WEBVTT 1 00:00:07.000 --> 00:00:10.080 Today, we're changing things up a little bit, and we're 2 00:00:10.080 --> 00:00:14.759 getting a little spooky. In a quiet Pennsylvania town, one 3 00:00:14.800 --> 00:00:17.800 family's claim of a haunting would grow from strange noises 4 00:00:17.839 --> 00:00:21.000 in the night into one of the most debated paranormal 5 00:00:21.039 --> 00:00:24.640 cases in American history. What began as a search for 6 00:00:24.679 --> 00:00:29.280 stability after losing their home slowly turned into years of fear, 7 00:00:29.679 --> 00:00:36.039 media attention, and conflicting investigations. Priests, skeptics, journalists, and famous 8 00:00:36.119 --> 00:00:40.399 paranormal investigators would all step into the story, each leaving 9 00:00:40.840 --> 00:00:45.479 with a different explanation. Decades later, this haunting still sits 10 00:00:45.520 --> 00:00:48.600 in the uneasy space between belief and doubt, where the 11 00:00:48.640 --> 00:00:52.079 facts are clear, but the truth depends on who you ask. 12 00:00:53.119 --> 00:00:56.479 But no matter what you believe, what remains is that 13 00:00:56.520 --> 00:00:59.679 this is one of the most famous haunting cases in 14 00:00:59.799 --> 00:01:04.760 all of North America. This is the case of the 15 00:01:04.879 --> 00:01:06.359 smirl Family Haunting. 16 00:01:08.319 --> 00:01:11.959 My name's Ben, I'm Nicole, and you're listening to Wicked 17 00:01:12.000 --> 00:01:14.920 and Grim, a true crime podcast. Warning. 18 00:01:15.519 --> 00:01:23.719 The following podcast material intended for maturial audience listener discretion. 19 00:01:43.319 --> 00:01:44.719 We've done it with the women, and I want to 20 00:01:44.719 --> 00:01:48.079 do it with the men. Congratulations to the US Men's 21 00:01:48.159 --> 00:01:50.760 hockey team for winning the gold medal for the first 22 00:01:50.760 --> 00:01:54.599 time in what like forty six years in the Olympic hockey. 23 00:01:54.439 --> 00:01:56.439 I honestly can't remember, but yeah, it had been a 24 00:01:56.480 --> 00:01:57.000 little while. 25 00:01:57.200 --> 00:02:00.439 What a phenomenal game. And to the men's can Canadian 26 00:02:00.480 --> 00:02:03.439 team who won silver, we are damn proud of you. 27 00:02:03.439 --> 00:02:06.200 You played incredible hockey. 28 00:02:06.640 --> 00:02:09.560 Still proud. Nothing to be a shame of getting a 29 00:02:09.599 --> 00:02:11.319 silver medal, really no, and it. 30 00:02:11.280 --> 00:02:13.960 Was still worth waking up at four am our local 31 00:02:14.000 --> 00:02:16.520 time to make sure that we caught that game. Yeah, 32 00:02:16.599 --> 00:02:19.800 Olympics are finally over. But man, I don't know about you, guys, 33 00:02:19.840 --> 00:02:21.840 I was very invested in a lot of it. 34 00:02:22.599 --> 00:02:24.639 Yeah, it kind of feels like we get our life 35 00:02:24.680 --> 00:02:25.639 back a little bit, a. 36 00:02:25.560 --> 00:02:28.560 Little bit, a little bit. We've been busy watching the Olympics, 37 00:02:28.560 --> 00:02:30.879 not quite working as much as we should. But something 38 00:02:30.960 --> 00:02:34.400 cool that did happen in February alongside the Olympics was 39 00:02:34.439 --> 00:02:38.919 we had our five year anniversary for this podcast. We've 40 00:02:38.960 --> 00:02:42.159 officially been doing this for five freaking years. 41 00:02:42.360 --> 00:02:44.439 Does it feel like shorter or longer to you. 42 00:02:45.439 --> 00:02:46.680 Both in the same sms? 43 00:02:46.800 --> 00:02:49.560 Me too, actually, because when I think back to recording 44 00:02:49.599 --> 00:02:53.639 our first episode, that literally seems forever ago, but then 45 00:02:54.240 --> 00:02:57.120 just thinking about the span of five years, it doesn't 46 00:02:57.159 --> 00:02:58.240 seem like that long. 47 00:02:58.360 --> 00:03:00.639 Yeah, it's so hard to put into word. Yeah, like 48 00:03:00.680 --> 00:03:03.240 that was like an like a whole lifetime ago, like 49 00:03:03.280 --> 00:03:05.520 we've grown so much. But then also it's like it's 50 00:03:05.560 --> 00:03:08.240 only been five years, Like what we're babies at this still? 51 00:03:08.240 --> 00:03:09.120 What are you talking about? 