break out zone - scary escapes public investigations
october/november, 2016
From September 23 to November 6, 2016, Break Out Zone held their Halloween themed event – Scary Escapes. During this event, each game room was transformed into something straight out of a horror film, complete with live monsters (that did an excellent job scaring people and making grown men pee their pants!). While each room had different themes, the house remained as one – haunted. Scary Escapes was the perfect opportunity for the team to host weekly investigations with the public. Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights the team held small investigations with those willing to spend a few hours, after operating hours, in the dark. Each group of guests brought a new way to investigate and, depending on the night, a new spirit to talk to!
As we like to say, ghosts and spirits are not performing circus monkeys. They will not do what we ask, when we ask. As in life, if they didn’t want to do something they wouldn’t. Same goes with in death. Some nights, it was extremely quiet and only a few things we’re communicated with us. Other nights, the house seemed to come alive once the lights went out. It was exciting for us, as well as our guests, to get to experience things that neither of us have before.
During the first few weeks we had a variety of different things happen. Our REM Pro device would activate, as well as our movement sensors. The K2 would light up in the most random of spots. All of the activity was centred around the attic and second floor. We would get specific answers out of the P-SB7 Ghost Box in regards to who was there, what our names where and the names of the ghosts/spirits with us that evening. A lot of our guests would feel energy, specifically in the attic, surrounding the rocking chair and the stairs. Sean was especially affected by this energy. This was also the first time that we had Cathy with us. Cathy had picked up on a lot of information regarding the place and those who work there. It was an amazing experience to have her there, with the guests. We were able to validate each of our information with facts and it brought a whole other level to the investigations. During one of the investigations, Paula had noticed something strange while operating the infra-red camera. During a session in the ‘Circus of Screams’ room, she had noticed that the temperature had dropped a degree and then gone back up. This was strange to her as all of the previous sessions the temperature of that room had risen with all of the body heat, etc. It was something that peaked her interest because it was out of the norm for the room to drop in temperature then rise. We also had the opportunity to sit down with a local reporter, Joel, from the Oshawa Express. We invited Joel to investigate with us and in return, he wrote a great 2 page article that was in the October 26 edition of the paper (check out our Media page for the link!).
During this time, Jay visited the Manor and immediately picked up on an individual. Jay stated that this spirit was “young” – as in new to this whole “spirit stuff”. Jay began to describe this individual as a young man who had been in the ‘bad crowd’ but wasn’t a bad person. He had made some mistakes in life and in the end, it had cost him his. This man was taken before his time, but the hand of another. Jay began to describe what he was being shown – a bike path, woods, water, a bridge. He said this man knew who did this to him and so did his friends, but no one would say anything. Jay mentioned that he was being told early 2000’s time frame. He wasn’t connected to the building but had come here because it was a safe place to him. With this information in hand, Rachel went into research mode. Within a few minutes, Rachel had come across an unsolved murder from 2005. A young man was killed on the local bike path in an area that is close to water and a bridge. His murder was said to be related to drugs and that the police were positive that this man’s friends knew who the suspect(s) were but were too afraid to come forward. Everything that Jay had said about the spirit, fit the profile and back story. This peaked Rachel’s interest and with Alison on board, the two decided to see what else they could find out about this individual and perhaps help him share his story.
The week following this discovery, Cathy once again joined us at the Manor. As we were sitting around the table downstairs, she began to ask us who the man was from the woods. She went on to describe exactly was Jay had picked up on prior. As she went into detail about his life and death, Alison and Rachel could not believe how eerily accurate she was to what they had read in articles pertaining to this event. It also validated everything that Jay had said. The best part was, was that Rachel and Alison had kept all of this information to themselves and had not shared it with anyone else on the team or at the Manor. As Cathy began to go deeper into the discussion, she also picked up on another young man, who was also taken before his time. This incident was similar in nature – happening on the same path, within a year of the first. She was convinced that it was the same suspect as the first incident and that they figured if they didn’t get caught the first time, then they could do it again – and they did. This is also another unsolved murder in Durham Region. While the team would love to share more information about what we have come across, these are active cases within the homicide department and we want to keep all things confidential. While we believe that they need to be shared, we will be keeping things under wraps for the time being. We do not want family or friends thinking that their loved ones are “stuck” or “trapped”. If you think you know who we are talking about, or may have information regarding either one of these cases, please contact us or Durham Regional Police Services. These cases do need to be solved and justice brought forth.
