Capital Area Paranormal Society

CAPS was contacted by a family regarding possible paranormal activities in their home located in the small town of Athens, Illinois.  The main focal points of activity seem to center around the adult female and the young child.  The woman often felt cold spots, heard phantom footsteps and sounds of someone tinkering in the kitchen, along with seeing shadows in different areas of the home.  The child had been talking to “invisible” people and came up with names more commonly used in days gone by, such as “Collette”.  The home itself had been passed down from older family members and they knew of at least three people that had died in the residence.  Upon hearing a small child was involved, CAPS decided to make this case our top priority.

Occasional we will encounter odd incidents prior to an investigation, and this was no exception.  Before meeting with Dave, my husband and I had stopped by a gas station to pick up some snacks.  While checking out, the cashier suddenly jumped backwards and had a look of sheer astonishment cross her face.  She pointed to the cash register which was continuously ringing up our purchases, though she was not near it.  The items were off to the side, far from the scanner.  She mentioned that had never happened before and in fact she frequently struggled with the opposite issue. We exited the store with our bags in one hand and scratching our heads with the other.

On our drive to Athens, Dave and I heard a “woo” while sitting at a stop light. We searched around for the source, but did not see a soul. Once again, a weird thing that left me scratching my head because the voice was so loud, even though all the windows were rolled up.

Dave and I arrived at the Athens home approximately 7pm and after introductions with the family, we were given a tour and listened to the accounts of their most recent experiences.  We decided to begin with a dowsing rod session in the living room.  The rods reacted with a very strong energy and in fact at one point they spun in a continuous circle until I asked them to stop; they immediately ceased.  It seemed to me as if someone was eager to communicate…

We had our K2 meters and Boo Buddy, our EMF trigger item bear, dispersed about the room.  We did not see any reaction from them while we were in that area, however, Dave and I heard a loud whistling.  We thought perhaps it was a TV in the adjacent room, but upon reviewing the recording, it was the only sound the recorder had picked up, making us question that perhaps there was alternative explanation.  Dave then turned on the Spirit Box and we had a couple of potentially interesting responses.

After leaving recorders running in other portions of the home, we focused on the Master bedroom.  We were in there for quite some time, when suddenly the K2 meter began lighting up like crazy.  Amusingly this started during a lively discussion on the topic of Bigfoot.  I truly believe that someone on the other side wanted to put in their two cents worth!

In discussion with the homeowners, they seemed to feel that perhaps it might be one of their beloved family.   As we went through the evidence, and based on the homeowners’ benevolent experiences, I emphatically concur.  

​

Addendum:

The morning following our investigation, Dave received a message from the homeowner.  Apparently she called her mother to discuss our investigation; the mother was somewhat skeptical.  However, the mother called her back just 10 mins later and was seemingly less skeptical.  Evidently after she got off the phone, her young grandson brought a record into the kitchen and handed it to her.  It was a 1945 copy of her parent's wedding song.  The mother didn't even know she had the album so she asked him where he got it.  The child couldn't, (or wouldn't) tell her exactly where he it came from...