Possible Possession

   
      Of all the entities that are reported to haunt the homes of private citizens, demons are the most threatening. The media has led people to believe that demonic possession is a lot more common than it actually seems to be. Many clients who experience activity immediately believe they have a demon in their house. In theory, this is not always the case. A spirit can be malevolent but not demonic. If a human was an evil person in life, then likewise the spirit of that human will be very unpleasant. This type of spirit can be easy to mistake for a demon. No one can claim to know the extent of a spirit's abilities which also makes it hard to differentiate between the two.
     A few weeks ago we received a call from a woman in Henrico who was afraid to spend the night at her house. She said there was a dark presence in the home affecting her daughter and it was physically attacking both her and the child. Of course we placed a high priority on this case given the circumstances. The day of the investigation I received two somewhat incoherent voicemails from the client. Each time I called back there was no answer. That night we headed out to Henrico.
   

Jeff helping the client get up.

     When Linda, David, and I arrived on scene at the location, the client and her husband were sitting on the front porch. She seemed a little disoriented but invited us inside. After confirming that she was willing to participate in a recorded interview, I miked her up and began recording. As soon as I finished reading the liability and evidence release waiver, the woman fell to the floor. I immediately helped her up and asked her to state her name to confirm coherency. The client could not state her name but began babbling. She fell to the floor screaming and then threatened to castrate her husband and kill everyone in the room. I sat down to attempt direct communication with her. I asked her a few questions and she soon returned to the hysteria of a Hollywood style possession. Linda grabbed the Holy water and began sprinkling it on the woman while saying prayers. From the interaction I had with her and the current display, I didn't believe she was possessed. I realized that we weren't going to be conducting the investigation and began packing the equipment.
     The husband was sitting on the couch and he appeared to be very nervous. I used the excuse, "Can you show me where the graveyard is?" to get him outside of the house. In her "possessed state" the woman claimed that she buried people out there. Once he stepped outside, I could see he seemed in shock. He had no idea why she was acting in such a way and claimed that he had never seen anything like it. I asked him about medication and psychological history but it didn't appear that there was any logical explanation for the behavior. I asked him if he could call someone who was a close friend or family member. My goal was to see her reaction when an unexpected visitor entered the room. Unfortunately he wasn't able to get in touch with anyone.
   

The client choking herself with a cord.

     The possessed behavior continued for nearly an hour. During this time, she grabbed a wooden crucifix and smacked herself with it until it broke. Then she attempted to wrap a phone cord around her neck. There was no unusual strength and we were able to free it from her grasp. At this point we decided to call the police to prevent self-harm. The Henrico PD arrived within minutes. As soon as the officer walked in the house, the client snapped out of it, returning to her normal self. After speaking with another officer in the parking lot, I was fairly certain this was probably the most interesting call of the night. Imagine walking in and seeing a woman snarling on the floor while Linda is holding Holy water and a St. Michael medallion.

The scene as the police arrived.

   
    The overall behavior was definitely lacking some signs of a possession. There was no unnatural strength, talking in other languages, speaking in a voice beyond normal range, and when she rolled around on the floor, she would make sure to stop and fix her dress. Also, in my experience with interviewing witnesses, victims, and perpetrators, I saw some clear indicators that this was somewhat fabricated.
     One might ask, "If she wasn't possessed, why the theatrics?" There are definitely a few possibilities that we considered. She desperately wanted a Catholic Priest to exorcise her house. Getting a priest out to your house is not always as easy as they make it look on TV. Also, many people believe that if the Catholic Church sees evidence, then they will sanction an exorcism. What better way to provide this evidence than through a paranormal team recording a full on possession? I could go on with the skeptical side as to why this happened, but I'd also like to present the paranormal side. It is definitely possible that she was experiencing the activity described in her initial phone call. If this was the case, not sleeping for nearly a week, as she claimed, and being scared to walk in the house, could have very well caused her to have a breakdown.
     Demons are very deceptive. I believe it's very rare to experience a possession like we see in Hollywood. If that was the case then we'd have evidence of demons and more people may believe they exist, causing more people to seek protection. Their best attack method is to move in the shadows and keep people doubting their existence. If people doubt, their defenses are down and demons can stealthily move in. The possession may me much more subtle, but destroy the very spirit of the host through depression and other ailments.
     After departing from the location, of course we found that beacon of light in the night, Sheetz. With an obnoxious bite into some fried foods, we discussed the events of the night. However, this was only Friday night. We still had the entire weekend ahead and in the morning we would be heading out to Winchester for our next investigation. That's a story for another post.
     A few weeks later we received a call from the client asking us to return for the purpose of investigating the home. Unfortunately, they will be moving before our schedule permits a return investigation. 