The week following the house seemed to be amiss. Energy levels were down and something didn’t feel right. We only had one night booked that week and there was probably a reason why. During our investigation, things didn’t seem right. Rachel was constantly cold and could not warm up. Sean and Alison were feeling uneasy. Justin, the owner, kept getting weird pains and sensations that he could not explain. As then evening began to wind down, Justin noticed a odd shaped black mass floating along the ground by the attic door. It was clear to all that this was some form of negative energy. After the guests had left for the night, Rachel, Sean, Alison and Justin stayed behind to talk about what could be done. This negative energy was not welcomed at the Manor and had to be dealt with as soon as possible. As the four discussed what should be done, walking and footsteps were heard coming from the second floor. It was decided at that moment that it was time to leave. Not even an hour later, Rachel and Alison received a video message from Justin. He had just received a notification from his security system that it had detected movement at the Manor. When he checked the surveillance video where the motion was detected, he was concerned with what he saw. The video showed an area of the Manor, but what seemed to be something blacked out the camera quickly and then three loud taps are heard. It was strange to say the least. The next day, the atmosphere at the Manor had returned to normal and everyone’s energy levels were back up. Whatever was there had seemed to have left, or gone home with someone. Sean later revealed that he believed that some of that negative energy attached itself to him but he was determined to not let it affect anyone else. After this incident the team, guests and employees have not reported any negative energy or feelings.
Our final investigation for the Scary Escapes event was the first weekend of November. This evening was a particularly active one. The evening began up in the Attic. Our guests that night were particularly in tuned to the other side. As everyone investigated that attic, it was noted that it sounded like men and woman talking/arguing over the ghost box. This was interesting as Rachel had picked this up on a previous investigation back in the summer. At one point, it was noted that the bird cage was swinging. It was moving at quite a decent pace and took quite a long time to stop. Upon reviewing the video, you can see that no one was near the cage before it was noted that it was moving. The word “Help” was heard numerous time through the ghost box, but both a man and woman’s voice. Rachel, Jessica and Alison all felt off balance at the top of the attic staircase. At one point, both Rachel and Jessica we’re rocking back and forth and losing balance. When the team and guests decided to move the investigation to the second floor, the activity seemed to follow. As the group conversed in the ‘Circus of Screams’, Rachel went around and closed/locked the windows that were open for ventilation. Rachel made extra sure to pat the blinds down so they would not spring and make any noises. As she returned to the group, a loud noise was heard behind her. Jesse and a guest had heard it as well and turned to look where it was coming from. It was described as someone running their hands down the blinds – just has Rachel had done a couple minutes prior. The blinds were double checked, but nothing was found out of place. The group continued on with the investigation and conducted an EVP and Ghost Box session. Once this had concluded the group headed back out into the foyer. Thirty seconds after Rachel had exited the room, the door chime went off. This was quite strange since the door had to be closed and then opened again for this to happen – and the door was never closed. The door was then inspected and it was noted that the device had strangely fallen off of the wall – which still would not have caused it to gone off. Once again, upon reviewing the camera footage, Rachel is seen exiting the room, without touching the device. 30 seconds after, you see the device pop off the wall and the door chime. This was not the end of the unexplained occurrences that evening. Some of the group decided to go into the ‘Asylum’ room, while the rest remained in the second floor foyer. As each group was talking, both heard what sounded like someone leaning against the closed door to the ‘Asylum’ room. For the group sitting in the Foyer, it sounded like someone had leaned against it from the inside. For those inside the ‘Asylum’ room, it had sounded like someone was leaning on the door from the outside. The truth was, no one was leaning on the door from either side. This happened twice, during our separate sessions. Shortly after this, it was time to call it a night and the Manor was left to its own.
During our month long event at Break Out Zone we had many different responses to our questions and many different personal experiences. However some things always remained the same. When asked how many spirits where with us, we always got “six” or “eight” (depending on the night). There was always a man, woman and child that came through. The names ‘Beth’, ‘Edward’, ‘Nick’, ‘Steve’ and ‘Jim’ always came through the Ghost Box. Someone was at least touched in one way, whether it was a grab or a brush. Some of the spirits seemed to have a vulgar vocabulary and always knew when to use it and who didn’t like it, as well as a sarcastic sense of humor. The spirits also knew who Justin was, as well as employees and were not afraid to ask for them by name, or let everyone know who their favourite one was (it was Rachel, of course!). The month definitely brought a new sense to investigating and communicating with the dead.
