About This Location
For years, locals have reported paranormal activity on Marsh Road above Milpitas - sightings of a ghostly girl and unaccounted-for screams echoing through the hills. The road's dark reputation is tied to a real tragedy that made national headlines.
The Ghost Story
Marsh Road above Milpitas has become a rite of passage for local high school students seeking the supernatural. Unlike most urban legends, the tragedy behind this haunting is well-documented and all too real.
On a dark night in 1981, fourteen-year-old Marcy Renee Conrad, a Milpitas student, was murdered and left on the side of Marsh Road by her sixteen-year-old boyfriend, Jacques Broussard. The case made national headlines not only for its brutality but for the disturbing response from local teenagers—Broussard reportedly showed Marcy's body to friends, and none of them contacted authorities. It took two days for police to learn of the murder.
The story was so disturbing that it inspired the 1986 film "River's Edge," starring Keanu Reeves and Crispin Glover, which depicted a fictionalized version of the events and the moral numbness of the teenagers who witnessed the aftermath.
Since Marcy's death, locals have reported a variety of paranormal phenomena on Marsh Road. Many have heard screams echoing through the hills and seen the ghost of a young woman walking down the road, her form appearing briefly before vanishing. Strange lights have been spotted, and visitors report overwhelming vertigo and the sensation of having conversations with people who aren't there.
The road has been closed to vehicle traffic for years, but that hasn't stopped curious ghost-hunters from exploring on foot. For generations of Milpitas high school students, seeking out the ghost of Marcy Conrad has become an unofficial tradition—a way of confronting both the supernatural and the very real evil that human beings are capable of.
Some locals also speak of a "crazy albino" who chases trespassers in a white truck with his lights off. Whether this is a separate legend or an extension of Marsh Road's reputation for the strange remains unclear. A cemetery higher up on Calaveras Road is also said to be haunted, with visitors reporting voices speaking over their shoulders when no one is present.
The area remains closed off by law enforcement, but the spirit of Marcy Conrad—and the memory of what happened to her—refuses to fade.
Researched from 6 verified sources including historical records, local archives, and paranormal research organizations. Learn about our research process.