Investigation Site: Private Residence in Sheboygan, WI
Investigators Present: Amanda S, Matt S, and Jenn Z (G.L.A.S.S. Guest Investigator) Clients/Visitors Present: Clients W and B
Equipment Used: Olympus WS-300M Voice Recorders, Trifield Standard EMF Meter, Trifield Natural EMF Meter, Dual Infrared Non-Contact Thermometer/Air Probe Thermometer, Sony Handycam Camcorder, Canon PowerShot AS60 Digital Camera, motion detectors
Weather Conditions: Cloudy Average Temperature Outside: 49Degrees Farenheit Average Temperature Inside: 70 Degrees Farenheit
Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent
Background:The house is believed to be haunted by the spirit of a boy that fell from a window on the second floor. The boy, between 9 and 11 years old, was trying to climb out from his bedroom window into a tree to play. It's known for a fact that this happened because the clients know the family who lived here before, and it was their son. This happened in the '70s. The house has only been lived in by these two families.
The current occupants report hearing footsteps coming from the second floor
when nobody is upstairs, and having creepy feelings. One night, W and B were
sitting in their bedroom (the same room that used to be the little boy’s) when
they saw a green ball of light come from the window where he fell, press down
on the bed like somebody was sitting down, and then take off and disappear.
They both saw this at the same time.
They’ve been living
in the house for about 30 years. The previous occupants didn't report anything.
Our Investigation:We arrived at
about 8PM and interviewed the clients W and B. After the interview B gave us a
walkthrough of the house, and then we took baseline EMF and temperature
readings. All readings were normal. Next we spread out to do fifteen minutes of
controlled audio recordings with complete silence. This was to document the
regular sounds that the house makes. Amanda sat in the upstairs bedroom, and
Matt and Jenn sat in the laundry room in the basement. Then we set motion
detectors in the upstairs bedroom, on the stairs leading to the second floor,
and one in the laundry room. We shut the power off at the breaker, and began our
investigation at about 9PM. W and B went outside and stayed in their camper for
the duration.
The three investigators stayed together. We had a Sony Handycam Camcorder that
we took with us everywhere and used to videotape our EVP sessions. We started by
doing an EVP circle in the living room. Then we moved up to the second floor.
Matt had brought along some toys that a young boy might like to play with and
layed them out on the floor to try to get a reaction. Next we went down into
the basement. We put a penny on a piece of paper and drew a circle around it.
We asked, if there are any spirits, for them to move the penny. We kept the
video camera on it while we did another EVP circle, but it didn’t move. We left
the penny there, and went back upstairs to the living room. In the living room,
we layed out the toys again, and Matt read out loud from a kid’s book that he
had brought along, Harry Potter, to see if that would get a response.
Lastly, we did another EVP circle upstairs. Each of the EVP circles lasted
between 30-45 minutes. We wrapped up around midnight. The penny that we left in
the basement never moved.
Findings/Personal Experiences: We did not experience or capture anything while on the investigation.However, the clients told us that it hasn't been really active either.
Final Analysis: The green ball of light that was seen by the clients could have been ball lightning. Ball lightning is a rare, but natural-occuring phenomenon that is often mistaken as something paranormal. It can occur when there isn't a storm anywhere nearby for several miles, and it lasts considerably longer than the split-second flash of a lightning bolt. It can vary from pea-size to several meters in diameter. Ball lightning carries with it a serious static electric charge, and that certainly can "press down" on a bed. It can appear in different colors, including green. Also, it can pass through glass and other materials. However, it's still a strange coincidence that the ball of light came from the same window that the little boy fell from and died. We aren't saying this is what it is, we're just offering it as an alternative explanation.
The other experiences that were reported (footsteps, etc.) sound like they could be a residual haunting. Earthlights (ball lightning) and residual hauntings are, in theory, caused by similar environmental conditions, so it's possible that both could happen in the same place and not be directly connected.