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< Back Tale of Owia A Tale of Love and Blood There once was a man named Ioman, who was married to a loving and devoted wife named Oiwa. It was not a happy marriage, for Iemon was a wasteful man and a thief. He was a ronin, a samurai who no longer had a master because he had a murderous past, and now he was a poor umbrella maker. Times were hard. They had little money. Since they were no longer financially stable, he grew to resent his wife, then his neighbor lured him into an evil scheme. “My daughter Oume is in love with you. If only you weren't already married, you could be with her and be wealthy beyond belief.” Ioman was a selfish human, so he liked the sound of that, if he were to marry Oume, all of the wealth of the Itō family could be his to inherit! He started plotting ways to kill his wife. He didn't wanna be charged with murder, so he had to figure out a way to make it look like natural causes. He decided that he was gonna poison her. He ‘prescribed an ointment’ for Oiwa to help her recover from her sickness. In reality, it was poison. So, the next night, they sat at the dinner table together, then he offered her a spoon. “It's medicine to help you get stronger, for you and our baby.” She was a little hesitant, but poor Oiwa was so trusting that she took the spoon and drank the poison. At first, nothing happened, but then her hair began to fall out into clumps. Her eyes drooped and began to fill with blood. She fell into a coma, which really angered Ioman because he wanted her to die already. Days later, she awoke. She had almost forgotten what had happened, but then she went to the bathroom and saw what she had become. She had lost her beauty and her baby. Ioman still tried to keep up his concerned husband act. "Let's go on a walk to your favorite place," he said. So, they walked to the edge of a cliff overlooking the entire town. It really was a beautiful view. And while Oiwa was trying to take it all in with her blood-filled eyes, he pushed her over the edge. Ioman arranged an elaborate funeral for Oiwa to throw everybody off his scent, but now that she was out of the picture, he began to plan his wedding with his new bride. “Now I'll be rich again and everything will be perfect, he thought to himself.” Ioman thought he had seen the last of Oiwa. He could not have been more wrong. Oiwa’s curse did not wait long to take effect. He began seeing Oiwa's distorted face everywhere. When she appeared on something, his first instinct would destroy it. But he wouldn't let Oiwa ruin his new life with Oume. On the day of his wedding, Oiwa had not appeared. The ceremony went perfectly. Ioman turned to his new wife, but it was not Oume who looked back at him, it was the horrible, disfigured face of Oiwa’s ghost! He grabbed his sword and lashed out at the ghost. Just then, the illusion ended, and Iemon saw that it was not Oiwa he had cut, but Oume. He drew his sword and… Everyone stared in horror as the head of Oume rolled down the aisle. Ioman couldn't believe what he had done. He ran outside to the edge of the cliff and cried. The wedding attendants ran after him, just in time to see a woman… push him over the edge. Previous Next

Cursed Objects Ayers Rock Never disrespect sacred areas. Read More Basano Vase It appears that beauty can kill. Read More Crying Boy Paintings Untouched by fire. Read More Cursed Amethyst Deadly purple gemstone. Read More Dybbuk Box A wine cabinet with a unknown identity. Read More Hope Diamond A beautiful diamond and a dark history. Read More Mirror On Myrtles Plantation A mirror can catch things, but can they trap them as well? Read More Thomas Busby Chair Can a chair kill? Read More Zak Bagans' Haunted Museum Visit a museum full of cursed objects. Read More

< Back Thomas Busby Chair Can a chair kill? Local legend has it that the chair belonged to Thomas Busby, a thug, thief and drunkard who lived in North Yorkshire in the latter part of the 1600s. When Thomas came back to the Inn, he found Awety, the father of his wife, waiting for him, threatening to take Elizabeth home with him. Busby’s mood only blackened when he saw Awety sitting in his favourite chair. That night Busby still seething grabbed a hammer, stormed over to Danotty Hall and bludgeoned Awety to death. Busby then tried to hide his handiwork in the woods. Concern over Awety’s sudden disappearance led to a local search of the area being made. On finding the body, Busby was arrested at the inn and charged with murder. One version of the story recounts how Busby was granted his last wish which was to have a final drink at his own inn and sit in his favorite chair. On leaving the inn to make his final journey to the execution site Busby cursed the chair declaring that death would come shortly to anyone who sat in it. Busby’s spirit was believed to have haunted his old pub as well as the area where he was gibbeted but it’s his precious chair, the focus of his curse which became irrevocably linked to his revengeful spirit. According to local legend, this seemly innocuous piece of furniture has been responsible for more deaths than most serial killer. Those who had any contact, those who sat or simply bumped into it, would soon die by anything. Such as car crashes, tumors, health issues, etc. There are so many questions that have been left unanswered and probably unanswerable. Many people believe the deaths were just an unlucky coincidence. The wooden chair is now hanging from the ceiling by pieces of string. If you ever visit Thirsk in the UK, I recommend you stop by the Thirsk museum, a small museum that houses some rather interesting pieces including this chair. Previous Next