52 00:03:09.319 --> 00:03:12.159 Like you know, well, yeah, in our first episode, we weren't 53 00:03:12.159 --> 00:03:14.759 in the tiny house, right, so in our tiny home, 54 00:03:14.840 --> 00:03:18.000 so a lot has changed. That makes it feel that 55 00:03:18.039 --> 00:03:20.159 part feels a bit why, it feels a bit longer. 56 00:03:20.319 --> 00:03:24.280 True, true, But with five years, with a little bit 57 00:03:24.280 --> 00:03:27.080 of a celebration, we are doing something pretty cool. So 58 00:03:27.240 --> 00:03:29.800 on the first of March, we're going to be dropping 59 00:03:29.840 --> 00:03:33.280 some new merch for Wicked and Grim and we're dropping 60 00:03:33.319 --> 00:03:36.719 some exclusive celebration for five year type merch. We're going 61 00:03:36.759 --> 00:03:39.960 to be bringing some stuff back out of our archives 62 00:03:39.960 --> 00:03:42.599 that we've released before in this vault, the vault you 63 00:03:42.599 --> 00:03:45.080 can say, yeah some stuff that is no hasn't been 64 00:03:45.080 --> 00:03:46.800 available for a while. So we're going to have some 65 00:03:46.879 --> 00:03:52.479 new merch in the rotation, including a very very limited 66 00:03:52.639 --> 00:03:56.520 and sought after Jacko shirt. So we've done this before. 67 00:03:57.439 --> 00:04:01.759 It was available for one week on Patreon only when 68 00:04:01.759 --> 00:04:05.280 it first happened, and it was never released again. We'll 69 00:04:05.319 --> 00:04:07.840 never be released again. We came up with a second 70 00:04:07.960 --> 00:04:11.120 version of it, same thing. We're only available for a week, 71 00:04:11.439 --> 00:04:13.680 and this time we're coming out with version three of it. 72 00:04:13.680 --> 00:04:16.000 It's the same artwork, but different colors, so you know, 73 00:04:16.079 --> 00:04:19.040 like the addition right, first, second, third variation edition or whatever. 74 00:04:19.639 --> 00:04:23.079 And so this jack O shirt will only be released 75 00:04:23.319 --> 00:04:26.480 for one week and then it'll never be available again. 76 00:04:26.920 --> 00:04:28.319 So if you want it, you got to make sure 77 00:04:28.319 --> 00:04:31.560 you get it starting March first, and it'll of course 78 00:04:31.600 --> 00:04:33.639 be there with all the other merch that we have 79 00:04:33.839 --> 00:04:36.920 in our link in the bio description, all those sort 80 00:04:36.920 --> 00:04:38.480 of things, you'll be able to find it pretty easy. 81 00:04:38.560 --> 00:04:40.839 Well, yeah, we can make sure, like well, we'll talk 82 00:04:40.879 --> 00:04:42.600 about it one more time on here too, and then 83 00:04:42.639 --> 00:04:44.639 we'll make sure we do a post or something about 84 00:04:44.680 --> 00:04:45.199 it as well. 85 00:04:45.399 --> 00:04:47.519 Yeah, and we're going to be doing some giveaways over 86 00:04:47.560 --> 00:04:49.720 on Patreon, so if you want to join Patreon, you 87 00:04:49.759 --> 00:04:51.519 can go ahead and get yourself in a name for 88 00:04:51.600 --> 00:04:54.319 a giveaway, just like some of these other amazing people 89 00:04:54.360 --> 00:04:57.720 did earlier this week. Like we have ka we have 90 00:04:57.839 --> 00:05:04.160 Cheryl Hubert, Gary Shepherd, Sam Kate, Sandy Logan, Keaton Hamilton, 91 00:05:04.240 --> 00:05:07.000 and Aaron Waterhouse who all signed up on Patreon and 92 00:05:07.040 --> 00:05:09.319 they're gonna have a chance to actually win some pretty 93 00:05:09.319 --> 00:05:12.360 cool march from us over there. Dang, dang, it's gonna 94 00:05:12.360 --> 00:05:12.959 be a good time. 95 00:05:13.160 --> 00:05:14.079 Yeah, no kidding. 96 00:05:14.279 --> 00:05:17.160 But before we actually start today's episode, I've got to 97 00:05:17.199 --> 00:05:19.000 address the elephant in the room. 98 00:05:19.360 --> 00:05:21.639 The elephant, the elephant in the room. 99 00:05:22.040 --> 00:05:25.000 This is not a true crime case. We're doing today 100 00:05:25.439 --> 00:05:28.120 in a little bit of a celebration, having fun for 101 00:05:28.160 --> 00:05:32.000 a five year. We're doing something paranormal today, just a 102 00:05:32.040 --> 00:05:33.879 little bit off script. So today is going to be 103 00:05:33.959 --> 00:05:36.319 a different episode. We might not be as serious, we 104 00:05:36.399 --> 00:05:38.800 might be chatting a bit more, but we're certainly going 105 00:05:38.839 --> 00:05:42.439 to be talking paranormal stuff, not necessarily true crime. 