Fingerprints and DNA at the crime scene as well as witness accounts all clearly indicate local sports coach Terrence Maitland as the killer, so detective Ralph Anderson orders a public arrest.

With his dying breath, Terry insists on his innocence. The deformed man is shown watching the aftermath. Fred Peterson, the sole surviving member of the family, attempts suicide by hanging, but he is only left comatose.

Said supernatural force in The Outsider is a creature the story commonly refers to by the Spanish moniker of El Cuco, but it's made clear that this beast is likely the inspiration for boogeyman-type myths across societies, languages, and belief systems.

Characters like Seale Bolton and Howie Salomon are murdered by a possessed Jack Hoskins, but the most tragic ending is saved for Andy, a man who tries to save everyone by getting a better phone signal and is shot for his effort.