We reached Villisca, Iowa at approximately 6pm on July 26th, 2011. The weather was balmy as it has been most of the summer of 2011. This night was a calm one with little to no breeze or wind. The tour was conducted by Renee who is a psychic, and is also a paranormal investigator herself. During the tour of the cemetery I asked Renee what her thoughts were on the number of killers that were there that night at the house on June 10th, 1912. She stated that there were 2 at the house that night. The 3rd suspect was Frank Fernando Jones, or FF as some called him. Josiah Moore was an employee of Jones for approximately 9 years at his John Deere hardware and implement store. Taken from other online articles it was reported that In 1907 Joe left and opened a competing hardware and implement store. When Josiah left he took the John Deere Plow Company franchise with him, which added salt to the open wound of FF’s pride. The business conflict between Frank Jones and Joe Moore had grown so intense that by 1910 they wouldn’t speak and would cross the street to avoid meeting each other. Renee stated that she believes it is because of this that FF hired these 2 killers to “take care of” Josiah. Renee believed William Mansfield of Blue Island, Illinois was the actual ax wielder. Online reports were written saying that Mansfield was said to be a cocaine fiend and serial killer. It was also believed Mansfield was responsible for the axe murders of his wife, infant child, father-in law and mother in law in Blue Island, Illinois on July 5, 1914 (2 years after the Villisca murders). The axe murders committed in Paola, Kansas, 4 days before Villisca murders and the murders of Jennie Peterson and Jennie Miller in Aurora, Colorado were also said to be the work of Mansfield. In fact, the mode of operating of the Villisca ax murderer (habits, traits and or practices of the killer or killers) were overwhelmingly similar to the ax murders of Paola, Kansas and Aurora, Colorado. The second one in the house on the night of June 10th, 1912, Renee stated, was one who served as a look out. Renee conveyed to us that the lookout posted himself in the pantry area of the house while the ax wielder mercilessly made his way around upstairs. The Stillinger sisters were the last ones to be killed because the killers did not know they were staying at the house that night.
According to other online articles there were other prime suspects in the Villisca murders, 2 of which were Reverend George Kelly and Henry Lee Moore (No relation to the Josiah Moore family). Reverend Kelly was charged with one of the murders, but his first trial resulted in a hung jury and he was finally acquitted by the second. Henry Lee Moore was another viable suspect due to the fact that he was actually convicted of the murders of his mother and maternal grandmother in Columbia, Missouri, just months after the murders in Villisca. Henry Moore's family members were killed just as brutally as the victims in Villisca and the weapon he used was an axe. In those murders there were also similarities in his methods when compared to the Villisca, Iowa murders.
Accounts taken from the documentary “Villisca, Living With a Mystery” stated that all of the victims’ faces, along with the windows and mirrors in the house, were covered with either curtains, blankets, or clothing after the murder. Curtains were drawn on all of the windows in the house except two, which did not have curtains. Those windows were covered with clothing belonging to the Moore's. All of the victim’s faces were covered with the bedclothes after they were killed. A kerosene lamp was found at the foot of the bed of Josiah and Sarah. The chimney was off and the wick had been turned back. The chimney was found under the dresser. A similar lamp was found at the foot of the bed of the Stillinger girls, the chimney was also off. The axe was found in the room occupied by the Stillinger girls. It was bloody but an attempt had been made to wipe it off. The axe belonged to Josiah Moore. The ceilings in the parent's bedroom and the children's room showed gouge marks apparently made by the upswing of the axe. A piece of a keychain was found on the floor in the downstairs bedroom. A pan of bloody water was discovered on the kitchen table as well as a plate of uneaten food. The doors were all locked.
We started out the investigation at approximately 9:00 pm on the night of July 26th, 2011. Dave, Jen, and I were the first to go into the house to conduct e.v.p. sessions. We started out in the upstairs kid’s bedroom, which was Herman, Paul, Boyd, and Katherine’s room. We were utilizing some trigger objects by setting them in front of the closet door in that room. I recorded nursery rhymes on my phone. I realized that I did not bring my phone up with me. I left the upstairs and went outside to get my phone. Video was running along with the audio recorder in that room with Jen and Dave present. We did not catch anything on the video audio. The digital voice recorder did catch a voice just before Jen says “You know what I really want you to do?” Here are those video and audio sections.
Please wear headphones to better hear the e.v.p. sections on all of the audio and video.From the upstairs kid’s bedroom we moved into Josiah and Sarah Moore’s upstairs bedroom, who were the parents of the house. We seemed to have caught what seemed to be a response to Jen’s question, what the voice is saying we could not interpret. Below is the original clip, then the same clip again but with amplification of the possible e.v.p. and with some of the background noise removed.
From the parent’s room we proceeded downstairs to do our final e.v.p. session for that first hour and a half. At one point when we were down on the main level floor, no one was upstairs, yet the voice recorder running, sitting on a stand, in the kid's room upstairs caught the sound of a footstep and then a knock on the stand where the digital voice recorder was resting. Here is an audio clip of what we caught.
As we were downstairs Dave tried to entice whatever is there to play with the ball that was sitting on the floor in the parlor area. Again, an evp is there, yet we could not make out what was said for certain. The first is original clip, then the same clip with amplification with some background noise removal.
As we were exiting the house, this next catch caught us off guard on the audio review. Jen states on the audio about us being finished with our sessions. We catch what appears to be a voice of a young female. Though pleased with this e.v.p. catch, it did sadden some of us a little.
During the investigation we did have a few personal experiences happen that evening. One of which was when I was standing in Josiah and Sarah Moore’s bedroom, the upstairs parent’s bedroom. The stairway rail and balusters are visible in this room. I glanced over at one point during the evening, towards the rail, and I thought I saw what was a head peek up between the balusters and then lower back down again. This surprised me to the point where I jumped back.
There was an incident where Mike, Craig, and I were up in the upstairs kid’s room doing an e.v.p. session. Mike was asking questions during this e.v.p. session when I heard a “Ting” type of noise. This sound ended up being the chimes hanging on the crib-like bed in that room. There were no drafts that could have moved these chimes, nor did anyone bump the bed, or cause any type of floor movement or vibrations. In fact, when we tried to move the chimes with our fingers to recreate the sound, it took a little bit more force than we thought it would to move the chimes. Here is a video clip of that incident.
At close to 2 a.m. Jen volunteered to go into the house alone. During the time she was in there we did catch a voice on one of the audio recorders that were sitting in Ina and Lena Stillinger’s bedroom on the main level floor. This is an interesting e.v.p. catch because it had me wondering, was this being directed towards Jen? Or was this a type of residual effect of what the killers said to each other that night. You will hear the original clip first. The e.v.p. comes across first then you will hear Jen cough at the end. On the next clip it is the same clip but I amplified the e.v.p. section a little.
The sad history held within the Villisca, Iowa ax murder house walls alone made it worth investigating. We thought maybe someone, or something there may have had something to tell us, and others. The e.v.p. did convince us that there is indeed inhabitants, unseen by the human eye, still residing at the house. You don't have to be a psychic or a sensitive to feel the sadness when you enter this place. The history of the house and the horrific acts of violence are still soaked deep within its walls.
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Report written by: Dean
