Case # : 310103
Location : Socorro, New Mexico
Date: 31 January 2003
Priority: B
Scope: Investigation of a private residence in Socorro, NM

S.H.I.E.L.D. was informed after receiving an e-mail from ghost@sgha.net concerning a possible haunting of a private residence. The location is a small house that is approximately 100 years old and is rented out to students at New Mexico Tech University. Presently, there are three students sharing the house and the rent is divided equally among them. The house was remodeled in the 1980’s.

Unusual phenomena have been reported by two of the students, Richard and John. The third student living at the house, Robert, has not had any unusual experiences. John was the student that contacted SGHA. Typical experiences include the following;

Unexplainable foul smells have filled their bedrooms, particularly at night.

John saw a message written in the mirror after he had gotten out of the shower. The message said “You will Die” and John was quite certain that there was nothing written on the mirror prior as he had just brushed his teeth at the same sink. He was also certain that no one could have entered the bathroom as the door was locked and no one else was home at the time.

Both Richard and John have seen moving shadows in their peripheral vision.

Richard has also taken photos with his digital camera that shows several orbs in them.

Both Richard and John have generalized feelings of being watched in various areas of the house, especially the living room.

Loud noises are often heard coming from the attic that sounds like a person is walking across the floor wearing heavy boots. When the attic is checked, it is completely empty.

All three residents were interviewed separately. During the first interview with Richard, Robert showed up, apparently unaware that his two roommates had contacted a “ghost hunter” concerning the activity that was occurring in the house. Robert first appeared to be amused then went off to his room, seemly uninterested in what was going on.
During the brief interview with Robert he contradicted himself several times and had a general attitude that his two roommates were “just crazy”. Richard’s photographs were also analyzed during his interview.

 An extensive search was then conducted using an Electromagnetic field meter. No unusual fields were located. In fact, for such an old house, the electrical wiring is in really good shape. Apparently the wiring was redone when the house was remodeled.
The next step was to isolate each reported incident and attempt to find a natural cause for them. During a walk through of one of the bedrooms, it was noticed that the paint had been scratched around one of the screws that holds a vent to the central heating system in place. The vent was removed and it was discovered that a sponge had been placed inside the ductwork for the central heat. The sponge smelled awful as if it had been soaked in some foul substance. The sponge was placed in a plastic bag and removed from the house.

The next item that was checked out was the bathroom mirror, where John claimed that he saw a message mysteriously appear. Looking at the mirror from a 45-degree angle, some of the “writing” was still visible. The door to the bathroom was shut and the hot water on the sink was turned on. After five minutes the whole message was barely visible.

The attic was checked with a level and found to be out of plum, approximately ¾ of an inch from North to South.  We tried to replicate the noises that were heard by walking along the attic floor with no success.

The initial investigation was completed and we agreed to meet again in two days to discuss our findings. The next day we contacted the house’s landlord and asked several questions about the house and its history.