An Introduction to Gas, Grub, and Ghosts

   
     When people read the title "Gas, Grub, and Ghosts" for the first time, they're probably not quite sure what to expect. Some turn it off after the first few minutes when they find it's nothing like "Ghost Adventures." There aren't theatrics, no one's getting possessed (usually), and there aren't a lot of scenes shot in night vision with investigators jumping at every noise that only they seem to hear. Those who keep watching find that it's actually a window into the life of a ghost hunter. In real-life, there are often cases that produce little or no evidence, and the evidence is often subtle. "Gas, Grub, and Ghosts" features many of these cases but the focus is not only on the investigations. In fact, the investigation footage only covers the "Ghosts" part. This series provides an overview of the entire trip to and from each investigation. "Gas, Grub, and Ghosts" is actually the story of Virginia Paranormal Investigations and our attempt to share our love for the adventure that is exploring the unknown.

Noah, Paul, and Jeff 2009

     I've been venturing to haunted locations since the late 90's. Back then my friends and I would spend all night traveling the haunted roads of the Brandywine Valley. It wasn't just the dark eerie roads that made it fun; it was also the stops we made along the way. Wandering into a 24 hour gas station at 2 AM, ordering a cheese dog, and scarfing it down in the parking lot was always a good time. In the photo to the left, Noah, Paul, and I stopped at an A Plus for some snacks after driving down Devil's Road in the summer of 2009. This was shortly after VAPI was established and at that time we were primarily investigating haunted roads and historic sites. Noah decided to ride in the bed of the truck, hence the wet spot on the back of his pants.

Kyle, Scott, Jeff, Linda, Kim 2015

     Before long we started taking on larger cases such as old plantations, asylums, old prisons, and a battleship. The videos would focus solely on the investigations and leave out all the fun behind-the-scenes stuff. There was so much more to be seen than just the investigations. Along our travels we would go to small towns, eat at unique places, and visit obscure locations. We decided to showcase some of these locations in a separate video series called Paranormal Pit Stops. In this series, we wanted to inform others of the options that were out there after sunset. Perhaps an interesting concept, but I'm sure some wondered why paranormal investigators were reviewing food. None the less, we had a good time doing it and maybe it added a little diversity. 


     As we started taking on more residential investigations, we came across some very interesting reports. A lot of these cases were nothing like the stuff you'd see on the popular ghost hunting shows, and some for good reason. In May of 2017, we received a call from a woman in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. She reported that there was a portal in her basement, the spirit of a witch who was hung in the attic, a wolf-like creature outside, and random male genitalia that would appear in her pictures. The house was a duplex and the neighbors reported experiencing activity as well. We decided to take the case and head to Pennsylvania.

     It was a rainy night as we drove along Route 13 north on the Eastern Shore of  Virginia. Linda and I were discussing the trip and considering pulling into a Royal Farms for some coffee. At this point I suggested that we record a video, kind of a vlog,  about the entire trip, featuring not only the investigation but combining it with the Paranormal Pit Stops and other random moments. As we ventured into the night, we stopped at a Royal Farms, Wawa, and a few other places along the way before spending the night in Delaware. The next day we traveled to Lebanon where we met the rest of the team at a pizza place for a bite to eat. Before heading over to the location, we went by a Turkey Hill for some coffee and learned of some local legends and lore from the staff. Overall it was a long, interesting investigation and we found ourselves arriving in Delaware well after sunrise. Later that day, while traveling along Route 13 south in Virginia, we were discussing names for this new series and decided on "Gas, Grub, and Ghosts."

David, Linda, Jeff 2017

    We have had many adventures since then and posted several episodes. Each one is nothing like the stuff you'll find on TV and probably for more reasons than one. This article is just an introduction to the series and the story of why it came to be. My goal for future posts is to document each adventure and give the reader more insight than provided in the videos. Prepare to open a window into the life of a ghost hunter.