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The Infamously Haunting Story Of The Amityville Horror - New York (Lutz Family Case) · Mystery Archives Episodes

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Would you live in a house? Raise a family there?
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Even if you knew that a horrific crime had taken place within its
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walls, could you overcome the negative energy or let it
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consume you? One family had to answer these
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questions as what appeared to be their dream home became a living
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nightmare. This is the infamously haunting
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story of The Amityville Horror of Long Island, New York, also
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known as the Lutz family case, and you most certainly will not
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want to watch this video. In a dark room
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the years 1975, George Lutz taps an anxious finger on his
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steering wheel as he eyed the windows of the house ahead of
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him. His wife, Kathy, smiled as they
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slowly pulled into the driveway. The two are hoping to find a new
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home for them and their three children and have seemingly
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stumbled upon the perfect house for the perfect price.
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As they speak with the realtor, they are amazed at the sheer
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size and beauty of the home. It had many rooms, ornate
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woodwork, a boathouse, and access to water.
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It was truly a massive property, especially compared to what they
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had been used to. However, towards the end of the
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tour, the real estate agent would inform them that a year
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prior the home had been the site of multiple grisly murders and
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famous ones locally at that the De Feo family.
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The home, of course, had been cleaned and remodeled without
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being told. No one would even know that
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anything had ever occurred there.
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Or so they thought. So after a brief discussion
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among themselves, the Lutz were sold based on the sheer beauty
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and low price. So they decided to make an offer
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on the home, and their offer was quickly accepted.
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They purchased what they thought was their dream come true, a
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fresh start for their large family granting everyone the
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room they would need to grow and live.
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After closing the deal and securing the keys, the family
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would begin to move in the weeks to come.
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During the move the family thought to have the house
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blessed and the priest who would carry this out was a man named
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Father Ray. As he carried furniture into the
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house. George motioned for Ray to come
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on in, so there to do a specific job and not wanting to interfere
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with the moving efforts, Father Ray went about his business and
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began to bless the house, moving from room to room, praying and
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sprinkling droplets of holy water upon the walls.
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In an hour or so, Father Ray was finished and stepped out of the
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house. However, upon making eye contact
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with George, he had a very concerned look on his face.
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George attempted to pay him for taking the time to come out and
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help them, but Father Ray declined.
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Before the priest left, he said that he felt something strange
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in one of the upstairs bedrooms, a dark, menacing presence.
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He hoped the blessing would help, but was concerned if
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anyone was going to be specifically staying in that
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room. George would reassure Father Ray
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by telling him that they weren't planning on using that bedroom
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for anything other than sewing. Ray would reply with good just
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as long as no one sleeps in there.
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Weirded out by the interaction, but assuming the father was just
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a bit superstitious with his Catholic beliefs, George would
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finish up moving the family in and they would all enjoy dinner
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together and their new home for the first time.
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They all seemingly were in love, but those wonderful butterflies
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floating in their stomachs would soon turn to ravenous locusts.
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Shortly after the Lutz's moved into their new home, they would
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begin to experience small, odd happenings.
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These events would include feeling spots of intense cold
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randomly throughout various areas of the house, as well as
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seeing shadowy figures out of the corner of their eyes.
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But as they would rush to see whatever it was, the apparition
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would quickly vanish, and these figures would seemingly
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contribute to the omnipresent feeling of being watched by
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invisible eyes. As the family continued to live
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in the house, drip by drip, a sense of unease began to fill
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the air. The phenomenon would continue
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and soon the family would begin to be jolted awake in the night,
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typically around 3:30 AM. Loud banging noises as if a gun
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had been fired inside the house or within very close proximity
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to their ears, violently shattering any peaceful sleep
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they may have been having. However, upon waking up fully
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panicked, there was nothing out of place, no one in the house
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that wasn't supposed to be there, and all the doors and
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windows were closed and locked. The culmination of the strange
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activity would only continue to escalate.
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One morning the family woke up to a startling sight.
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A bizarre black slime like substance was oozing from the
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key holes of their home and a trail of this mystery liquid was
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leading from room to room, never having seen anything like it.