106 00:05:42.800 --> 00:05:43.920 Okay, which is fine. 107 00:05:44.079 --> 00:05:46.000 It's totally fine to go off script once a while, 108 00:05:46.040 --> 00:05:48.639 well not off script, but off topic once a while. 109 00:05:49.600 --> 00:05:52.120 We have done paranormal cases before. We throw these in 110 00:05:52.160 --> 00:05:55.199 every so often. And it actually is prompted by one 111 00:05:55.240 --> 00:05:58.040 of our friends, Demi. I was messaging her and she's like, dude, 112 00:05:58.040 --> 00:05:59.920 you gotta do a paranormal something I'm in the mood 113 00:05:59.920 --> 00:06:02.680 for spooky for dark, and I was like, you know what, 114 00:06:03.319 --> 00:06:05.439 let's do it. It's a good time for it. 115 00:06:05.639 --> 00:06:06.800 You're like, I can do that. 116 00:06:07.079 --> 00:06:08.079 I can definitely do that. 117 00:06:08.240 --> 00:06:09.439 I feel that wish. 118 00:06:09.560 --> 00:06:11.439 I did a little bit of searching and I found 119 00:06:11.839 --> 00:06:14.600 well Today's case and I was like, this is a 120 00:06:14.680 --> 00:06:16.600 darn good one. I'm going to hit it up. So 121 00:06:17.720 --> 00:06:20.040 we're doing well, are you ready for spooky? 122 00:06:20.240 --> 00:06:21.120 Yeah, let's hear it? 123 00:06:21.240 --> 00:06:25.240 Okay, Well, to start off, I'm not going to go 124 00:06:25.279 --> 00:06:27.360 on script here and just start reading my little intro, 125 00:06:27.439 --> 00:06:29.959 I have a question for you to ponder first. So 126 00:06:30.040 --> 00:06:32.839 if you're listening, I want you to think really clearly 127 00:06:32.879 --> 00:06:36.360 about this. Because every town has a house or a 128 00:06:36.399 --> 00:06:40.040 building that people talk about. Where we live, we have 129 00:06:40.079 --> 00:06:43.519 a specific house downtown in our city that has been 130 00:06:43.519 --> 00:06:46.920 turned into a business, and it's a house people talk 131 00:06:46.959 --> 00:06:49.519 about because they know it has a history and it 132 00:06:49.600 --> 00:06:53.759 has something else about it. Now, things like the houses 133 00:06:53.800 --> 00:06:56.279 like this, for example, they're not always abandoned or falling apart. 134 00:06:56.560 --> 00:06:59.439 Sometimes it looks completely ordinary. As I mentioned in our case, 135 00:06:59.480 --> 00:07:03.040 it's been turned into a business downtown, so it exists 136 00:07:03.160 --> 00:07:06.199 just as another place where you know, maybe someone mows 137 00:07:06.240 --> 00:07:09.639 the lawns still in your neighborhood, or laundry hangs outside, 138 00:07:09.680 --> 00:07:12.519 and everyday life is just kind of normal, still going 139 00:07:12.600 --> 00:07:15.879 on around it now. The unsettling part, though, isn't how 140 00:07:16.000 --> 00:07:18.920 strange the house looks. It's the idea of something so 141 00:07:19.120 --> 00:07:23.120 strange or terrible that could have happened in a place 142 00:07:23.240 --> 00:07:27.160 like this that looks so normal. Most people don't expect, 143 00:07:27.480 --> 00:07:30.319 you know, fear to creep into their homes so slowly. 144 00:07:31.040 --> 00:07:35.360 They imagine horror as something sudden, a single moment, a big, 145 00:07:35.920 --> 00:07:40.560 dramatic event. But some stories that stay with people are 146 00:07:40.720 --> 00:07:45.399 just different. They begin small, with a noise you might ignore, 147 00:07:45.600 --> 00:07:50.199 or a smell you can't exactly explain. Something might end 148 00:07:50.279 --> 00:07:52.800 up being moved, or maybe you just forgot where you 149 00:07:52.879 --> 00:07:56.560 left it. But life continues, and you tell yourself there's 150 00:07:56.839 --> 00:08:00.920 a reasonable explanation for these things, until one day you 151 00:08:01.040 --> 00:08:05.600 can't say that anymore now. The Smurl Haunting became famous 152 00:08:05.600 --> 00:08:09.759 because it sits right at that strange and uncomfortable intersection 153 00:08:09.839 --> 00:08:14.800 between everyday life and something people struggled to explain. It 154 00:08:14.839 --> 00:08:17.959 has a working class family living in a modest duplex 155 00:08:18.160 --> 00:08:21.279 with bills to pay, kids, to raise, repairs to finish, 156 00:08:21.480 --> 00:08:24.600 and nothing about the beginning of this story suggested a 157 00:08:24.720 --> 00:08:29.319 haunting whatsoever. And that's exactly what makes it so unsettling, 158 00:08:30.360 --> 00:08:32.960 because the smirl family didn't set out become part of 159 00:08:33.279 --> 00:08:37.399 paranormal history. They were trying to rebuild their lives after 160 00:08:37.440 --> 00:08:41.200 a disaster, convinced that they had finally found stability in 161 00:08:41.240 --> 00:08:45.080 their life. What followed, whether you believe it to be 162 00:08:45.120 --> 00:08:48.720 supernatural or not, turned their home into a place watched 163 00:08:48.720 --> 00:08:52.960 by reporters, argued over by skeptics, and investigated by priests, 164 00:08:52.960 --> 00:08:56.440 and remembered decades later as one of the most controversial 165 00:08:56.480 --> 00:09:01.279 hauntings in North American history. Some people see the story 166 00:09:01.320 --> 00:09:05.320 as proof of something dark and unseen, Others see it 167 00:09:05.320 --> 00:09:09.000 as a perfect example of fear, stress, and belief colliding 168 00:09:09.039 --> 00:09:13.200 in real time. But everyone does agree on one thing. 169 00:09:14.240 --> 00:09:18.240 It's that once the story started, it never really belonged 170 00:09:18.240 --> 00:09:23.919 to the family alone after that. Now, this is how 171 00:09:23.960 --> 00:09:27.159 it all began in the beginning, with the Smurle family 172 00:09:27.240 --> 00:09:32.120 simply trying to rebuild their lives. In the early nineteen seventies, 173 00:09:32.159 --> 00:09:36.600 Northeastern Pennsylvania was still recovering from the devastation left behind 174 00:09:36.960 --> 00:09:41.840 by Hurricane Agnes. The storm had flooded entire communities, forcing 175 00:09:41.919 --> 00:09:45.279 families to leave their homes and start over, and among 176 00:09:45.320 --> 00:09:50.039 them were Jack and Janet Smirle. Like countless others in 177 00:09:50.080 --> 00:09:54.720 the region, they were searching for stability and somewhere safe, affordable, 178 00:09:54.720 --> 00:09:58.120 and large enough to hold a growing family. In August 179 00:09:58.200 --> 00:10:00.559 of nineteen seventy three, they found the they were looking 180 00:10:00.600 --> 00:10:04.759 for in West Pittston, a quiet town just outside of Scranton. 181 00:10:06.000 --> 00:10:09.360 Now the property on Chase Street. It wasn't glamorous. It 182 00:10:09.360 --> 00:10:12.360 was an aging duplex that needed work, the kind of 183 00:10:12.360 --> 00:10:16.840 place that well, it needs some serious sweat, equity and patience. 184 00:10:17.960 --> 00:10:21.279 But it did offer space enough for Jack and Janet 185 00:10:21.279 --> 00:10:24.120 in their children, and Jack's parents as well, John and Mary, 186 00:10:24.159 --> 00:10:29.279 who lived in the adjoining side of the duplex. Now, 187 00:10:29.320 --> 00:10:33.840 the arrangement felt practical, with family support, and it shared responsibility. 188 00:10:34.519 --> 00:10:37.799 So soon the Smarls settled into the rhythm of the 189 00:10:37.919 --> 00:10:42.159 ordinary life in their new home. Jack worked steadily, Janet 190 00:10:42.159 --> 00:10:44.519 focused on the home and the children, and the family 191 00:10:44.519 --> 00:10:49.120 became active in their local church parish. Renovations filled there 192 00:10:49.240 --> 00:10:53.799 every evening and weekends, things like painting walls, fixing plumbing, 193 00:10:54.200 --> 00:10:56.799 just all around, repairing a house that showed its age, 194 00:10:56.840 --> 00:11:01.000 but still holding a promise for a fresh start. Neighbors 195 00:11:01.039 --> 00:11:03.879 described the area as calm and middle class, a place 196 00:11:03.879 --> 00:11:06.519 where people knew each other and life moved at a 197 00:11:06.559 --> 00:11:11.279 predictable pace. At first, there was nothing to suggest the 198 00:11:11.320 --> 00:11:14.279 house would become one of the most debated paranormal cases 199 00:11:14.279 --> 00:11:18.000 in American history. There's no dramatic warning sign or immediate terror, 200 00:11:18.639 --> 00:11:22.279 just a family trying to recover from disaster and building 201 00:11:22.320 --> 00:11:23.559 something stable once again. 