< Back Russian Sleep Experiment Ever wondered what would happen if you haven't slept for over a month? The Russian sleep experiment or otherwise known as Orange Soda, was a sleep deprivation experiment that took place during World War 2. Russian scientists performed a series of unethical, unmoral, and horrifying experiments on five political prisoners that can be compared to a modern-day horror story. Now of course people on the internet are claiming that the Russian Sleep experiment is merely just an urban legend, but is it? According to the tale, the prisoners were locked in a gas chamber where a form of experimental gas was pushed through the vents in order to prevent them from sleeping. It was the goal of this experiment to observe all of their behaviors and conversations through one-way mirrors to see how sleep deprivation would affect humans. The intent was the keep them awake for a period of 30 days which is absolutely insane. The long-term effects of sleep deprivation are quite severe. It drains your mental abilities and can definitely cause irreversible physical health risks. According to one study, sleep deprivation can cause memory issues, trouble with concentration, mood changes, increased risk of accidents, weakened immunity, high blood pressure, the risk for diabetes, weight gain, low libido, risk of heart disease, and poor balance among many other health risks. The five prisoners were kept locked inside of a sealed gas chamber that would continuously administer a stimulant gas that was designed to keep them awake, however, this gas was highly concentrated with a ton of toxins. The experiment was conducted during the 1940s, so it was a time before we had circuit cameras. The researchers only had microphones and 5-inch-thick glass porthole windows that they used to monitor the test subjects. The gas chamber was nothing like the Hilton. It was stocked with old books, and cots but no bedding, running water, and a toilet. They also had enough dried food to last all five of them for over a month. Why would anyone agree to participate in this experiment? Well these five prisoners had a lengthy prison sentence and they were told that if they participated, they would be pardoned but we now know that this was a lie. The test subjects managed to behave normally for the first couple of days. They could be seen talking and whispering to each other so the researchers had nothing to really worry about. Until one day, when a test subject began to scream uncontrollably and the other prisoners tried to prevent the researchers from looking inside the gas chamber. They started to paste torn book pages and feces on the windows and the one-way mirrors so that the researchers couldn’t study what was happening. A few days passed without the researchers being able to see inside so they tried to use the intercom to see if the subjects were still alive. They managed to get a short response from one of the subjects who wanted to be obedient. It was on the ninth day of the experiment when he started to repeatedly scream at the top of his lungs for three hours straight. He continued to attempt to scream but he would only let out little squeaks and that’s because the scientists believe that he had psychically torn his own vocal cords from screaming too much. But the most surprising thing is what happened after he tore his vocal cords. The other test subjects continued whispering into the microphones and that’s when they started to cover up the windows. Once the researchers could no longer see inside the chamber, that’s when the screaming suddenly stopped. On the 15th day of the experiment. This is the day when the researchers decided to turn off the stimulant gas and reopen the chamber. When they looked inside the gas chamber, they discovered the four surviving subjects. Two of them had mutilated and removed some of their own organs. They even went as far as tearing off their flesh and muscles and eating it. So, keep in mind that this was only halfway through the experiment, they had another 15 days to go and at this rate, none of them were expected to survive the experiment. When the researchers saw the state they were in, they had fully intended to give these prisoners some basic medical attention. But oddly enough, the test subjects violently refused to leave and they actually begged the scientists to continue administering the stimulant. The researchers didn’t want to keep the prisoners in the cell anymore. But once soldiers came in to remove the subjects from the chamber, the remaining two survivors murdered one of the soldiers and severely injured another. The female test subject was accidentally