He Lived in Their Home, Planned Their Transformation: A Phrogging Horror

James and Brittany Campbell, newly married and raising two young children, left their Honolulu home in September 2019 to visit family on the mainland. When they returned on the 20th, their sense of security was shattered.

One of the first clues something was wrong appeared immediately — James’ bike, which had been stored safely inside before their trip, was inexplicably in the driveway. Concerned, James left his children in the car and approached the house. But when he tried to open the front door, he found it blocked.

To his shock, a man on the other side was holding it shut. Through the narrow opening, the stranger calmly declared, “This isn’t your house.”

The man, later identified as Ezequiel Zayas, had been hiding in their home — a disturbing crime known as phrogging.Phroggers secretly live in someone else’s house, often without the residents’ knowledge, sometimes for days or even months. Unlike squatters, they frequently move around the house, blending into the background like ghosts.

What the Campbells discovered next would turn their shock into horror.

While Brittany called the police, James armed himself with a sledgehammer and forced Zayas to leave. Standing in the front yard, they noticed Zayas was wearing James’ clothes. Adding to the surreal encounter, he told the couple he had been looking after their cat while they were gone. Alarmed, Brittany ran inside to check on the pet, only to find it locked in a cage without any water.

Inside their home, the evidence of Zayas’ intrusion was deeply unsettling. He had gone through their belongings, stacking cookware, unpacking James’ musical instruments in the living room, and seemingly taking stock of their possessions. Oddly, the children’s bedrooms were immaculate, with laundry folded and beds made. In stark contrast, the Campbells’ bedroom was ransacked.

Amid the chaos, they found an old laptop Zayas had used to document his disturbing thoughts. The notes revealed he had been eavesdropping on their private conversations. He knew about Brittany’s fertility struggles and even suggested in his writings that she abandon treatment and focus on the children she already had.

The file containing these notes was ominously titled The Omnivore Trials: A Rehabilitation of Ratlike People. Its detailed entries suggested Zayas had been living in the home far longer than they initially realized. But the laptop held even more chilling discoveries.

One file was a video of Zayas, naked, sitting in one of their chairs and performing a bizarre parody of a makeup tutorial while mocking Brittany.

Another document was far more sinister. Alongside a collection of knives arranged near the laptop, Zayas had written out horrific plans to perform surgeries on the family. These procedures included “sexual reconstruction” and “hand transplants,” which he believed would transform them into a species he called Omnivores — his vision of ideal humans.

As the couple absorbed the grim reality, previous odd occurrences in their home began to make sense. They had noticed doors mysteriously unlocked, boxes moved in the garage, and items out of place. The dog had barked at what seemed like nothing, and once, a computer’s webcam inexplicably turned on.

James even recalled seeing a shadow outside the house one evening. On another occasion, he found a cryptic note on a desk calendar that read: “Your rehabilitation starts today. Do as I did: Choose a house, clean it, set up all devices.” At the time, he dismissed it as a quirky message from Brittany. Now, they understood it was from Zayas.

Zayas was arrested and charged with burglary. However, after being released under supervision, he was arrested again for allegedly vandalizing a Buddhist temple. While in custody in 2020, Zayas was accused of killing another inmate, leading to first- and second-degree murder charges. He pleaded not guilty but was declared unfit to stand trial. He remains confined at the Hawaii State Hospital until further legal proceedings.

For the Campbells, the trauma of their experience runs deep. They have since left their Honolulu home and moved away from Hawaii altogether. Brittany has shared that the family continues to struggle with rebuilding a sense of normalcy after the ordeal.

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