If you missed out on Break Out Zone’s Scary Escapes event and paranormal investigations, don’t worry! There are plans for new events in the future and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Break Out Zone. And even if you book a room to attempt your great escape, you may just have a paranormal experience yourself!
As we like to say, ghosts and spirits are not performing circus monkeys. They will not do what we ask, when we ask. As in life, if they didn’t want to do something they wouldn’t. Same goes with in death. Some nights, it was extremely quiet and only a few things we’re communicated with us. Other nights, the house seemed to come alive once the lights went out. It was exciting for us, as well as our guests, to get to experience things that neither of us have before.
During the first few weeks we had a variety of different things happen. Our REM Pro device would activate, as well as our movement sensors. The K2 would light up in the most random of spots. All of the activity was centred around the attic and second floor. We would get specific answers out of the P-SB7 Ghost Box in regards to who was there, what our names where and the names of the ghosts/spirits with us that evening. A lot of our guests would feel energy, specifically in the attic, surrounding the rocking chair and the stairs. Sean was especially affected by this energy. This was also the first time that we had Cathy with us. Cathy had picked up on a lot of information regarding the place and those who work there. It was an amazing experience to have her there, with the guests. We were able to validate each of our information with facts and it brought a whole other level to the investigations. During one of the investigations, Paula had noticed something strange while operating the infra-red camera. During a session in the ‘Circus of Screams’ room, she had noticed that the temperature had dropped a degree and then gone back up. This was strange to her as all of the previous sessions the temperature of that room had risen with all of the body heat, etc. It was something that peaked her interest because it was out of the norm for the room to drop in temperature then rise. We also had the opportunity to sit down with a local reporter, Joel, from the Oshawa Express. We invited Joel to investigate with us and in return, he wrote a great 2 page article that was in the October 26 edition of the paper (check out our Media page for the link!).
During this time, Jay visited the Manor and immediately picked up on an individual. Jay stated that this spirit was “young” – as in new to this whole “spirit stuff”. Jay began to describe this individual as a young man who had been in the ‘bad crowd’ but wasn’t a bad person. He had made some mistakes in life and in the end, it had cost him his. This man was taken before his time, but the hand of another. Jay began to describe what he was being shown – a bike path, woods, water, a bridge. He said this man knew who did this to him and so did his friends, but no one would say anything. Jay mentioned that he was being told early 2000’s time frame. He wasn’t connected to the building but had come here because it was a safe place to him. With this information in hand, Rachel went into research mode. Within a few minutes, Rachel had come across an unsolved murder from 2005. A young man was killed on the local bike path in an area that is close to water and a bridge. His murder was said to be related to drugs and that the police were positive that this man’s friends knew who the suspect(s) were but were too afraid to come forward. Everything that Jay had said about the spirit, fit the profile and back story. This peaked Rachel’s interest and with Alison on board, the two decided to see what else they could find out about this individual and perhaps help him share his story.
The week following this discovery, Cathy once again joined us at the Manor. As we were sitting around the table downstairs, she began to ask us who the man was from the woods. She went on to describe exactly was Jay had picked up on prior. As she went into detail about his life and death, Alison and Rachel could not believe how eerily accurate she was to what they had read in articles pertaining to this event. It also validated everything that Jay had said. The best part was, was that Rachel and Alison had kept all of this information to themselves and had not shared it with anyone else on the team or at the Manor. As Cathy began to go deeper into the discussion, she also picked up on another young man, who was also taken before his time. This incident was similar in nature – happening on the same path, within a year of the first. She was convinced that it was the same suspect as the first incident and that they figured if they didn’t get caught the first time, then they could do it again – and they did. This is also another unsolved murder in Durham Region. While the team would love to share more information about what we have come across, these are active cases within the homicide department and we want to keep all things confidential. While we believe that they need to be shared, we will be keeping things under wraps for the time being. We do not want family or friends thinking that their loved ones are “stuck” or “trapped”. If you think you know who we are talking about, or may have information regarding either one of these cases, please contact us or Durham Regional Police Services. These cases do need to be solved and justice brought forth.