killed by a soldier who attempted to restrain her. He lost his grip and her head bashed against the concrete wall. As soon as the researchers flushed the stimulant gas and filled it with fresh air, the test subjects began to immediately beg for them to turn the gas back on. The contents of this stimulant gas had never been revealed for obvious reasons. The surviving three test subjects were heavily restrained and moved to a private medical facility. They kept begging for the gas and to be kept awake…The most injured test subject was taken to the operating room so that the surgeons could place his organs back inside of his body. But once they tried to administer the sedative they realized that he was immune to a lot of drugs. Eventually, they managed to put him under the anesthesia but as soon as he was sleeping, his heart stopped. He died on the operating table and during an autopsy, it was found that he had triple the normal levels of oxygen in his system. The other two subjects had surgery as well but with no anesthetic. However, the surgeon found it impossible to operate on them because they were laughing hysterically throughout the procedure. As soon as they went to sleep, they died. It seemed as though the remaining test subjects were no longer human. The gas stimulant changed them and there was no denying the fact that these test subjects could no longer live in society. So, the researchers concluded that they should be sealed in the chamber again but this time, they would be connected to an EEG monitor and restrained. The subjects were monitored by three researchers and they noticed that as soon as their brainwaves changed to a deep sleep state, they would flatline and their hearts would immediately stop. The commander gave orders to have the chamber sealed permanently with the last two subjects inside as well as the three researchers. But one of the researchers drew his gun and shot the commander between the eyes, then turned the gun on one of the test subjects and blew his brains out. He went to point the gun at the last surviving test subject who was still restrained to the bed. Now, there was only 1 volunteer left. But before he shot him, the researcher asked “What are you?! I need to know!” the subject smiled and said, “We are you. We are the madness that lurks within you all, begging to be free at every moment in your deepest animal mind. We are what you hide from in your beds every night. We are what you sedate into silence and paralysis when you go to the nocturnal haven where we cannot tread.” Previous Next

< Back Annabelle The Doll The story of the world's most famous doll. The Warrens Collection has artifacts from the paranormal investigations that they’ve done, those cases would soon be turned into movies such as; The Conjuring, The Haunting in Connecticut, and perhaps most famously, The Horrors of Amityville. None of these events, however, have captured our imaginations quite like this one and is by far the most famous doll, Annabelle. According to NESPR, Annabelle's story begins in 1970, when a 28-year-old nursing student named Donna received a Raggedy Anne doll from her mother as a birthday present. Donna would keep the doll on her bed in the apartment she shared with her roommate, Angie. Both Donna and Angie were nurses, and so they were out of the house most of the time, leaving the doll in the apartment alone. Shortly after receiving the doll, Donna and Angie began to notice it in positions they hadn't left it in. Sometimes, even finding it in a new room. On a few occasions, Donna has said to have left the doll on the couch only to later come home and find it on her bed behind her closed bedroom door. Both Donna and Angie were rational young women and believed there had to be a reasonable explanation for this. Maybe they were just remembering things wrong, but Lou, Angie's fiance, thought otherwise. He had a bad feeling about the doll and told Donna to get rid of it, Donna didn’t listen. Then, they begin finding handwritten notes around the house. They were written in pencil and childlike handwriting on pieces of parchment, a type of paper that no one in the house used. They read, "help us" and “help Lou.” Donna came home and found a mysterious red liquid on the doll's hands and chest. It looked like blood, but it was coming from the doll itself. Soon after that, Donna and Angie decided to contact a medium. The medium conducted a seance, which revealed the spirit of a seven-year-old girl named Annabelle Higgins, living in the doll. Stories differ, but some say that her body was found in the field where Donna and Angie's apartment was later constructed. The medium said Donna and Angie made Annabelle feel loved, and that the spirit wanted to stay. “She trusts you, and just wants to be around you.” Donna felt bad for the girl and gave permission for the spirit to live inside the doll. Lou was not happy about that. One night, Lou awoke from a bad dream to a sensation of paralysis. He looked down at his legs and saw Annabelle who began to crawl up his body to his chest, where the doll started to strangle him. Lou eventually passed out. In the morning, he was convinced the encounter