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The Untold Story Of The Black Forest Haunting - Colorado (Lee Family Case) · Mystery Archives Episodes

0:01
Mere days after the Lee family had settled into their new abode
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nestled amongst the Pines, they are confronted with paranormal
0:11
happenings. Initially, the disturbances seem
0:15
harmless, as the couple's two young sons began to voice
0:20
concerns about peculiar lights flickering in their rooms and
0:25
eerie shadows dancing across the walls.
0:29
But the situation takes an ominous turn when Steve and Beth
0:33
themselves bear witness to disturbing and terrifying
0:38
events. This is the untold story of the
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haunted House of the Black Forest in Colorado.
1:02
There's an undeniable, almost supernatural call to the eerie
1:07
and the unexplained that seems to emanate from the depths of
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dense Woodlands. The Black Forest, a vast expanse
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of towering trees and shadowy undergrowth, has been a breeding
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ground for creepy tales of the otherworldly.
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Amidst this foreboding landscape lies a dilapidated house, its
1:33
weathered walls and creaking floorboards harboring secrets
1:39
that have captured the imagination of paranormal
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enthusiasts across the nation. This isolated dwelling nestled
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deep within the Colorado wilderness, has earned a
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reputation as one of the most haunted sites in the United
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States, its very existence a testament to the enduring power
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of mystery and the unknown. The region referred to as the
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Black Forest is an unincorporated area situated in
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El Paso County, Colorado, nestled near the city of
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Colorado Springs. This area was traditionally
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known as the Pineries, a vast expanse spanning over 1000
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miles, aptly named for the dense concentration of majestic
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ponderosa pine trees that blanketed the landscape.
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The Black Forest's remote and secluded nature, coupled with
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its towering evergreens and rugged wilderness, has long
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captivated those seeking solitude and a connection with
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the untamed beauty of nature. The secluded log cabin, nestled
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deep within the Black Forest region of Colorado, seemed like
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a tranquil Oasis for the Lee family when they first laid eyes
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on it in 1991. Steven and Beth, along with
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their two sons, had relocated from Louisiana, seeking a serene
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escape amidst the towering Pines and pristine wilderness.
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The sparsely populated area, known for its slow paced
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lifestyle, crisp air, and breathtaking vistas, promised a
3:31
dream home surrounded by untouched nature.
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Little did they know that this idyllic retreat would soon
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become a source of inexplicable occurrences and unsettling
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experiences that would forever alter their perception of the
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supernatural. About the Lees.
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Stephen Lee, a father, husband and truck driver had done well
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for his family and wanting a change of scenery they found
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what they believed to be their dream home.
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A6000 square foot three story cabin located within the Black
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Forest situated on five acres of land.
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Stephen and his wife Beth, with every step as they surveyed the
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property, could envision their two young sons playing and
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growing up there, their own little piece of the American
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dream. So it took a little bit of time,
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but their offer on the home was ultimately accepted and within
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the coming months they would soon call this secluded place
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home. However, they would fail to
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realize that it wasn't just inhabited by the family of four.
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The first week at their new residence seemed like something
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out of a fairy tale. Mom, dad, and the kids were all
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comfortable and very happy after making the long trek from
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Louisiana to Colorado, and the family themselves seemed happy
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and content with their decision. However, this would change the
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Lee's two young sons shared a room, as brothers often do at a
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young age, and roughly after their first week, they began to
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tell their parents that something strange was happening
5:36
in their bedroom. Bright, colorful lights flashed
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about and terrifying shadowy spectres flowed across their
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walls. These strange happenings
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frightened the boys and often kept them awake, so of course
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they told their parents. However, often in these
6:00
situations they were dismissed. Beth and Steve simply believed
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that the boys had overactive imaginations and figured it
6:10
would just take time for them to adjust their new environment.
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But this too would change mere weeks later.
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Upon coming home from an evening of fun as a family, they would
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arrive to see their home lighting inside with strange
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lightning like flashes of light. They could see the spectacle
6:33
from their driveway. In the words of Beth, one day we
6:39
came home and it was like the 4th of July.
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In our living room and bedroom. We had all sorts of colorful
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flashes of light seemingly everywhere.
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We rushed inside to figure out just what these things were and
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simultaneously it sounded like people were stomping across our
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roof and all of a sudden it stopped.
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Never having seen anything like this before, the leaves were
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simply perplexed and not sure of what to make of this activity.
