Capital Area Paranormal Society

CAPS have done out-of-state summer paranormal ventures for several years. Last year we were in Iowa at the Farrar school house and left very impressed! Once again, we had several family members driving a long distance so I decided to set up a double investigation. Our first stop this time would be the infamous Villisca Ax Murder house. I have avoided this site for years based on the background and stories from other investigators, a little terrifying to say the least! Bolstered by the support of family, I decided it was time to face my fears!

It is a small unassuming house built on a corner lot in the 1800’s. The main thing that sets it apart from the other homes around, a sign in front that reads Villisca Ax murder house, June 10, 1912 signifying the heinous crime that took place inside those walls more than 100 years ago.

The entire Moore family and two young girls who were visiting after church services, were all brutally murdered for no apparent reason. Although several viable suspects were identified, none of them were ever charged and thus the case remains unsolved to this day. For more information on the family and the murders, I strongly recommend visiting their website that has the details and suspects listed. (Official Site of the Villisca Ax Murders)

The ownership of the home changed hands several times over the century, eventually being sold to Darwin and Martha Linn, saving the home from demolition. They decided to renovate the home back to what it was formerly like in 1912. It was at that time the paranormal activity purportedly picked up noticeably. Fortunately for those who are inquisitive about the paranormal, the Linn’s have opened up the home to overnight investigations as well as day tours.

It was a beautiful, cool summer evening when we arrived at about 4pm. We met our tour guide, John, at the barn situated in the back of the house. That building is utilized as their ticket office, a restroom, and would be our command center for the investigation. After our team had assembled, John led us into the house for the tour.

After John left, our tech team immediately started unpacking and setting up cameras in the main house. As that is not my forte, I choose to remain alone back in the barn. I kept hearing noise above me which sounded like footsteps. As I walked to the back, I saw some stairs that led up to a second floor, so I decided to check it out, convinced I would see John up there. I was surprised to see it was an open room with chairs set up for what looked to be presentations. I was equally surprised to find that no one was there, nor any varmints. I did happen to catch a deep growly sound on my recorder at that time.

It was dusk when our tech team completed their drudgery. As I stood in the downstairs bedroom, I felt like someone was near me. Angel followed me in with the K2 meter and it lit up when she got next to me. Later that night Dave’s K2 meter briefly lit up near that same area, and he reported a cobwebby feeling. He also mentioned having issues with ringing in his ear and breathing heavy. Dave’s fully charged camera battery died at that time.

While in the Livingroom with Angel, she said she saw the reflection of a little blonde girl wearing an old fashioned white dress in a mirror, also a gentleman standing with his hand on his hip. I stared at the mirror, thought I saw something white move, and then a dark shadow seemed to pass over it and the image disappeared. I walked over to Angel and felt goosebumps overtake me.

At one point, we decided to do a “10-minute-challenge”; each volunteer would be required to go into the house alone for 10 minutes with a recorder…both for collection evidence and demonstration of personal bravery. During my turn, I spent most of my time upstairs in the children’s bedroom. I felt pretty good until I heard some creaking noises coming from outside the doorway. I was sitting on a bed at the time and did not have a direct view of the hallway or parent’s room; which did unnerve me a tiny bit as that was my only way out. I fully expected to see something walk through.

Eventually, I made my way or more aptly hastened to the downstairs bedroom. I glanced at the time and saw my 10 minutes were up. Just as I was leaving, I heard a deep growly voice, something that has often been reported in that room.

My nephew Andrew was our first time investigator. He bravely took on the 10 minute challenge and decided to do it Facebook Live. He did fantastic, but later that night had a bit of a scare. He was carrying the Ovilus but did not realize that the instrument actually “speaks”. As he was making his way up the creepy staircase alone, it said “Apple”. Not realizing what had just happened, he got a little spooked and briskly walked back outside.

Some of our equipment did act a little strangely that night. One piece is the rempod that did not want to stop lighting up and was very noisy. The Ovilus also had a very busy night! The names Paul and Sarah came up several times, two of victim’s name.

At one point while some of us were outside, we heard a loud disarming scream. I wondered if it was a neighbor, but looking around, I sure didn’t see anyone! Lydia was walking around the outside of the house at the time and captured the sound.

This was one of the roughest investigations we had been on to date. It was hard not to feel affected by the horrific tragedy of the crime. Even now it is difficult to write this report, as those feelings of sadness still seem to haunt me.

I encourage those interested to experience this site at least once. The location is rather small, so I strongly recommend keeping the group number as small as possible. In spite of the stories that brought fear into me, I did not feel like there was lingering malevolence. It was good to have the support of my family; we only had one day to recover before our next investigation. Malvern Manor…