Springfield Ghost Society

Haunted Investigations

Waverly IL - Private Residence


Investigation Report

By Sheri Sheppard

SGS Charter Member


This report added to the website February 8, 2003.

Date: February 1, 2003

Time: 8:10 pm

Weather conditions:
Cold & Clear, Temp: mid to upper 30's

Moon Phase: New Moon

Equipment: 35mm Canon Sure Shot Camera, 35mm Motion Camera, Automated Voice Recorder / Microcassette and Automated Voice Recorder / Regular Cassette with external microphone

Members Present:
Diane S., Sheri S., Jim B., Benita B.

Spectators Present:
Mike and Cathy Nickel, house cat

8:10p.m.
We met with homeowners, Cathy and Mike Nickel. As soon as everyone had his or her equipment out and ready to set up, we immediately went upstairs with Mike.

8:17p.m.
At this time, I caught a glimpse of an orb near the toy chest located in the far southeast corner of the room. I felt that it was very cold near the doorway between the two upstairs rooms. Benita stated that she felt the presence of an aurora in the little room at the top of the stairs. She said that she had also seen a "face" in the window on the south wall of the larger room.

8:25p.m.
Mike and I were both standing in the larger room upstairs - he was near the toy chest and I was near the southwest corner of the room. We were facing the doorway leading to the smaller room and Jim B. was sitting on the floor against the west wall just a few feet in front of where I was standing. At this time, I heard a noise that sounded like someone clicked off the button on Diane's tape recorder, which had been set up on the floor along the center of the east wall, and then it sounded as if a page in a book was being turned. Mike and I both exchanged glances - without hesitation, he said to me "you heard that too, didn't you?" I just nodded in agreement. Later, we discussed what we heard exactly. He had heard the click, but wasn't sure he could identify the sound that followed. To me, it sounded like a page being turned in a book right after the click. While discussing it, Diane asked if her recorder had shut off - but neither Mike nor I had checked it. On our next trip upstairs, Diane checked and it was still recording.

8:28p.m.
As I was getting ready to take a picture of the two chairs in the north-east corner of the larger room upstairs, I saw two orbs zip across the wall. I went ahead and took my picture. Everyone but Jim B. headed back downstairs at this time. He wanted to sit alone upstairs to see what he could see/feel in the quiet of the room.

8:35p.m.
Diane went outside to get something from her van - I was standing in the living room near the arched doorway that leads to the smaller bedroom. I felt a cold chill and then heard loud and clear the voice of a child calling out for "Mom". The voice sounded like that of a child approximately 10-12 years in age. There were no children in the home on this night. When Diane came back inside, I asked her if perhaps she'd brought along one of her spirits and told her of what I'd just experienced. Benita and Cathy were in the kitchen walking into the living room at about this time, but they had not heard anything.

8:40p.m.
I'd walked over and was standing near the refrigerator. I cannot explain why, but the whole atmosphere in the house is different that on my previous visit here. At this time I feel nervous or anxious and feel cold air swirling around me again.

8:55p.m.
We go back upstairs. I feel tightness across my back - the air just feels so very heavy. There seems to be a lot of tension in the air around us.

9:00p.m.
Diane said that she was suddenly beginning to feel nauseous. She went back downstairs with Mike and Cathy. I remained upstairs with Jim and Benita B. Benita was feeling an overwhelming sadness at the top of the stairs. Benita looked at me and asked if I'd said something - I had not, I was just taking pictures. She said had just heard someone mumble something that she couldn't quite make out. I heard my tape recorder kick off, so I went back into the larger room to turn over the tape and turn it back on to continue recording. The odd thing that we noticed about this was that it was set for "Auto Voice Record" but the red record light was not going out nor was the tape stopping, even though none of us upstairs at the time was making a sound. Right after that, Diane was at the bottom of the stairs calling my name - I went to the top of the stairs to see what she wanted. She asked which of us had called out to them. I told her no one. We had not called out to anyone. Diane, Mike and Cathy all came upstairs. They all had heard some yell "Come Here" or something to that effect. Those of us upstairs had not heard anything like that.

9:15p.m.
We went back downstairs. Jim B. decided to go outside and check out the back yard. Cathy was seated on the couch, I was standing in the kitchen doorway and Diane was near the door that leads outside. Diane went to take a picture of Cathy and as she did, she asked Cathy if she was smoking a cigarette. Cathy told her she had been, but that she'd put the cigarette out. Diane told us she saw a mist in front of Cathy's face.

Diane asked Cathy and Mike if they had any "old" furniture. Cathy mentioned an old chest and dresser in the bedroom. Diane and I walked back into the very back room of the house. We pointed out to Diane the doors with the doorknobs that were set very low. Mike mentioned a cabinet on the back porch that now had the doors open but neither he nor Cathy had opened them. He opened the door to the porch and turned on the porch light to show it to us. Mike and Cathy both agreed that neither of them had opened the doors to this cabinet. We returned to the living room and Mike's father had come in to the house.

Diane, Benita and I were in the kitchen. Benita was the first to smell it, then I did and Diane after that . . . it smelled of a very sweet, flowery perfume in an area near the kitchen sink. Diane even asked us to excuse her as she leaned over to sniff to see if Benita or I were wearing any perfume that smelled similar. Benita indicated she was not wearing any perfume, and while I had put some on very early that day, it had pretty much worn off by now, and was not of a sweet, flowery scent to begin with.

9:30p.m.
Our hearts stopped for a second when we heard what sounded like footsteps thumping down the stairs from overhead. Then, the kitten appeared as she had still been upstairs and came bounding down. Suddenly the kitten stopped and sat and stared at the light fixture on the wall between the bathroom doorway and the washing machine. The kitten had been intently focused on the light upstairs earlier in the evening, but then we realized there was a bug flying around and assumed that's what had caught her attention. However, this time there was nothing at all that we could see anywhere near the light. She even stepped up on her hind feet with her front paws against the wall as if she were ready to climb the wall. Then, she scampered off.

Diane and I then decided to go upstairs once more. I pointed out to Diane, the racket that her tape recorder was making. (It sounded just like mine did on the previous visit to the house.) Diane couldn't believe it was doing that - she'd never heard it sound like that before. As we stood there talking, Diane said she was feeling sudden sharp pains through her abdomen that she couldn't explain. She said she had to get back downstairs - she felt that it was something in the room causing this feeling. However, Jim and Benita B. came up with Mike.

9:45p.m.
Jim and Benita decided they were finished investigating and ready to leave. Diane and I stayed upstairs with Mike to gather our equipment and wrap up for the evening too. With our equipment in tow, upon reentering the living room, we chatted briefly with Mike and Cathy and Mike's dad.

10:00p.m.
Diane and I left the investigation site.

There seemed to be a lot of activity in the house this evening. However, it felt so totally different than it did on my previous visit to the house. The air on this night felt heavy almost to the point that it was hard to breathe, and while it was not scary as such, there was tension in the air. The weather was warmer outside on this visit and of course the heat was on inside, but I kept getting cold chills and had goosebumps most of the evening.

Sheri Sheppard
SGS Charter Member


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