In December of 2004, Julianne Miles, a twenty-one year old recent drop out of Ancilla College, originally of Knox, Indiana, was found standing on the side of Route 31. She was unresponsive, her pupils insensitive to light, her arms locked in an outstretched wing-like position. She was taken to Mercy Medical where she stayed in her condition for nearly three months. Toxicology reports showed high levels of Dimethyltryptamine, though no source could be determined.

Somewhat of a curiosity at Mercy Medical, the nurses nicknamed her 'Totem'. As she was unable to be rotated on her sides, a specially designed hospital bed was constructed for her, which allowed her to be laid face-down without suffocation for prolonged periods of time, to prevent bedsores.

Several unexplained physical changes occurred during her unconsciousness. Over the course of her stay, it became evident that her hair was changing color. At the time of her admittance, her hair was light brown in color, however, within a week nurses noticed that it was turning dark brown, almost black, growing in slowly from the roots. Intrigued by the phenomenon, doctors at Mercy Medical conducted tests on her hair, revealing that not only had her hair not been dyed, but on a cellular level, the characteristics of her root hair compared to the tips of her hair were quite different. During that same time, the pigment in her skin became noticeably darker, though she had not been exposed to sunlight. Again, tests were taken, and no cause of her pigmentation was discovered.

Speculating that the cause of the darkening of her skin and hair may be genetic, doctors interviewed both of her parents and family members about their ancestral background. They discovered that Miles was a descendent of English and Norwegian parents, and no one in her family was able to remember any ancestors from other ethnic backgrounds. Genetic tests indicated that though she was a related to both of her parents, she was not their daughter, but a more distant relative. The analysis of her DNA indicated that she was predominantly of Southeast Asian ancestry. Similar tests analyzing both parents' DNA did not find similar markers. The results dumbfounded her relatives who had known Julianne since she was a baby, as well as the doctor who had been the attending physician at her birth.

Local authorities became involved in the case. Upon reviewing the results of her DNA tests, they determined that the body of a distant relative had been switched with that of Miles, despite numerous statements made by attending doctors, nurses, and family members that had witnessed the transformation. Additional findings, including fingerprint and hair analysis of the half-brown, half-black hair that showed a connection between Julianne Miles and the woman at Mercy Medical was disregarded in light of the DNA evidence. Legally, Julianne Miles was prounced missing, though no search has ever been conducted.

During the three months Miles was comatose, her estranged mother passed away from acute alcohol poisoning. When Miles regained consciousness in early March of 2005, she claimed that on the night of her discovery she had been waiting for a ride from a friend at a payphone near a local pizza shop, approximately seven miles from where she was found on Route 31. Miles explained that, unable to withstand the pressure of school, she had dropped out one week before the end of the semester. Afraid to tell her father, she located her mother and was on her way to visit her for Christmas when her car broke down.

Artistic rendition of street light vision, as described by Julianne Miles

Miles said she had been suffering from a severe head ache that caused her to see a strange oval-shaped prism of light when she looked at a nearby street light. At some point during her wait, she lost consciousness. Her mother had made no mention of a planned visit at the time of her passing. The cause of the change in Miles's pigmentation was never uncovered. Both her hair and skin have since returned to their previous pigmentation. Close Article