Case File: Woods Home
Location: Vancouver, Washington
Date: December 1994
Description: The Woods House is a suburban home in a residential district of Vancouver, Washington.
Case[]
History: In December 1994, Ed and Mary Woods and their two daughters moved into a house in Vancouver, Washington. About seven months later, strange events began occurring. Mary claimed that she began hearing the sound of a music box playing. She searched the house and determined that it was coming from Ed's office. However, when she looked around, she could not find it. She continued to hear the noise on several occasions. Ed claimed that one time he was in his office with the door closed when he heard someone playing with the doorknob. Believing that it was his daughter, he decided that he would catch her in the act and open the door. However, when he opened it, there was no one on the other side. He checked and everyone in the house was asleep.
Mary contacted a seismologist who confirmed that there was no evidence of seismic activity at that time.
On another night, Mary saw the ghostly figure of a woman wearing a scarf around her head and a long flannel nightgown. She determined that it was of a former resident who died of cancer. It apparently began checking on her daughters. They had the same bedroom as the woman's kids when she was alive. The local newspaper published a story about the Woods' home. After it was published, a woman contacted Mary. She said that she was a friend of the woman's. She also said that the woman and Mary could pass as twins; this could be the reason why the ghost is attached to Mary and the house.
Ed later saw the figure of a man standing in the living room that appeared to be a riverboat gambler with a ribbon tie and moustache. Another apparition seen by both Ed and Mary is a little girl whom they call "Pinky"; she loudly giggles whenever she is seen. At first, Mary assumed that it was her youngest daughter giggling. However, when she looked down, she noticed that her daughter was asleep.
Another spirit was never seen, but was felt by the residents when they would take a shower. The spirit apparently hugs or even rubs the people that are in it. When Ed's son came to visit, he also felt the strange shower ghost, along with Mary. Another strange event is things being knocked over or floating throughout the house. The Woods still can't explain why their house is haunted.
Background: The Woods' house was on 37th Street in Vancouver, Washington. Mary found through research that the woman with the scarf on her head was a former resident who had died from cancer in the house in 1974; she had worn scarves and nightgowns before her death.
Investigations: A ghost expert named Loyd Auerbach investigated the Woods' house. When he first visited, he used a magnatometer, which detects whether or not there is electromagnetic pollution. The device spiked several times, most notably in the back bathroom, the living room, and the hallway. These locations are where most of the supernatural phenomena occur. He could find no natural explanation for what was happening there.
Extra Notes:
- The case first aired on the April 17, 1998 episode.
- The Woods were later interviewed by Larry King about their experiences.
Results: Unsolved
Links:
- Larry King Live: Are There Ghosts? - April 3, 2001