had not been a dream. One night, it was just Lou and Angie in the apartment, packing up for a road trip they were leaving on in the morning. Lou was walking to the kitchen and passed Donna's room, and heard shuffling coming from inside. When he went to investigate, Lou found no evidence of anyone being in the room, though Annabelle appeared to have been tossed on the floor. As he approached the doll, Lou suddenly doubled over in pain, clutching his chest through his now blood-soaked shirt. He opened his shirt to reveal claw scratches in the Mark of the Beast. It's said Lou's chest healed almost immediately and that all signs of the claw marks had disappeared within two days. The following morning they called a priest, who then called Ed and Lorraine Warren, renowned demonologists. The Warren's determined the doll was not actually possessed, as according to NESPR inanimate objects cannot be possessed. "This doll is not possessed," Lorraine told Donna. "demons only possess humans, this entity was using this doll to manipulate you, moving it around the house so you would pay attention to it, then tricking a medium to telling you it was a spirit of a harmless young girl." "So, what does it want." "Your soul." According to the Warrens, the demon was only a few weeks from completing its infestation, which could have resulted in the death of Donna, Angie, and/or Lou. Though they didn't believe the doll was possessed by a girl named Annabelle, the doll continues to be referred to by that original name. A priest performed an exorcism on the apartment and the Warrens took Annabelle home with them in a bag. Knowing what this entity was capable of, they made sure to avoid the highways on their way home, since Annabelle would, no doubt, try to sabotage their drive and they were right. Along the way, the car's engine continuously stopped. Back at the Warrens' home, the doll resumed its haunting, moving throughout the house on its own. While visiting the Warrens, Father Jason Bradford, a Catholic exorcist, reportedly picked up Annabelle from the chair it was sitting in and said: "You're just a ragdoll Annabelle, you can't hurt anyone." he then threw it back to the chair, which provoked the inhumane spirit within the doll. Lorraine instructed Father Jason to be extra cautious while driving and to call them when he got home. Three hours later, the Warrens got a call from Father Jason, saying his brakes went out as he entered an intersection and that his car had been totaled. This wasn't the only car crash to be caused by the doll. One visitor who went to the Warrens collection reportedly banged on the case that houses Annabelle and taunted it, begging the doll to prove it was haunted by scratching him. After Ed asked the man to leave, the man got on his motorcycle with his girlfriend and rode off. According to Lorraine, the girlfriend later told the Warrens she and the man were laughing about the doll when the man suddenly lost control of the motorcycle, crashing into a tree and killing him. The last thing you should do is provoke the unknown, especially one that’s being manipulated. Previous Next

< Back Zak Bagans' Haunted Museum Visit a museum full of cursed objects. If it’s paranormal history you’re after, then your in for a treat in downtewn Las Vagas. Situated in historic downtown Las Vegas is one of the city’s newest and most popular attractions: Zak Bagans’ The Haunted Museum. Zak Bagans is the host on Discovery Channel’s Ghost Adventures, and in 2018 he opened the museum, showcasing his personal collection acquired over the course of his lifetime. Having an interest in the paranormal when he was just 10 years old, Zak Bagans has had a lifelong fascination with the unusual and unanswered questions about the afterlife. Through the years, spirits have been rumored to roam the halls, terrorizing past occupants and even modern day visitors to the museum. When visiting the museum today, venture down creepy winding hallways and secret passageways into more than 30 rooms that rival scenes from Hollywood horror films, setting the stage for frightening artifacts about each paranormal piece. Among the hundreds of terrifying possessions Zak has accumulated, see artifacts like Dybbuk Box. Perhaps the most unsettling, see the original staircase from Indiana’s “Demon House,” notorious for powerful paranormal activity before being demolished in 2014. To find more information, search Zak Bagans’ Haunted Musuem. And due to the disturbing nature of some exhibits, all visitors are required to sign a waiver stating they understand the risks before entering. Note: I totally did not write this section in order to talk about Zak Bagans'. I've been watching his show since I was a kid. I honestly wish I could visit this museam, and it's on my bucket list. Previous Next