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George, who was very adept in construction, was confused to
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say the least, unsure of what else to do, and with the day
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looming to start, they would slowly just all clean it up as
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days turned to several weeks. Since the Lutz family had moved
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into the Amityville home, the loud noises that would wake them
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during the night would only continue to get worse and would
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soon also be accompanied by footsteps and banging throughout
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the house at all hours of the day and night.
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During one episode, George had woke out of a sound sleep
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randomly and was unable to go back to bed.
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As he made his way to the kitchen for a drink, he heard
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what sounded like music blasting from the basement.
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He knew there wasn't a stereo or radio present down there with
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the hair on the back of his neck standing on end.
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He would slowly descend the stairs, but upon his foot,
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leaving the last step and landing on the basement floor,
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the music would cease. Despite what he had heard just
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minutes prior. There was no sign of anything or
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anyone. This event was particularly
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unnerving because George was not Privy to superstitious or
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strange things. He didn't believe in ghosts or
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anything of the sort, but even with these convictions, he
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failed to come to terms with what he had just experienced.
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In the coming days, the family began to notice more unsettling
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manifestations within their home.
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It's the middle of December now, and the sewing room, the same
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room that Father Ray had felt uncomfortable, had slowly but
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surely began to be infested with flies.
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This was bizarre to say the least.
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Although not impossible, it is very rare for flies to infest a
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particular area, especially in the middle of winter.
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At first they thought perhaps the house being older, maybe it
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was something they weren't used to experiencing.
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But despite their best efforts to rid themselves of the
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insects, they could never fully get rid of the infestation.
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Day in and day out, maggots and flies seemingly materialized Out
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of nowhere, the Lutz family soon found themselves changing in
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various ways. George began to seclude himself
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from his family and developed a strange obsession with the
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fireplace. Constantly complaining that he
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was cold, he chopped and stockpiled as much wood as he
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possibly could, but no matter how many logs he piled on the
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flames of the fire, the fire never seemed to manage to warm
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him. Kathy too began to change and
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experience her own events, and her experiences happened when
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she was often alone and vulnerable.
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She would feel the ice cold touch of unseen hands, and at
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one point the hands even braided her hair.
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These events were too eventually witnessed by George.
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One night, as the winter moon hung above them, the couple
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slept. Cathy then suddenly woke up with
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the gasp. However, upon turning to his
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wife to ask her what was wrong, George saw staring back at him
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as he awakened the face of an old woman instead of the face of
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his wife. The shock quickly turned to
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terror as the couple attempted to figure out just what had
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happened to Kathy, with her at a loss for words as she gazed into
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the mirror with her husband just as quick as it had came.
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The Mirage would dissipate hours later, revealing Kathy's
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youthful face once again. The Lutzes by this time knew
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that they had been dealing with something paranormal, although
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they were surprised to be thinking that George, especially
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at first, not wanting to involve anyone else with whatever
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presence that was in the house, they tried blessing the home
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themselves. Kathy, who had always been
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religious, was the one who attempted the blessing.
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She moved from room to room, opening up the windows and
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blessing each space. Things seem to be going well
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until suddenly one of the windows slammed upon one of
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their children's hands. This was no ordinary injury,
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however. The boy's hands were horribly
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bruised and pounded flat. George would later describe them
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as flat as a pancake and that he immediately knew that they had
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to get him to the hospital. Panic set in as the family
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geared up to rush to the hospital, but as they all
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approached the front door, their son's hands were somehow now
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completely normal. This was bizarre for George
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Cathy, as well as the other children to witness to say the
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least. But it was just as shocking to
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their son as well. None of them could figure out
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what had just taken place. It was as if the house didn't
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want them to leave. Another shift began to take
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place among the family. Following this experience.
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Tension within the home became so thick that you could cut it
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with a knife. George and Kathy began to fight,
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and we're now barely talking. The children, too, would begin
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to act more aggressively towards one another as well as their
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parents, leading to escalating punishments.
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And throughout this time, the youngest child, Missy, developed
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a relationship with an imaginary friend that she named Jody.
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Jody lived in her bedroom and would reveal herself in the form
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of a large pig with glowing blood red eyes.
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Thinking this description to be strange, and also thinking that
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it was just their daughter's imagination, George and Kathy
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wrote Missy's new friend off. But at one point the couple
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would pass by Missy's bedroom and upon listening in, they
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would hear their daughter talking to someone or something
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in her room. But whatever it was was
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answering her back in a deep toned voice, weirded out, they
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opened the door to the girls room.