202 00:11:24.240 --> 00:11:27.360 I kind of love that it's a duplex, but on 203 00:11:27.399 --> 00:11:30.639 the one side, you know, it's your family. Yeah, I 204 00:11:30.720 --> 00:11:31.840 just think that's kind of cool. 205 00:11:31.879 --> 00:11:35.480 Actually, you have a supportive network right there, right, you know, 206 00:11:35.559 --> 00:11:38.480 if you need something, it's well just to knock on 207 00:11:38.480 --> 00:11:39.360 the door away. 208 00:11:40.360 --> 00:11:43.919 Going someone to someone who you're really comfortable with exactly. 209 00:11:44.039 --> 00:11:46.399 And then at the same time, you still have your 210 00:11:46.440 --> 00:11:49.320 own space, yeah, not forced to live in the same house. 211 00:11:49.440 --> 00:11:51.919 And maybe you have just your bedroom or the downstairs 212 00:11:51.919 --> 00:11:54.679 suite or things like that. You're not sharing a kitchen. 213 00:11:55.000 --> 00:11:58.360 You have your own space. There's privacy, but then there's 214 00:11:58.399 --> 00:11:59.720 also that close network. 215 00:12:00.200 --> 00:12:00.440 Yeah. 216 00:12:00.519 --> 00:12:03.559 I like it now. If anything, though, this story began 217 00:12:03.600 --> 00:12:08.360 the way that many real stories do quietly and very unremarkable. 218 00:12:08.360 --> 00:12:11.320 I know you like when I use that word. So 219 00:12:11.480 --> 00:12:13.799 it had this sense that life was finally moving in 220 00:12:13.840 --> 00:12:17.279 the right direction. And that's what makes what came next 221 00:12:17.519 --> 00:12:20.679 so unsettling, because when the Smurls first stepped through the 222 00:12:20.679 --> 00:12:24.639 door on Chase Street, they believed they were leaving hardship, 223 00:12:25.080 --> 00:12:29.080 not walking into it, not walking into more of hardship 224 00:12:29.080 --> 00:12:32.399 that would follow them for about a decade or more. Now, 225 00:12:32.440 --> 00:12:35.600 the first years on Chase Street didn't feel unusual at all. 226 00:12:35.879 --> 00:12:39.960 Duplex was old and like many other homes in northeastern Pennsylvania, 227 00:12:40.039 --> 00:12:43.840 sorry it yeah, came with quirks. There's creaking floors, aging wiring, 228 00:12:43.919 --> 00:12:46.840 and constant needs for repairs, and Jack spent a lot 229 00:12:46.840 --> 00:12:49.440 of his free time doing that, slowly renovating room by 230 00:12:49.519 --> 00:12:53.679 room while the family's just settling in. And at first, 231 00:12:53.679 --> 00:12:57.360 when the strange moment started, they were very small, small 232 00:12:57.480 --> 00:13:01.000 enough to ignore and say, you know what, it's probably 233 00:13:01.080 --> 00:13:06.480 just that aging repairs needed type house. There was things, though, 234 00:13:06.519 --> 00:13:09.600 like tools that would go missing during renovations, only to 235 00:13:09.639 --> 00:13:12.720 show up in odd places later. Now, if you've fixed 236 00:13:12.759 --> 00:13:16.720 anything or done renovations yourself, you can definitely attest to 237 00:13:17.120 --> 00:13:18.960 where the hell did I put that tape measure or 238 00:13:18.960 --> 00:13:21.039 where did I put this tool down? And then it 239 00:13:21.080 --> 00:13:22.720 shows up, you know, a little while later, in a 240 00:13:22.759 --> 00:13:25.440 different spot, and you're frustrated with it, and I'm sure 241 00:13:25.519 --> 00:13:27.360 that's exactly what Jack felt. 242 00:13:27.519 --> 00:13:29.679 Well, unless they're showing up in places though that you 243 00:13:29.679 --> 00:13:31.200 would just never have put it. 244 00:13:31.320 --> 00:13:33.559 Well, some of them are like that. But remember he 245 00:13:33.600 --> 00:13:35.080 does also have kids too. 246 00:13:35.360 --> 00:13:37.559 Oh, okay, which they could move it around. 247 00:13:37.639 --> 00:13:41.799 Yeah, so things are easily explained away now. Appliances or 248 00:13:41.879 --> 00:13:46.440 lights began behaving unpredictably too. Doors in fact, were sometimes 249 00:13:46.440 --> 00:13:49.200 found open or closed when no one remembered touching them. 250 00:13:49.600 --> 00:13:53.360 Toilets even reported flushing on their own. Electrical problems appeared 251 00:13:53.399 --> 00:13:56.720 now and then, with sparks or shortage like outages and 252 00:13:56.759 --> 00:14:00.639 things like that. Minor issues, things that consiststantly could be 253 00:14:00.679 --> 00:14:01.639 explained away. 254 00:14:01.960 --> 00:14:05.480 Okay, a flushing toilet would creep me out, but you. 255 00:14:05.480 --> 00:14:10.639 Have to remember there's an old home, old wiring, weird plumbing, 256 00:14:11.080 --> 00:14:12.440 those sort of things. 