< Back Dauphine Orleans Hotel Nothing bad can happen in a hotel, right? The Dauphine Orleans Hotel is a historic building and appears to be a beautiful, luxury hotel. But don't let appearances fool you. Located a block away from the bustling Bourbon Street. The site of the Dauphine Orleans may date back as far as 1775 with parts of the hotel that exist today that were built in the early 1800s. Many of the buildings that today comprise the Dauphine Orleans Hotel used to be private residences, as well as a bordello. In fact, before 1898, brothels and gambling houses were said to spread across most of the city. A man by the name of Sidney Story created legislation that confined the city's sinful hobbies to a 16-block region making prostitution and gambling legal within the confines of that area. Ironically, this 16-block precinct would be named after Sidney Story and was dubbed Storyville, a fact I'm sure he was far from pleased with. It's said that Storyville was riddled with crime, sometimes at the hands of the prostitutes themselves. The hotel as a whole seems to be active, visitors and employees claim that doors lock themselves shut, footsteps can be heard, and shadowy figures follow you. During the Civil War, soldiers were said to stay on the premises often while recovering. There are multiple accounts of spirits of Civil War soldiers seen in different places in the hotel. Guests have also reported heavy footsteps as if someone were marching. However, the most haunted area of the hotel is undoubtedly the hotel bar, May Baily's Place, which was actually a well-known bordello at the edge of the aforementioned Storyville. Confederate soldiers are often seen near May Baily's Place, perhaps due to the fact that it was a brothel they frequented in the past. Most of the ghosts in the bar are said to be May's employees or ladies of the night. Gentlemen have claimed that feel somebody trying to touch their leg underneath the bar. Arguably the most horrifying part of the hotel is the bordello suite, which is upstairs in May Baily's, a place where the girls would take patrons to perform services. Many report feelings of unrest in the room, and an employee that has worked at the hotel for over 30 years refuses to go in there to this day. Another famous ghost at the hotel is said to be the younger sister of May Baily, Millie. The story goes that Millie's fiance was shot in a gambling dispute on the morning of their wedding. It's said that Millie's grief consumed her as she continued to wear the wedding dress after the incident. Millie is reportedly seen in her dress by hotel guests till this day, earning her the name The Lost Bride of The Dauphine Orleans Hotel. Although there's been no harm caused by the ghosts, I'd rethink where you stay at night. Previous Next

< Back Basano Vase It appears that beauty can kill. Cast from silver in the 15th century and produced in a simple design, it is one of the most mysterious and elusive ‘haunted objects’, lacking eyewitnesses to its power, but making up for it with ingrained tales of terror. Curiously, the ‘curse’ has no origin story, no reason for being, it just has a curse with an unknown story. The vase is beautiful and old, it was originally supposed to be a wedding gift and on the wedding night, the bride was found dying on the floor with her arms wrapped around the very vase. In her dying breaths, the bride vowed to have her revenge, then passed away. Whether the vase was already cursed and sent as a threat, or the bride caused the chain of events herself, is unclear. But considering that we don’t even know the bride’s name, the technicalities of her “curse” are understandably lost in time. As time went by, the vase was handed from person to person within her family, yet with each new owner, came another mysterious death. One family took notice and decided to hide the vase away in a ‘secret location’. This may have been in a family house or buried underground, or in consecrated soil, depending on who you ask. But eventually, the vase was unearthed once again. Within the vase had a piece of paper that read: “Beware…this vase brings death.” Previous Next

< Back Ayers Rock Never disrespect sacred areas. Uluru also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone formation in the centre of Australia. The rock is made of sandstone infused with minerals that reflect the red light of sunrise and sunset, making it appear to glow. The rock gets its rust color from oxidation. Ayers Rock is sacred to the Aborigines and has many varied springs, waterholes, rock caves, and ancient paintings. While the law of the Anangu, the traditional custodians of Uluru, does not recognize a curse associated with removing rocks, the act disrespects their beliefs and culture. Returning the rocks has become a complex managerial issue for park rangers. To return the rock to the wrong spot would be disrespectful to the Anangu. Magnets, mugs, and keychains are many things that people tend to buy when traveling, however, don’t take things from sacred areas. Tourists who go to Central Australia are also stuffing their suitcases with natural “souvenirs” — rocks, pebbles, sand, and twigs from Uluru. There have been many packages and letters from tourists apologizing and returning the rocks they took. All referring to how their life has gone downhill since the taking of the stones. Believing that the stone caused their misfortune, thus, believing that it’s cured. But it's not only does taking stones causes a curse, but climbing Ayer’s Rock can also cause a curse. Indigenous Australians are dismayed by the hordes of people who have rushed to climb Uluru days before the sacred monolith is permanently closed, with anthropologist Marcia Langdon saying “a curse will fall on all of them.” When sightseeing, don’t take items from sacred areas, respect the areas. Your’s sightseeing, don't disrespect one culture or belief in order to fulfill a desire or have a “souvenir.” Previous Next

