Investigation Date: 09-26-2009
Site: Private Home
Location: Buffalo Lake, MN
Number of Investigations: 1
Evidence: EVP’s

Weather Conditions
Temperature: 54°F
Barometer: 29.92
Dew point: 54.3°
Wind: 5 mph
Moon: 55% Full

Reason for Investigation Request

This case was forwarded to us by the TAPS Case Manager. The family consists of husband, wife and 3 children; daughter who is 15 and 2 sons ages 16 and 11. The family reports that the 11 year old son will not sleep in his room as the TV turns on and off by it self, he feels like he is being watched and sees shadows. This was formerly the daughter’s but she switched because she was afraid to sleep in there. Other visitors have slept in this room and claimed to have weird experiences and will no longer stay there.

The family has seen shadows and heard muffled voices. Specifically the husband states he saw a figure on the staircase while walking from the bathroom to the son’s bedroom. The wife has heard something say her name and feels like she is being watched in the bathroom. The husband describes an event where he was in bed and felt something shake the headboard and shout “Get up!” Expecting it to be one of the kids, when he turned to look there was no one there.

There is a work shop on this land and the husband explains experiences in this area. The most significant was while moving items in the attic he looked up and a face was looking down at him as if leaning over the side of the opening. He also states that friends have seen some thing peering in the window and upon inspection no one is there. There are also accounts of hearing a shuffling noise in the older area of the shop.

Research and Background on the Property

Our research found that Buffalo Lake served as a battle ground between the Westward settlers and the Native American’s fighting to keep their land. An educated assumption is that this home sits directly on top of that battle ground. This house was built in 1910. The spot where the shop is located used to be a church that was also used as a mortuary. Unable to use the previous church structure due to decline, the owner tore this building down and rebuilt the shop in the same area. There is an older part of the building that still exists; this was where the hearse would bring the deceased in for burial preparation. The owner removed the original sinks and equipment in this area during renovation. Upon further review of the abstract it was noted that one if the former owners may have passed on in the home.

Investigation Details

TCPS had three members present for this investigation. We were also joined by the owner of the home. We arrived at 9 PM and began with a tour. A night vision hand held video camera was set up in the following areas during each round: 1st round pointing up the stairs to the second floor, 2nd round pointing at the TV in the son’s room, 3rd round pointing down the stairs to the first floor and 4th round pointing out of the master bedroom. Each of the team members had audio recorders and EMF or K2 meters. We split up into two teams in order to cover both the home and the shop.

Shop:
During the first round in the shop the audio recorder was placed in the main area. Baseline readings were taken with EMF levels of .1 in the main area and .5 in the older part. Temperature baseline was 73 degrees. A member of the first team in the shop saw a slight shadow cross in front of one the trucks. Upon further investigation it was noted that there were no windows in that area that would have caused this as if from a passing car. This team then moved in to the older part of the shop that used to be the mortuary. Shuffling noises were heard from the back area of this room. There was no identifiable source and the owner confirmed that this was what he had heard previously. At one point there was a significant temperature drop felt by the team member and the owner simultaneously. Temperature readings in this area had been at a baseline of 73 degrees and had now dropped to 65 degrees – within minutes it went back to 73 degrees. It was a mild night with very little wind. Doors and windows were checked and no drafts were noted. This temperature fluctuation occurred three different times to the first team. Each time there was a temperature change there would be a small tap on the K2 meter. During the second round the other team split up with one member in the old area and another out in the main area. The member in the older area heard what sounded like shuffling noises towards the back wall. The member asked for a knocking sound and heard one on the wall. This was caught on his recording but was very faint. It was much louder in person and was heard by the member in the other room. At one point one of the team members was looking from the main shop area towards the house and noticed the clock on the stove came on or as if something had blocked out the light. They radioed the other team who confirmed that they were on the second floor and would not have passed in front of the stove. The owner confirmed that this light does not go on and off. During the third and final round in the shop, the team spent the majority of the time in the older part. A scratching noise was heard from the back area. There was also what sounded like a tapping on the wall. At one point when a team member mentioned that all four of those investigating had heard a similar noise in that area – another shuffling sound was heard immediately following that comment.

Home – 2nd Floor:
The main focus of the home investigation was conducted on the 2nd floor as this is where the most activity was reported. While in the son’s room, one of the team members felt a “light touch” on her leg, as if something had passed her coming from the closet - immediately following this - the owner described what looked like a short shadow had passed in front of the TV screen. There was also a flickering light near the video camera that had been set up in the room. This was caught out of the corner of the team member’s eye. Upon investigation it did not appear that this camera had any flickering lights and the team member who owns the camera later stated that it did not. The source of this light could not be confirmed. This team then moved to the bathroom. A team member was seated on the side of the bathtub facing the stairway and towards the son’s room. At one point a small bright flash of light moved across the floor in the son’s room in the direction of the bed. The team member inspected and could find no logical explanation for this light. The team then moved in to the daughter’s bedroom. There was a heavier feeling to this room. Near the end of the round the owner started talking about how he thought maybe the shadow he saw on the stairs may have been his late Mother. He went on to say it would have been something she would do and asked the team member if she wanted to try contacting his Mother. Just as the team was wrapping up this session, the team member thanked the Mother for her time and at that point a child’s voice was heard by both the team member and the owner and appeared to come from the landing out side of the room. This voice was definitely from inside the home. The owner states that this is what the family hears quite often. During the break, another team member went up to retrieve his video camera and heard what sounded like a child in a sing song voice coming from the same area. While on the second floor the other team noticed that there was a high EMF reading on the floor coming out of the bathroom and thought maybe that the owner could possibly hit that spot and think he saw the shadow on the stairs. Just as he was starting to explain this to the other team member he stepped in the same spot and saw a bright white object in the window on the stairway. It had no figure to it and was square looking. When the investigator looked closer it ducked below the window. It wasn’t a light passing from outside as it had its own mass to it.

Final Analysis

Although TCPS was able to gather a few pieces of evidence at this investigation, even with some of the experiences the team had we do not feel it is truly enough to say the location is haunted. We do find it interesting that the four EVP’s captured in this case practically validate each other. TCPS does believe this case warrants further investigation and will keep the case updated should the owners ask for further investigations.