257 00:14:12.840 --> 00:14:14.559 I don't know that one would bug me. 258 00:14:15.799 --> 00:14:20.000 Well, they are things that could be explained away. Whether 259 00:14:20.039 --> 00:14:22.799 they'd bug you or not, sure, but maybe if a toilet, 260 00:14:23.279 --> 00:14:26.000 you know, when the back plumbing something happens, it slips 261 00:14:26.080 --> 00:14:30.519 or whatever. The toilet could flush right or did it actually. 262 00:14:30.159 --> 00:14:32.600 Flush or yourself that. 263 00:14:32.799 --> 00:14:36.720 Yeah, all these you know, I don't I'm wanting to 264 00:14:36.720 --> 00:14:38.759 say reasons, excuses, that's the word I'm looking for. All 265 00:14:38.799 --> 00:14:41.159 these excuses are going to flood in your mind. And 266 00:14:41.200 --> 00:14:43.200 that's exactly what was going on here. They're trying to 267 00:14:43.240 --> 00:14:46.679 make up an excuse for Well, this happened probably because 268 00:14:46.720 --> 00:14:48.960 of this. This happened probably because of that. 269 00:14:49.080 --> 00:14:51.320 Which would be really easy to do and it is 270 00:14:51.399 --> 00:14:52.399 human nature. 271 00:14:52.120 --> 00:14:57.960 For sure, one hundred percent. But then came more noises. 272 00:14:58.960 --> 00:15:03.480 The family began here hearing things like knocks and bangs 273 00:15:03.480 --> 00:15:07.399 that didn't seem to have a clear source. Sometimes it 274 00:15:07.440 --> 00:15:11.120 sounded like footsteps even moving through the house. Other times 275 00:15:11.120 --> 00:15:13.759 it was sharp pounding that echoed through the walls or 276 00:15:13.799 --> 00:15:16.799 the ceilings. Now, because Jack's parents lived on the other 277 00:15:16.879 --> 00:15:20.679 side of that duplex, each family while they both initially 278 00:15:20.759 --> 00:15:24.799 assumed that those sounds were coming from next door, but 279 00:15:24.840 --> 00:15:26.679 when they went and checked in on the other side 280 00:15:26.679 --> 00:15:30.399 of the home, each said, well it wasn't them, hmm. 281 00:15:31.519 --> 00:15:35.720 But that wasn't all. Along with the sounds came. Smells too, 282 00:15:36.840 --> 00:15:41.320 sudden foul odors that came without warning, and they disappeared 283 00:15:41.480 --> 00:15:45.600 just as quickly. The family described them as sulfur like 284 00:15:46.000 --> 00:15:50.720 or something rotten. Plumbing in the house was checked to 285 00:15:50.720 --> 00:15:52.600 see if they could find the source. Maybe it was 286 00:15:53.000 --> 00:15:56.200 I don't know, a sewage backup or a pipe being blocked, 287 00:15:56.200 --> 00:15:59.679 but there was nothing obvious that they could find. Even then, though, 288 00:15:59.720 --> 00:16:03.639 the girls didn't jump to supernatural conclusions were they were 289 00:16:03.720 --> 00:16:07.159 very practical people. The house was old, Strange smells and 290 00:16:07.200 --> 00:16:11.519 noises were frustrating but not impossible to explain away, and 291 00:16:11.559 --> 00:16:14.200 for a while the incidents were treated more as just 292 00:16:14.360 --> 00:16:15.879 annoyances than anything. 293 00:16:16.320 --> 00:16:18.320 It is kind of odd, though, that it wouldn't persist 294 00:16:18.960 --> 00:16:21.799 the shrill, right, that it would show up and then disappear. 295 00:16:22.360 --> 00:16:25.360 That's true. But maybe it's something getting backed up and 296 00:16:25.360 --> 00:16:27.759 then all of a sudden it lets go and it drains. 297 00:16:28.120 --> 00:16:30.559 Yeah, or like a breeze of sorts or right. 