Elly Kedward was banished from the town of Blair In the winter of 1785, after several local children accused her of performing witchcraft, and died from exposure. The next year, all of her accusers and half the town's children vanished without a trace. Fearing a curse, the townspeople immediately fled Blair, vowing never to utter the name "Elly Kedward" again, thus calling her the Blair Witch.

Despite the sightings and mysterious disappearances reported in the past, the "Blair Witch" soon became little more than an urban legend. By 1994, she was still frequently talked about by the residents of Burkittsville, the town which was built over Blair.