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They would lay their heads down to sleep this night, but what
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they failed to realize is that this was just a prelude of what
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was to come. In the coming months, the
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activity grew in intensity. What started as phantom lights
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and flickering shadows had escalated into something taking
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place almost every single day. From disembodied banging sounds
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to whispers, the sound of change dragging on the floor or even
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inside the walls, to pushing, assaulting and disturbing the
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family. Sadly, the Lee's young sons were
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more often than not the targets of this paranormal force that
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plagued them night after night. And almost every night they were
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harassed by shadow people, the reappearance of the mysterious
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lights, and the awful banging sounds of something unseen.
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The family did their best to make the situation work.
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They, after all, were newly tied up financially in the perches of
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what they believed was going to be their forever home.
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But it was something big or small nearly every day now that
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was taking place during the day, appliances began to turn on and
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off on their own accord. This was attributed to an
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electrical issue at first, but after having the home examined
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by multiple electricians, they found no faulty wiring.
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Alongside electrical appliances, faucets began to turn on by
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themselves, often making a wet mess.
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Whatever room they were activated in during the night,
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the re emergence of the lights, the movement of the shadow
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people and the sounds truly haunted them.
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And these disturbing happenings were soon coupled by something
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new and equally terrible. A noxious chemical odor began to
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appear in the home with no rational origin.
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The smell of these mystery chemicals burned the nose, eyes,
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and throats of everyone whenever it appeared.
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In the coming days, yet more professionals would be called
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out, and yet nothing, no origin of the chemicals or detection of
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them either could be found. It seemed that whatever force
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that dwelled within the walls of the cabin home in the woods had
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a particular hatred for the Lee family, and this force soon
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began to physically hit all of them, seemingly whenever it
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could, often leaving bruises. Not a believer in the
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paranormal, Steve Lee having had professionals come out and not
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provide any rational answers to their strange ailments.
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This, coupled with the now daily torment that he and his family
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were enduring, had finally reached his wits end.
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He wanted to prove that either there was someone or something
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messing with them and over the coming year he invested in a
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total of $70,000 worth of camera equipment and security equipment
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to monitor every square inch of their home and property.
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Now, you might think that that's an incredible amount of money to
11:01
spend on cameras and alarm systems, and it is.
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But this was the 90s. The equipment wasn't as readily
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available or sophisticated as it is today.
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And it just goes to show that they were truly freaked out by
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whatever was taking place, that they wanted some kind of
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tangible proof that they could show the world so people didn't
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think that they were crazy. The cameras, which were mostly
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motion activated and would record when motion was detected,
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soon began to activate with no rational explanation and no
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physical means to be detected. After capturing several strange
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things on video and photograph, Steve decided to contact the
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local authorities for help. Records show that the El Paso
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police were contacted so often by the leaves in the months to
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come that they launched a formal investigation and to just what
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was taking place at the cabin home in the Black Forest.
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During this time and the two years to follow, alongside the
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cameras, their security equipment, which could detect
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motion and forced entry, was triggered 62 times with no
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explanation as to what could be causing it.
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It wasn't faulty equipment or poor installation.
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It was oddly something else, something unexplainable.
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With not even the police able to rationalize what was happening
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to the Lee's, Beth and Steve decided to take things one step
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further. They hired a private
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investigator. This was in part due to the
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police also growing tiresome of being contacted for assistance
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and then there being nothing that they could do about it.
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Between the cameras and security equipment and now hiring a
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private investigator, the Lee's had all but spent the rest of
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their life savings. Most people, if it ever came to
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this, would simply try and cut their losses and sell the home,
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and we don't know if the Lee's could have sold the home and
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moved elsewhere, but they truly still believed that this massive
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cabin home was their dream home and they didn't want to give it
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up without a fight. Unfortunately though, the
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private investigator was unable to help them.
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This left the Lee's to simply tough out anything and
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everything that they had and were continuing to experience.
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After moving in in 1991, the year now was 1995, and the
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activity had persisted despite the efforts of the Lee family to
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uncover just what was causing it.
14:01
Steve, who still figured there had to be a rational explanation
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for what was taking place, had a little bit more of an open mind.
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After a lengthy discussion with Beth, seemingly having done
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everything else, police concluded that they would try
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and contact paranormal investigators to see if they
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could do anything about the otherworldly happenings taking
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place in their home. After some research and calling
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numerous numbers, the Lee's ended up getting in contact with
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a person who would end up being involved with the television
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show Sightings. Sightings was an American
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paranormal and new show that aired throughout the 1990s
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covering various unexplained and fringe phenomena.
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As a result of this pretty lucky interaction, the show became
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very interested in producing an episode segment about hauntings
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surrounding the investigation of the Lee home.