< Back Island Of The Dead Dolls If you thought dolls were creepy, how would you feel about a whole island of them? Just south of Mexico City, between the canals of Xochimico you can find a small island with a sad background that was never intended to be a tourist destination. The island is known as Isla de las Munecas, the island of the dolls. It is dedicated to the lost soul of a poor girl who met her fate too soon in the water and died from drowning. It is said that a girl was found drowned in mysterious circumstances many years ago on this island and that the dolls are possessed by her spirit. Local legend says that the dolls move their heads, arms, legs, and even opened their eyes or played sounds. Don Julian Santana Barrera was the caretaker of the island. The story goes that Julian found a little girl drowned in mysterious circumstances while he was not able to save her life. Shortly thereafter, Julian saw a floating doll near the canals. Most probably, the doll belonged to the girl. He picked up the doll and hung it on a tree, as a way of showing respect and support for the spirit of the girl. He then started to collect dolls as a way to create a memorial for her. Soon after, Julian felt as if he was apparently haunted by the spirit of the girl and started hanging more dolls in an attempt to please her spirit. He soon realized the dolls themselves were possessed by the spirits of dead girls and continued to collect creepy dolls hanging them over the entire island. After 50 years of collecting dolls and hanging them on the island, Julian was found dead, drowned in the same spot where the girl did. Many people on the island believe that Julian has joined the other spirits of the island. The locals are very faithful that the Isla de las Munecas is a charming place. Since Julian’s death in 2001, it has become a tourist attraction, where visitors bring and offer more dolls. Although the action of Don Julian was innocent and even admirable, it ended up being portrayed as a real nightmarish destination. Previous Next

< Back Cursed Amethyst Deadly purple gemstone. The heavy steel door of the room known as "the vault" protects some of the museum's most valuable treasures: a Martian meteorite, a rare crystallized gold nugget, and one of the world's largest uncut emeralds. Within this, there is a gem with a dark side. Ever since it was stolen out of India during the Rebellion of 1857, this amethyst has brought its owners nothing but despair and devastation. It was then known as the Cursed Amethyst. Its last owner had it locked away within seven different boxes in a bank safe, where it was not to be removed until three years after his death. Colonel W. Ferris is said to have brought the amethyst to England after it was stolen out of the Temple of Indra in Kanpur. Yet the beautiful violet stone’s sinister nature was soon manifested when he lost just about everything he owned and his health deteriorated. The same misery happened to his son who inherited the stone, so he gave it to a friend who subsequently committed suicide. In an unsettling twist, that friend had willed the stone back to the son, now knowing the stone was a deadly account. In 1890, Edward Heron-Allen received the stone. Yet he soon found himself rattled by a series of disasters. Desperate to be rid of the thing, Heron-Allen tossed it into Regent’s Canal. Yet three months later, after having been rescued from the depths by a dredger, a dealer gave it back to him. Heron-Allen declared the amethyst: “cursed and stained with blood” and he had it secreted away in his bank vault within seven locked boxes. Three years after his death in 1943, as he’d instructed, his daughter unlocked the amethyst and gave it to the museum. The amethyst went on display in the Natural History Museum in 2007, set within a ring of silver with two scarab beetle beads decorating one end. Yet some believe the curse has yet to fade. Previous Next

< Back Disappearance of the Sodder Children What happened to the missing children in a house fire? The year was 1945 on the night before Christmas in Fayetteville West Virginia. George and Jenny solder along with nine of their children were asleep when a fire started in the house at around 1:00 a.m. George, Jenny, and four of their children escaped: Sylvia, Mary, John, and George Jr. The children that remained in the house were Maurice, Martha, Lewis, Jenny, and Betty. The five of them shared two bedrooms between them both rooms upstairs. George broke back into the house to save the rest of the children but the staircase was on fire. When he went outside to retrieve his ladder it was missing from its normal spot and both of his coal trucks which, he wanted to use to park outside and climb on top of were strangely