“The Staircase”: About That Owl Theory
Fans of Netflix’s popular docu-series “The Staircase” have their own theories about the mysterious death of Kathleen Peterson.
Was it him?
Or him?
Well, “Hoo you lookin’ at?”
The last thing anyone wants to see is one of these fierce-looking tree-dwellers flying straight towards them, sharp talons extended as it prepares to latch onto the scalp. And that’s exactly what Larry Pollard, a friend and neighbor of the now-free but convicted felon Michael Peterson, says he believes happened to Kathleen Peterson on the night a jury was led to believe her husband, Michael, killed her.
Early on in “The Staircase”, a 13-part docu-series originally produced in 2004 in France that both confuses, confuddles, frustrates and leaves us longing for more, we learn that Kathleen’s apparent tumble down a flight of stairs looked a lot more like a murder then a fall. Photos of her shaved head surfaced early on in the investigation, leading detectives (and later the prosecuting team) to believe she had been struck multiple times with a large, blunt object (the notorious “blowpoke” as referenced in the film.) While strictly circumstantial, the prosecution still achieved a guilty verdict, but many who have followed the case or have now learned about it from the series were never convinced that her husband Michael killed her OR that she fell down a flight of stairs.
Hence, the Owl Theory.
Mr. Pollard, a long-time friend and neighbor of the Peterson’s, has suggested that microscopic owl feathers where found in Kathleen Peterson’s hand, mixed together with her own hair, during her autopsy, suggesting that she perhaps attempted to fight off an owl attack. And the long, narrow marks found on her scalp appeared to be consistent with those of an owl’s talons. On top of that, there had been reports of owl activity in the neighborhood only weeks prior.
So, what do fans of “The Staircase” have to say about all of this? There are the believers:
And the naysayers:
And those who just don’t know:
In terms of the owl suspect, witnesses have helped the Durham County Police come up with a composite drawing, now being distributed widely throughout the region:
If you see him, don’t attempt to apprehend him as he’s armed and dangerous, but do contact the Durham County Police Department immediately.