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Within they would find their daughter talking to something
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outside her window together. The Lutzes would see two large
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red eyes staring at them from outside.
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Terrified, they began to snatch their daughter up in an effort
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to get her to safety, but Missy would attempt to calm them down.
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She told them that it was only Jody, and she wanted to know.
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If she could come into the house, Missy would continue to
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have strange interactions with the entity known as Jody.
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The family became more and more convinced that something was
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horrendously wrong. As they recalled when they had
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initially toured the house, the realtor had shuffled in
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discomfort. She said she wasn't sure if she
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should have told them before or after she had showed them the
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house. The couple, raising their
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eyebrows, asked her what she meant.
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She then told them that this house was where the De Feo
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murders had taken place. The couple remembered a year
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prior when the newspaper's headlines had described the
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gruesome murders of an entire family and all at the hands of
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their 23 year old son, Ronald Defeo, Junior.
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With a rival in his hands, he crept into each room and shot
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his parents and all of his siblings in their beds while
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they slept. All victims were found face
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down, each one ever having woken up during the slaughter of the
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other. During the trial, Ronald claimed
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that voices told him to kill his family, but that he had no
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recollection of the murders ever taking place.
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He was ultimately convicted and given multiple life sentences in
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prison. Concerned for their children,
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George and Kathy had asked them if they would be comfortable
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living in a place where such tragedy had occurred.
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The children nodded and the deal was made, and in order to put
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themselves more at ease, they had called Father Ray to bless
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the house. Remembering the strange look and
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words of Father Ray, George decided to give him a call.
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During that conversation, Father Ray would reveal that during his
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blessing, he had entered what was now known as the Sewing room
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upstairs, and here he was shaken to his core.
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He had heard a dark, evil voice which told him to get out.
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Unsure of what to make of this, George took the father's words
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to heart this time and tried to figure out some kind of
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solution. That night, George laid down
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next to his wife, staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep.
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He pondered the fact that everyone else slept on their
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stomachs except for him. They all slept face down, just
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as the Defeos had. As he laid there, he began
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listening to the massive storm that was raging outside, when
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suddenly there was a bright burst of lightning that lit up
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the entire bedroom. Temporarily blinding George.
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He called out to Kathy and reached for her, but Kathy was
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not by his side. Once regaining his sight, George
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now saw that his wife was levitating and floating towards
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the ceiling. He then began to hear loud bangs
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emanating throughout the house, coupled by the screams of his
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children. Their beds were lifting up and
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slamming on the floor by themselves, panicking to wake
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his wife up. George screamed her name and as
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she came back to consciousness, she slowly descended back to the
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floor. At the moment, unable to fully
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absorb the situation, George alerted Kathy and the two began
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to rush towards their kids. As they darted out of the
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bedroom, they witnessed yet another odd situation.
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Their dog was walking backwards in circles while vomiting as
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they ran down the hall. Lightning would flash and
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Thunder would roll as heavy rain pelted the windows of their
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home. Upon running towards their kids,
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they then gathered the children and their dog and rushed
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everyone to the living room downstairs.
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As the storm raged outside, they contemplated what they should do
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next, as monstrous bangs and growls could be heard coming
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from upstairs. Together as a family, they would
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weather this hellish, stormy night the following morning.
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Unsure of their plans, but knowing that they cannot stay in
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their home, the Lutzes fled upon their departure.
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They had only managed to live within the home for exactly 29
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days, and despite the entire family witnessing the storm,
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there was no record that had ever existed.
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No weather reports, no forecasts, nothing.
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Trying to make sense of the horror that plagued their
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family. George and Kathy, upon an
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acquaintance's recommendation, would contact world renowned
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paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren in just a few
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days. The Warrens would enter the home
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for an investigation. As soon as Lorraine crossed the
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threshold of the door, she immediately began to sense a
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heavy sadness, a depression that permeated the entire house like
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a fog as the couple did their initial walkthrough upon
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entering the basement. Ed described feeling a powerful,
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inhuman presence. He said it felt like standing
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beneath a waterfall, the sensation of having something
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heavy bearing down upon your shoulders and soul.
