The Wildest Story You Ever Heard Happened Right Here in Kansas

If you're from Kansas, you've likely heard your fair share of lore that's come out of the state. Between the 1850s debacle between Kansas cities, Nebraska, and Missouri, known as "Bleeding Kansas," the cowtowns around the same era that made the state eventually known for its cattle and ranching industry, and its inclusion in the infamous movie The Wizard of Oz, there are plenty of legends—both real and imaginary—that made the Sunflower State what it is today.

One of the weirdest things that happened in Kansas, however, has to be the story of Pam Babcock, a woman from the small town of Ness City who sat on the toilet for so long that her skin grew to the seat. Strange, we know, but it's a story many of us locals have heard of before, and likely chalked it up to myth. But it really happened, and though it sounds like something from frontier times, it actually happened in the 2000s. Read on to see what happened.

The Story of Pam Babcock From Ness City, Kansas

Ness City is a pretty small and sleepy town. Established in 1878, the town is rich with history from the pioneer days, agricultural heritage, and stories of its once-largest skyscraper, the Ness County Bank Building, also known as "the Skyscraper of the Plains." Needless to say, nothing of enormous note has happened there since.

But in 2008, Ness City police were called to the home of a man who was reportedly concerned about his girlfriend, Pam Babcock. Upon entering the home, police discovered her sitting on the toilet, where she had allegedly sat for the last two years.

Medical Intervention Helped Save Her Life

It didn't take long for the officers to discover that the 35-year-old woman was stuck to the seat... but how? Come to find out, she had sat on the seat for so long that she developed open sores and her skin had started to grow around the seat. How did she live so long? According to an article in The Guardian, her boyfriend brought her food and water multiple times a day, claiming that each day he asked her if she would move, and she typically said, "Maybe tomorrow."

After refusing medical intervention, Babcock finally gave in and was taken to the hospital to have the seat removed with a pry bar. Conflicting reports stated that the woman, identified as Pam Babcock, only sat on the toilet for a month, but may have been in the bathroom of their mobile home for almost two years. Charges were later pressed against her boyfriend, Kory McFarren, for the mistreatment of a dependent adult.

How Did This Strange Kansas Story End?

In July of 2008, McFarren was sentenced to six months in prison, but after Babcock asked for leniency, he got off on probation instead. She believed that what happened to her wasn't McFarren's fault. Still, she was moved in with a guardian after the debacle, courtesy of the legal department, to keep her safe.

There doesn't seem to be anything online about Babcock regarding her current life. That said, McFarren did get charged with unrelated crimes that same year. Then, weirdly, he won $20,000 in the Kansas state lottery twice by October 2008.

While this story may sound strange, it did happen, and fortunately, Babcock was saved and moved into safer living conditions. If you're a local, you may have heard about this story or other wild happenings throughout the years. What is the strangest story you ever heard come out of the Sunflower State? There are plenty of wild and weird facts about Kansas, but many don't compare to the one we just retold.