not starting. Marion, one of the children who escaped the fire ran to the neighbor's house to call the fire department but the operator didn't respond, and when a different neighbor attempted to call she also got no response from the operator. that same neighbor actually drove to town and found the fire chief fj Morris in person, but even though the fire department was only located 2.5 miles away from the home, the firefighters bizarrely didn't reach the Sodder house until 8:00 a.m. seven hours after the fire began and by the time they arrived the house was literally ash. Authority scavenge the ashes of the fire looking for the remains of the five missing solder children but nothing was found and they were presumed dead due to the fire. The fire chief FG Morris suggested that the fire may have been so hot that it completely cremated the children's bodies including their bones. While that theory sounds reasonable it is not entirely accurate because when flesh has burned away, bones are still typically left behind likely in fragmented form. Additionally, there was no smell of burning flesh reported during or after the fire. The cause of the fire was deemed to be bad wiring in the house and in the week after, the Fayetteville coroner's office issued death certificates for the five solder children, the basement of the house still remained and George would later use a bulldozer to cover it up with five feet of dirt to create a memorial to his children. Soon after the fire, George and Jenny began to suspect their children were not dead but instead kidnapped. Believing the fire was deliberately set as a diversion and not the result of faulty wiring. In fact, George had actually had the wiring in his house checked earlier that fall by the power company which had deemed the wiring in safe working order. In the days leading up to the fire, two of the surviving Sodder sons witnessed a man watching the younger solder children come home from school on Highway 21. Another suspicious occurrence happened that night on the night of the fire at around 12:30 a.m. the phone rang and Jenny got out of bed to answer. This would result in an important observation then he noticed the lights were still on downstairs now she started to fall back asleep, she heard a loud bang on the roof. Followed by the sound of something rolling and an hour later she woke to the smell of smoke entering her room downstairs. The detail that is interesting is the fact that the lights were still on, if the fire had been caused by faulty wiring as had been suggested; than that meant there wouldn't have been power to the house meaning that the lights shouldn't have been working. Yet Jenny saw that they were on about an hour before the smoke and later the Sodder’s would claim that they saw the lights on while the fire was occurring as well. Additionally, a witness to the fire claimed that they saw a man removing a block-and-tackle, typically used for removing engines from cars, perhaps explaining why both of George's trucks weren't working that night. after the fire when the family visited the memorial George had set up, Sylvia found a hard rubber object in the yard. An object that Jenny believed may have caused the loud bang that occured that night but even more interesting was the fact that after further inspection from George, he believed the object was a napalm “pineapple bomb” similar to those used in the war at the time. With all these strange occurrences and not believing that the fire could have burned her children's bones to ash. Jenny began the experiment by burning different types of animal bones all of which left remains. She spoke to a crematorium employee who told her that bones were left behind even after bodies burned at 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours and the solder home only burned for about 45 minutes. Also noteworthy is that remains of household appliances were found in the rubble, meaning not everything was ash. They have also been reported sightings of the children, one occurred that night, while the fire was still burning, a woman claimed to see the children in a car that drove by while the fire was still raging. 50 miles west of Fayetteville a woman who operated a tourist stop told police that she saw the children in the morning after the fire, “ I served them breakfast, there was a car with Florida license plates at the tourist court, too.” In 1947, two years after the fire, George and Jenny attempted to involve the FBI, who offered to help but in a curious turn of events, the Fayetteville police and fire department both denied their offer. George and Jenny turned to a private investigator named C.C. Tinsley, who did help but ended up disappearing and was never heard from again. After the Smithsonian revealed their findings, West Virginia Governor, Okey L Patterson called a hearing in the state capitol building in Charleston, West Virginia, where he officially declared the Sodder case to be closed, telling George and Jennie that their surge was hopeless. This led to George and Jenny setting up a billboard on route 16 advertising their missing children where it remained for nearly 40 years. Previous Next