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After the initial investigation, the Warrens compiled a team of
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psychics to assist them. Among them was a woman named
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Mary Pastorella, and Mary considered herself to be a time
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Walker, a person capable of visualizing and experiencing the
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past of a location. During her walkthrough, Mary
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began reciting the Lord's Prayer.
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As she made her way up the stairs step by step, she would
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witness a group of figures saying the prayer backwards.
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This sight concerned and deeply disturbed her.
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After completing the investigation, Lorraine stated
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that whatever is here, and my estimation most definitely is of
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a negative nature. It has nothing to do with anyone
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who had once walked the earth in human form.
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It comes right from the bowels of the earth.
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The Warrens told the Lutzes that they felt that their house could
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only be saved through a cleansing performed by an
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ordained priest, and an experienced one at that.
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However, the Lutzes were uncomfortable with this, saying
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that they felt like they'd be risking their lives, and how
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could they be asked to do that for a house?
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Instead, they decided not to pursue the cleansing.
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They would cut their losses and return the property at a massive
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loss to the bank. They chose this route instead of
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putting themselves or their children in any further danger.
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Although the Lutz is no longer owned or lived in the house,
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this would be far from the end of their story.
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Years later, a book and movie adaptation would popularize
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their story along with the allegations of it all being a
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hoax. However, this seems unlikely,
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especially since George and Kathy lost not only their life
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savings, but the majority of their credibility due to the
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story. They would continue to maintain
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the validity of their experiences for the rest of
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their lives, George once stated in a 2002 interview.
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It's my prayer that everyone in this room never go through such
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a thing. But if you know someone that
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does, the hardest thing for people is the loss of being able
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to communicate with anyone else about it, not being able to find
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anyone that can intelligently help.
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It's not talked about, it's not understood, and when it happens
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to you, you become a burden to everyone else.
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Alongside losing their credibility and life savings on
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the House, they had also left every item within the house and
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on the property. This included a boat, furniture,
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additional vehicles, everything. They had only departed with the
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clothes on their backs. So was this story true or false,
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hoax or reality? That conclusion is ultimately up
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to you to decide. George and Kathy would divorce
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in the 1980s, but remained good friends until the very end.
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Kathy would pass on August 17th of 2004 and George on May 8th of
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2006. Their children, from what I saw,
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are all still with us. Some lead more private lives,
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while others are more so in the public eye with their
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professions. The agent that initially sought
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the Lutz is out following their departure from the Amityville
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house ended up essentially tricking George and Kathy into
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signing away their rights to their story, so they had no say
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in the book that was written or the movies that followed.
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They also didn't profit from them whatsoever, even though
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their story, their experience and their names were all used.
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The house known as 112 Ocean Ave. still exists, but it has
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been renovated and the address changed to discourage sightseers
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from visiting it. The quarter round windows have
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been removed and the house today looks considerably different
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from its depiction in the films. The local residents and
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authorities in Amityville, NY are unhappy with the attention
25:21
that The Amityville Horror brings to the town, intend to
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decline requests to discuss it publicly.
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And who can blame them? Ultimately, the Lutz's family's
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paranormal experiences paint an all too familiar and terrifying
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story. One of horror, terror, and
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confusion. Like a family landing on a
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spider's web, once the house has you, it never wants to let you
25:52
go. Luckily for them, however, they
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did ultimately escape from the demon that was lurking and
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waiting to consume them all. Thank you guys so much for
26:07
watching this new video. Please give it lots of love for
26:11
the algorithm. A like, a comment and a share
26:14
are always greatly appreciated. Besides that, again, I did just
26:19
want to let you guys know that I will be at the Tennessee Haunts
26:22
and Legends Expo taking place in Nashville, TN at the Nashville
26:26
Fairgrounds on Saturday, October 21st.
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I'm going to be giving away some posters, some stickers, and
26:34
signing whatever you guys want if you so choose, as well as
26:38
chatting with some awesome people and hearing some spooky
26:41
stories. There's going to be tons of
26:43
stuff to do and it'll be a first for me, but hopefully the first
26:46
of many meet and greets to come with that.
26:49
Guys, I love you all and thank you for crafting such an amazing
26:53
community around me and I will see you guys very soon with
26:58
another new video. This has been Cody, your mystery
27:02
archives. Please remember to stay safe out
27:05
there and take care.