The week following the house seemed to be amiss. Energy levels were down and something didn’t feel right. We only had one night booked that week and there was probably a reason why. During our investigation, things didn’t seem right. Rachel was constantly cold and could not warm up. Sean and Alison were feeling uneasy. Justin, the owner, kept getting weird pains and sensations that he could not explain. As then evening began to wind down, Justin noticed a odd shaped black mass floating along the ground by the attic door. It was clear to all that this was some form of negative energy. After the guests had left for the night, Rachel, Sean, Alison and Justin stayed behind to talk about what could be done. This negative energy was not welcomed at the Manor and had to be dealt with as soon as possible. As the four discussed what should be done, walking and footsteps were heard coming from the second floor. It was decided at that moment that it was time to leave. Not even an hour later, Rachel and Alison received a video message from Justin. He had just received a notification from his security system that it had detected movement at the Manor. When he checked the surveillance video where the motion was detected, he was concerned with what he saw. The video showed an area of the Manor, but what seemed to be something blacked out the camera quickly and then three loud taps are heard. It was strange to say the least. The next day, the atmosphere at the Manor had returned to normal and everyone’s energy levels were back up. Whatever was there had seemed to have left, or gone home with someone. Sean later revealed that he believed that some of that negative energy attached itself to him but he was determined to not let it affect anyone else. After this incident the team, guests and employees have not reported any negative energy or feelings.
Our final investigation for the Scary Escapes event was the first weekend of November. This evening was a particularly active one. The evening began up in the Attic. Our guests that night were particularly in tuned to the other side. As everyone investigated that attic, it was noted that it sounded like men and woman talking/arguing over the ghost box. This was interesting as Rachel had picked this up on a previous investigation back in the summer. At one point, it was noted that the bird cage was swinging. It was moving at quite a decent pace and took quite a long time to stop. Upon reviewing the video, you can see that no one was near the cage before it was noted that it was moving. The word “Help” was heard numerous time through the ghost box, but both a man and woman’s voice. Rachel, Jessica and Alison all felt off balance at the top of the attic staircase. At one point, both Rachel and Jessica we’re rocking back and forth and losing balance. When the team and guests decided to move the investigation to the second floor, the activity seemed to follow. As the group conversed in the ‘Circus of Screams’, Rachel went around and closed/locked the windows that were open for ventilation. Rachel made extra sure to pat the blinds down so they would not spring and make any noises. As she returned to the group, a loud noise was heard behind her. Jesse and a guest had heard it as well and turned to look where it was coming from. It was described as someone running their hands down the blinds – just has Rachel had done a couple minutes prior. The blinds were double checked, but nothing was found out of place. The group continued on with the investigation and conducted an EVP and Ghost Box session. Once this had concluded the group headed back out into the foyer. Thirty seconds after Rachel had exited the room, the door chime went off. This was quite strange since the door had to be closed and then opened again for this to happen – and the door was never closed. The door was then inspected and it was noted that the device had strangely fallen off of the wall – which still would not have caused it to gone off. Once again, upon reviewing the camera footage, Rachel is seen exiting the room, without touching the device. 30 seconds after, you see the device pop off the wall and the door chime. This was not the end of the unexplained occurrences that evening. Some of the group decided to go into the ‘Asylum’ room, while the rest remained in the second floor foyer. As each group was talking, both heard what sounded like someone leaning against the closed door to the ‘Asylum’ room. For the group sitting in the Foyer, it sounded like someone had leaned against it from the inside. For those inside the ‘Asylum’ room, it had sounded like someone was leaning on the door from the outside. The truth was, no one was leaning on the door from either side. This happened twice, during our separate sessions. Shortly after this, it was time to call it a night and the Manor was left to its own.
During our month long event at Break Out Zone we had many different responses to our questions and many different personal experiences. However some things always remained the same. When asked how many spirits where with us, we always got “six” or “eight” (depending on the night). There was always a man, woman and child that came through. The names ‘Beth’, ‘Edward’, ‘Nick’, ‘Steve’ and ‘Jim’ always came through the Ghost Box. Someone was at least touched in one way, whether it was a grab or a brush. Some of the spirits seemed to have a vulgar vocabulary and always knew when to use it and who didn’t like it, as well as a sarcastic sense of humor. The spirits also knew who Justin was, as well as employees and were not afraid to ask for them by name, or let everyone know who their favourite one was (it was Rachel, of course!). The month definitely brought a new sense to investigating and communicating with the dead.
If you missed out on Break Out Zone’s Scary Escapes event and paranormal investigations, don’t worry! There are plans for new events in the future and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Break Out Zone. And even if you book a room to attempt your great escape, you may just have a paranormal experience yourself!