would revert to the sweet, angelic child her parents knew. She was extraordinarily precocious, speaking grammatically correct sentences before age two and possessing the mental capacity of an 11‑year‑old by four. Nonetheless, she preferred the company of her imagined peers—little girls, dogs, and even rats—and refused to answer to her given name.
After multiple psychiatric evaluations, doctors diagnosed January with child‑onset schizophrenia, making her one of the youngest U.S. patients with the disorder. Adding to the family’s challenges, her brother Bodhi was diagnosed with autism at five, with a potential risk of developing schizophrenia as well.
6 Jess
In Lynne Gallagher’s book Psychic Kids, the author delves into unsettling incidents involving children and their unseen companions. One chilling narrative follows a couple—Lorenda and Ben—and their six‑year‑old daughter, Anna, who began speaking about a little girl named Jess and a dollhouse Jess forbade her from playing with.
Anna also began refusing to let the family dog enter her room, claiming Jess was terrified of the animal. While Lorenda expressed concern, Ben dismissed it as typical childhood imagination, and Lorenda eventually accepted his stance as Anna’s complaints escalated.
One night, the lights suddenly failed. Lorenda hurried to the living room, where Anna slept on a couch, and lit candles. In the dim glow, she saw a strange girl perched on the floor beside Anna, gently stroking the child’s hair and humming a lullaby. Lorenda screamed, but the girl remained silent. Only when the dog, Lulu, barked did the apparition jump, rush to the door, freeze, and emit a blood‑curdling scream before vanishing, leaving a pool of blood behind.
5 Bleeder
Rylan entered the world scarred by his mother’s meth use and a family history of bipolar disorder. Adopted by Kim and Ryan, he seemed destined for a brighter future—until, by age seven, he began swearing profusely and developing a disturbing fascination with knives.
The couple appeared on Dr. Phil, pleading for help as they feared Rylan might become a future mass murderer. During their segment, they showed footage of Rylan screaming and threatening to kill his mother and another woman, as well as a video of him mimicking a stabbing motion toward his parents whenever they tried to confiscate his “big knives.”
Rylan’s troubling behavior started early: before age two, he would hold his breath until he passed out. At three, he played with knives, and by six, he sliced off his own fingertips with a razor blade because his imaginary friend—a robot named Bleeder—ordered him to do so. Bleeder also urged him to murder his family. Dr. Phil offered standard advice, but no further updates on Rylan’s condition have emerged since the broadcast.
4 Eric
In January 2013, 19‑year‑old Logan Fischer restrained his girlfriend, duct‑taped her mouth, and attempted to smother her with a pillow. He also bound her hands behind her back and tried to choke her. Fortunately, she managed to reason with Logan, prompting him to release her. She then called her uncle, who alerted police, and fled to a nearby parking lot where officers awaited.
Logan pursued her to the lot and was promptly arrested. While being interrogated, he claimed that his childhood imaginary friend, Eric, had spoken to him during the incident, insisting that Eric—not Logan—had tied up the woman. He further alleged that Eric tried to persuade his girlfriend to cut him with a knife, which she refused. Police dismissed the story, and Logan faced charges of battery and strangulation.
3 Laughing Jack
Urban legend has it that Laughing Jack is a creepy clown who appears as a child’s imaginary friend, only to turn on them by slicing them open and stuffing their bodies with candy.
In 2015, a 12‑year‑old girl from Indiana set her house ablaze and then stabbed her stepmother to death. When questioned, she claimed that Laughing Jack had instructed her to commit the murder. Medical evaluation revealed she suffered from PTSD and dissociative identity disorder. Unable to be placed in a private facility, she was transferred to a state mental institution and deemed unfit for trial due to her mental health condition.
2 Meme Turned Myth Turned Imaginary Friend
In a case eerily similar to Laughing Jack’s, two 12‑year‑old girls from Wisconsin lured a friend into the woods during a slumber party in May 2014. They proceeded to stab her 19 times, nearly severing an artery near her heart. Miraculously, the victim survived.
When apprehended, the girls told police that the internet‑born figure Slender Man had commanded them to kill their friend, threatening to harm their families otherwise. Slender Man—a tall, faceless figure in a black suit—originated as a meme, evolved into a creepypasta, and eventually became an imagined foe for the girls, who believed he would welcome them into his mansion after the murder and that he could read their minds and materialize at will.
The girls also believed Slender Man would protect them, could appear instantly, and would read their thoughts.
1 Casey Anthony’s Made‑Up Life
In a verdict that shocked the nation, Casey Anthony was acquitted in 2011 of murdering her two‑year‑old daughter Caylee, despite substantial evidence pointing toward her guilt. She was only convicted of four misdemeanor charges, including providing false information to police.
The lies ran deep. Anthony fabricated an elaborate roster of imaginary friends and invented entire worlds for them, even concocting fictitious events. She claimed to have worked at Universal Studios, even leading police to the park before admitting the ruse.
She also told officers about a babysitter named Zenaida—nicknamed Zanny—who, she said, kidnapped Caylee because she believed Anthony was a bad mother. Anthony further fabricated a boyfriend named Jeff Hopkins who supposedly worked for Nickelodeon, inventing a mother for him who suffered from cancer. She even invented a father for her daughter, calling him Eric Baker, a man no one in her family had ever seen. Later, she told her mother that Baker had died in an accident.
Despite the web of deception and the glaring inconsistencies in her stories about her daughter’s disappearance and murder, Casey Anthony remains a free woman.
Estelle lives in Gauteng, SA.