Four college students heard voices, saw cupboards opening and closing on their own and witnessed family photographs knocked from the walls.
Terri Musgrave and her partner, Shawn Halpenny, visited the Council Bluffs residence where these events allegedly occurred. They operate the Metro Area Paranormal Society, and the home's owner called them in to investigate after the woman and the college friends all moved out.
"We try and find logical, scientific explanations for anything going on," Musgrave said. "We use a debunking approach. When we can't debunk it, that is when we look at paranormal activity."
The "ghost finders" use scientific theory and high-tech equipment to debunk the spirits.
Musgrave said she and Halpenny used infrared lighting and Electronic Voice Phenomena digital recorders to see what the human eye can't see and hear what the human ear can't hear.
"Shawn is a sound engineer and has all the tools," she said. Musgrave said the theory behind EVP is that some sound waves are not at a pitch humans can hear. You can't hear it live, but sounds show up when the recording is played.
So, the two investigators set up shop in the house's basement during the middle of the night. But, that time wasn't selected because that's when the ghosts come out.
"That's a misnomer," Musgrave said. "We prefer late at night because it is quieter and we can do better camera work, because there is no refracting light."
Musgrave said she has no fear, but her partner's adrenalin is flowing freely during their in-the-dark investigations.
"Shawn is terrified of the dark and of ghosts," she said. "We say that he is the brain, and I am the brawn," she said with a laugh.
Musgrave said her partner's intense interest helps overcome his spooked feelings.
"I have never been afraid of this," she said. "I am more afraid of the known than the unknown."
Musgrave usually will speak to the spirits directly.
Using a firm but respectful tone, she will say something like, "We have sanction to be here. Tell us about yourself."
During their night at this particular "haunted" house, Musgrave said Halpenny heard a dog barking and made a comment that the dog needed to be quiet. When they listened to the tape, Musgrave said they heard an unfamiliar voice comment, "Well, sometimes dogs bark."
Later, Musgrave made her way to the bedroom where the woman said the gunman terrorized her. The woman had since moved and was doing fine, Musgrave said.
As she entered the bedroom, Musgrave called out, "You are scaring people that live here. Show yourself to me. I am not afraid."
She heard or saw nothing at the time, but when listening to the tapes heard a deep male voice say, "It is time for you to meet me."
The investigators also caught a light form moving down the hallway when they studied the videotapes. They turned over the tapes to their video experts, one of whom Musgrave describes as a very skeptical college professor.
"We get a lot of calls about people seeing orbs," she said.
She said most turn out to have a reasonable explanation, often the result of light refraction.
But, this one had no such explanation and so Musgrave and Halpenny classified it as paranormal activity.
She said her job is to report findings, not to tell people what to do with the results.
"When we are done, we give our results to the household. What they do with it is their business," she said.
She suggests residents be forceful in addressing their ghosts.
"Say it is my house, and I want you to leave."
She said some suggest burning sage or incense.
"If the activity persists, I would suggest calling a member of the clergy."
Musgrave said paranormal "visitors" won't hurt you. "They might make you uncomfortable, but it is the boogeyman is a misnomer."
But, she said, people shouldn't be afraid in their own homes. For some, moving may be the best option.
Being a paranormal investigator requires a bit of skepticism.
"You can't just say it happens, you have to look for it," she said.
Musgrave is leery of people who say they are "sensitive" to paranormal activity.
"People who say, 'I can't hear or see anything,' are the ones who should be paranormal investigators."
She said of the homes and businesses she's investigated, she's concluded about half have had some paranormal activity.
"Ideally, you need to return a couple times at different times and under different conditions."
Musgrave said if people want to utilize a paranormal investigator they should make sure the investigators don't charge for their work.
"That violates our ethics," she said.
Clients are generally relieved when results come up negative.
Musgrave and Halpenny investigated one complaint of orbs and wailing noises outside a residence. The orbs turned out to be light refracting off moisture in the air following a rain; the noises were from a cat in heat.
But then, there are those situations that give one pause.
Like the German shepherd that was crying in front of a bedroom door.
When the dog went into the room, he attacked the mirror, Musgrave said.
The investigators' photos revealed a light saber-looking beam of light pointing at the mirror.
Nonpareil to feature series on hauntings in southwest Iowa
Beginning Oct. 28, the Daily Nonpareil will run a four-part series on hauntings in southwest Iowa.
Anyone who may have had a paranormal experience in southwest Iowa is invited to share their story with us.
Send your story, along with your name and address to: The Daily Nonpareil, Attn. Courtney Brummer, 535 West Broadway, Suite 300, Council Bluffs, IA 51503, or e-mail cbrummer@nonpareilonline.com.
Submissions will not be taken by phone.
Have or know of a job youd like to see profiled in the Nonpareil? Contact staff writer Tom McMahon at 325-5764.
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