298 00:16:30.720 --> 00:16:32.960 Thing, All it takes is for you to open one 299 00:16:33.039 --> 00:16:36.960 window in the adjoining duplex or the downstairs or upstairs, 300 00:16:37.120 --> 00:16:39.279 for you know what, the air to flow a different 301 00:16:39.320 --> 00:16:43.320 way through your house, bringing that smell in. Now, as 302 00:16:43.320 --> 00:16:47.440 the months turned into years, the patterns didn't fade. Instead, 303 00:16:47.480 --> 00:16:50.679 the incidents became more frequent and harder to dismiss as 304 00:16:50.759 --> 00:16:56.799 coincidences or just an older house. Now, many of these 305 00:16:56.840 --> 00:17:01.039 strange household problems that they were experiencing gradually started to 306 00:17:01.080 --> 00:17:05.519 feel more personal to the family, less like random malfunctions 307 00:17:05.519 --> 00:17:10.000 and more like something reacting to their presence. The change 308 00:17:10.079 --> 00:17:14.319 wasn't sudden again, it took time. The Smurls later described 309 00:17:14.359 --> 00:17:18.640 it as a slow escalation, a shift in atmosphere that 310 00:17:18.680 --> 00:17:23.359 built over many months and years, rather than overnight. The 311 00:17:23.400 --> 00:17:27.000 noise became more aggressive. Knocking that it once sounded like 312 00:17:27.039 --> 00:17:30.799 occasional tapping turned into very heavy banging that echoed through 313 00:17:30.799 --> 00:17:34.640 the duplex. Family members said they heard footsteps moving from 314 00:17:34.720 --> 00:17:40.400 room to room, even when everyone was accounted for. At times, 315 00:17:41.200 --> 00:17:45.319 sounds seemed to come from above or even inside the walls, 316 00:17:45.400 --> 00:17:50.480 making it impossible to track down any source. Nighttime became 317 00:17:50.640 --> 00:17:56.519 especially unsettling, too. The Smurls claimed their beds would shake violently, 318 00:17:56.839 --> 00:17:59.920 jolting them awake, and they described waking up and convince 319 00:18:00.119 --> 00:18:02.240 someone was in the room, but to find nothing as 320 00:18:02.240 --> 00:18:04.839 they stared at an empty surrounding around them. 321 00:18:05.000 --> 00:18:06.359 Okay, that's terrifying. 322 00:18:07.279 --> 00:18:11.079 In interviews years later, they also spoke about seeing dark 323 00:18:11.160 --> 00:18:16.440 shapes described as black masses or shadows, moving briefly through 324 00:18:16.440 --> 00:18:22.359 hallways or bedrooms before disappearing entirely. As the fear grew, 325 00:18:23.160 --> 00:18:27.480 the family said the activity began to turn. Physical scratches 326 00:18:27.519 --> 00:18:30.920 reportedly appeared on some of the family members without clear explanation, 327 00:18:31.240 --> 00:18:34.640 and these marks were described as sudden and unexplained, appearing 328 00:18:35.039 --> 00:18:38.559 right after episodes of intense activity in the home, leaving 329 00:18:38.599 --> 00:18:41.640 behind red marks on their skin that seemed to show 330 00:18:41.960 --> 00:18:44.880 where something had dragged its nails across their body. 331 00:18:45.000 --> 00:18:48.440 Oh my goodness, So this is kind of getting aggressive. 332 00:18:48.880 --> 00:18:51.799 It definitely is. And to the smurls, this was like, 333 00:18:52.000 --> 00:18:53.839 this is what kind of felt like the turning point 334 00:18:54.119 --> 00:18:57.240 when the situation stopped being merely frightening and it's more 335 00:18:57.759 --> 00:18:58.759 well dangerous. 336 00:18:58.880 --> 00:19:02.079 Well yeah, it's harm them exactly now. 337 00:19:02.119 --> 00:19:05.000 One of the most repeated claims from this period involved 338 00:19:05.200 --> 00:19:08.039 one of the daughters being pushed or knocked down part 339 00:19:08.119 --> 00:19:12.359 of a staircase by what families believed was an unseen force. 340 00:19:12.799 --> 00:19:14.519 WHOA okay, that's not okay. 341 00:19:14.960 --> 00:19:17.559 The incident was cited later as one of the moments 342 00:19:17.680 --> 00:19:20.839 that convinced them the problem could no longer be explained 343 00:19:20.839 --> 00:19:25.079 away as imagination or any sort of stress. Even the 344 00:19:25.119 --> 00:19:28.519 family's German shepherd dog also became part of the story too. 345 00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:33.519 According to the Smirls, in one incident, the dog was 346 00:19:33.519 --> 00:19:38.039 suddenly lifted or thrown against a wall. Whether interpreted as 347 00:19:38.079 --> 00:19:41.920 paranormal or not, the event was deeply unsettling in the 348 00:19:42.000 --> 00:19:44.880 house and reinforced their belief that whatever was happening in 349 00:19:44.920 --> 00:19:48.039 that home had become physically aggressive. 