We’ve all seen them: movies like
The Amityville Horror and Poltergeist, in which restless, often malevolent,
spirits terrorize families who have unwittingly chosen to share their
living space with the dead. Most of us can’t begin to
imagine just how traumatic that experience would be. For Carmen
Snedeker, the unimaginable became frighteningly real when she and
her family moved into what appeared to be, at first glance, a lovely
house in Southington, Connecticut.
Carmen’s family had been going through some tough times when
she happened upon the “for rent” sign outside the house. Her
oldest son was undergoing treatment for cancer, the family was in
dire straits financially and they needed an affordable place to live. Carmen
felt her prayers had been answered when she discovered that the monthly
rent was well within the price range that her family could manage
to pay for a decent and comfortable place to call home.
Shortly after moving into the house Carmen came to the horrifying
realization that she and her family were now residing in a former
funeral home!
It didn’t take long for darkness to descend upon the family. One
day, as Carmen was mopping the kitchen floor, the water suddenly
turned blood red and had a putrid odor. Crucifixes that hung
in various places throughout the house began to simply disappear.
Carmen’s niece was living with the family at the time. One
night, while sleeping, she was physically assaulted by unseen hands
that groped and grabbed at her body. A rosary that she had placed
around her neck was violently yanked by the abusive entity and the
beads scattered all across the floor.
Several demonic entities made their evil presence known during the
ensuing weeks. “They were incredibly powerful,” Carmen
remembers. “One of the demons was very thin, with high
cheekbones, long black hair and pitch black eyes. Another had
white hair and eyes, wore a pinstriped tuxedo and his feet were constantly
in motion.”
Carmen’s formerly “preppy” oldest son soon began
wearing only dark clothing and suffered dramatic personality changes. He
became increasingly angry and violent and he started writing dark,
disturbing poetry. One of the poems that he wrote contained
graphic descriptions of sexual activity with dead bodies.
Carmen was at her wit’s end. Her family was clearly in
danger, as the demonic infestation grew worse with each passing day. Desperate
for help, she telephoned renowned paranormal experts, Ed and Lorraine
Warren, and begged them for help.
The Warrens, perhaps best known for their involvement in the much-publicized
Amityville Horror case, agreed to investigate. Ed, Lorraine
and their team of investigators literally moved into the Snedeker’s
home for an astounding nine weeks in order to witness for themselves
all the supernatural events that were allegedly occurring. |
John Zaffis, nephew of Ed Warren, was part of the investigative team. John
recalls that, shortly after arriving, members of the team began to
be “touched” by the entities. He also remembers
the vile odors that frequently permeated the house.
“The situation was pretty chaotic by the time we arrived,” John
recounts. “One night, I was sitting at the dining room
table, reviewing some notes that I’d made. Suddenly, the
room grew bitterly cold and I could sense a presence around me. I
called out to the others, who were sleeping in the living room, but
I couldn’t get anyone to wake up. I looked up the stairs
and saw an apparition starting to form. The air was filled with
a disgusting odor, so foul that I could hardly breathe. As the
apparition took shape, I could hear a noise that sounded like thousands
of flapping wings coming from behind it. I’d never been
more terrified in my life!”
A Catholic priest was enlisted to bless the house and even perform
the sacred rites of mass therein, but the negative activity continued. Finally,
the decision was made to conduct an exorcism on the house. The
demonic forces railed against the exorcism, but following the ritual, “the
house definitely felt lighter and we all felt a sense of calm and
relief,” John Zaffis remembers.
The Snedeker family resided in the haunted house for two-and-a-half
years before finally moving. To the best of her knowledge, Carmen
states, “no one who has lived there since [her family left
the premises] has experienced any paranormal activity.”
It has been almost two decades since these events took place. Since
that time, Carmen has been “approached” by negative forces,
but her unwavering faith and unflinching courage have kept the evil
energies at bay.
“No one will ever really know why the house was haunted while
we were there,” Carmen said. “We did discover,
however, that one of the men who worked in the funeral home was guilty
of necrophilia, so perhaps his heinous actions stirred up the demonic
forces.”
“This was one of the most significant cases I’ve ever
worked on,” John Zaffis says, without hesitation. “It
proved to me, beyond any doubt, that demonic forces are very real.”
A television documentary, called A Haunting in Connecticut, and a
book, entitled In a Dark Place, have both chronicled the events that
took place in the old funeral home. In 2006, Gold Circle Films,
in collaboration with Integrated Films and Management, will produce
a feature film about the demonic haunting. Universal Studios
will distribute the film.
On the Web: Visit www.inadarkplace.com and www.prsne.com.
 Chip
Coffey is a psychic, medium and
tarot reader.
Contact 770-806-0369,
chipcoffey@aol.com, www.chipcoffey.com. |