350 00:19:48.559 --> 00:19:52.400 Holy okay, yeah, that is just beyond terrifying at this point, Like, 351 00:19:53.240 --> 00:19:53.759 get out of. 352 00:19:53.759 --> 00:19:58.200 There, Ron, And honestly, I don't care whether you're a demon, ghost, person, monster, 353 00:19:58.480 --> 00:20:01.680 whatever you touch my were fighting on the spot, I 354 00:20:01.720 --> 00:20:03.160 would have been swinging in the air. 355 00:20:03.640 --> 00:20:07.559 I know that. I think I would just freaking rage. Yeah. 356 00:20:08.240 --> 00:20:10.799 Now, by this point, the family said the house no 357 00:20:10.880 --> 00:20:14.799 longer was safe. What had started is unexplained noises and 358 00:20:14.839 --> 00:20:19.000 strange smells evolved into something they believed could physically harm them, 359 00:20:19.240 --> 00:20:24.519 and fear began to replace confusion. The house wasn't just unpredictable, 360 00:20:24.599 --> 00:20:28.880 it was threatening. One event, though in particular, would later 361 00:20:28.920 --> 00:20:32.920 be remembered as the very turning point In April of 362 00:20:33.039 --> 00:20:36.799 nineteen eighty five, during preparations for one of the daughter's confirmations, 363 00:20:36.839 --> 00:20:40.160 which is a religious ceremony in many churches, a ceiling 364 00:20:40.240 --> 00:20:44.720 light fixture in the kitchen suddenly came crashing down. Now, 365 00:20:44.720 --> 00:20:48.599 according to Janet Smirle, the fixture had been secured using 366 00:20:48.759 --> 00:20:52.680 chains and hooks and did not sway or loosen gradually 367 00:20:52.720 --> 00:20:57.799 to fall. It just simply fell. One of the children 368 00:20:57.920 --> 00:21:01.000 was injured when it struck the table, leaving a mark 369 00:21:01.079 --> 00:21:04.240 and adding to the family's growing belief that something was 370 00:21:04.319 --> 00:21:07.839 in fact targeting them. Almost like the light had been 371 00:21:08.359 --> 00:21:10.519 pulled down. Wow. 372 00:21:11.200 --> 00:21:13.640 Well yeah, because that does not seem like something you 373 00:21:13.640 --> 00:21:15.119 could explain whatsoever. 374 00:21:15.440 --> 00:21:20.920 No, there's no way. Now. Around this period, the smirl said, 375 00:21:20.960 --> 00:21:24.680 the activity in the house changed from occasional disturbances to 376 00:21:24.759 --> 00:21:29.759 something much harder to ignore. Those they weren't just bangs 377 00:21:29.759 --> 00:21:34.079 and creeks. Family members described hearing things that were very deliberate, 378 00:21:34.160 --> 00:21:37.519 loud of course, those crashes. The physicality all of this 379 00:21:37.720 --> 00:21:40.680 was just growing. There were screams they could hear, there 380 00:21:40.759 --> 00:21:44.000 was growls they could hear, and one detailed report in 381 00:21:44.079 --> 00:21:48.319 several accounts was something sounding like a pig like grunting. 382 00:21:49.079 --> 00:21:52.720 Oh okay. This is so sad though for them, because 383 00:21:52.960 --> 00:21:56.079 they've always like, you know, they have money invested in 384 00:21:56.119 --> 00:21:58.119 this house, and they also put a lot of work 385 00:21:58.119 --> 00:22:02.559 into this house. Yeah, Like it would be hard to 386 00:22:02.680 --> 00:22:03.880 leave right because. 387 00:22:03.599 --> 00:22:06.000 Of that exactly. And not only is it like, oh 388 00:22:06.039 --> 00:22:08.000 I have an investment in this home, you have to 389 00:22:08.039 --> 00:22:12.559 remember this family just suffered through a disaster of flooding 390 00:22:12.599 --> 00:22:15.519 in this hurricane. So not only is it like, oh, yeah, 391 00:22:15.559 --> 00:22:18.240 we're invested, it's like all their money is tied up 392 00:22:18.279 --> 00:22:21.079 in the yeahone, So what do you do now? The 393 00:22:21.079 --> 00:22:25.319 Smirls claim these incidents happened on both sides of the duplex, 394 00:22:25.440 --> 00:22:29.119 not just one side, which made it harder for them 395 00:22:29.119 --> 00:22:33.640 to dismiss the noises as simple, unsettling or mechanical problems. 396 00:22:33.920 --> 00:22:37.039 They said that the disturbances were sometimes accompanied by sudden 397 00:22:37.079 --> 00:22:39.880 foul odors as I mentioned that sulfur or the rotting 398 00:22:39.960 --> 00:22:44.279 flesh just coming and going just so quickly now outside 399 00:22:44.319 --> 00:22:46.839 the home. A few neighbors later said they occasionally heard 400 00:22:46.920 --> 00:22:50.680 unusual sounds coming from the property, though descriptions varied widely 401 00:22:51.039 --> 00:22:56.200