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The show would contact a paranormal investigator and a
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self-proclaimed sidekick in Minneapolis, MN named Echo
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Bodine from her book The Little Book of True Ghost Stories.
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Echo would explain her experience as the following.
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I got a call from the TV show Sightings and they wanted to
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know if I would fly to Colorado Springs to help a family deal
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with some ghosts. The producers told me that the
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problem was the ghosts mostly seemed to come out at night.
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So I was asked to work from midnight until the early
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Daybreak hours. It was a very hot day in
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mid-july when I arrived in Denver around 10:00 PM.
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It was pretty eerie. There was intense lightning all
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throughout the sky and rain pouring down.
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I remember thinking how perfect the spooky weather was for
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investigating hauntings. Steve, the owner of the log
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home, was at the airport to pick me up.
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He was very open about not believing in ghosts and as we
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drove through several towns in Colorado, I listened to him tell
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me story after story about some of the things that had gone on
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in their house. They heard voices, footsteps,
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things would move from room to room.
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It took close to an hour to get up to their house in the
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mountains and alongside the rain, a fog hung about 10 feet
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off the ground. When we arrived and I entered
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their three story log cabin home from here, I was greeted by a
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producer who asked me if I could take a seat while the scientists
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they had hired told us about his thermal camera.
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Having been tired from the trip. I laid my head back while the
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explanations were continuing and suddenly I heard a voice come
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from behind me. It said hey, come here.
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Upon turning around I saw a large ghostly man about 6 feet
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tall. The spectre was wearing blue
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jeans and a blue checkered flannel shirt.
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I then heard in unison multiple voices tell me to look over here
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and now. There was 5 male spirits, all
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different but dressed the same as the first.
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The original ghost said that his name was Tom and that this was
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his house, that no one was going to make him leave.
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He ran the show around here and had for a long time.
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I told the producer what was happening in case he wanted to
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capture anything for the segment and he did.
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The conversation then ensued, with Tom explaining why he and
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the boys wanted to stay in the house, that it was his land, his
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home, and that he would not leave.
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One of the cameramen then asked if it was one of them who'd been
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responsible for knocking over his very expensive camera off
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the countertop. All five in unison answered yes
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and then disappeared out of sight.
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The scientist with the thermal camera did in fact capture a
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drop in temperature just right where Tom had stood around 2:00
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AM in the morning. As me and Beth discussed the
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activity that she had experienced, the dogs the family
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owned would not stop barking outside.
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The producers, in an effort to keep their sounds from being
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picked up on the camera, tried to quiet them down, but simply
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weren't having any luck. Then the pond, Beth showing me a
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photo of what they had captured on their own cameras.
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We suddenly were in the midst of three male spirits, one with a
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particularly angry scowl upon his face.
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One of them walked through both of us, causing us to jump out of
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our chairs, while the other angry looking spirit tried to
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take my breath away. I believe he did this to stoke
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fear from me in order to grow more powerful, and this worked
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because I felt as if I was being suffocated.
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By 3:30 AM we all decided to not focus on ghosts for a bit and to
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try and lighten the mood. We turned the cameras off and
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began eating some food in which Beth had prepared for us.
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But almost as soon as we began to relax, one of the camera
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women who had been sitting on the stairs began to
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hyperventilate. She then jumped up and screamed.
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Get it out of me. As she fell down the stairs and
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onto the floor, writhing in pain, the producers asked for me
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to do something. So with the assistance of
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others, I helped her up and into a chair in the kitchen, and I
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began to burn sage encircling her in the smoke.
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I asked her to say back to me that she was clear until she
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calmed down. It took about 20 minutes, but
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she eventually relaxed. She then was given a ride back
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to the hotel and I never saw or heard from her again.
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By now it was 4:30 AM and we were waiting for the camera crew
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of the show to finish setting up their equipment in the bedrooms
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where the majority of activity was seeming to take place.
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One of Steve's friends, who had been present most of the night,
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came up and handed me a brochure about the history of the local
21:12
area. To my surprise, he told me that
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a man named Tom had been the sheriff here back in the 1800s.
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I felt shivers up my spine as I realized that this was the same
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Tom that now haunted the Lee's home.
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Roughly 5:00 AM, as we set off to investigate the last bedroom,
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I walked into the room and saw there in the rocking chair in
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the corner who would turn out to be Beth's deceased grandmother.
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And on the opposite side of the room was Tom and the several
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male spirits under his control. We ended up burning sage and
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asking them all to move on to the other side.
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They all did leave the building, but I'm not convinced that they
22:03
moved on. At about 6:00 AM, we finally
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finished staging the entire house.
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Exhausted, we packed up our equipment and went back to our
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respective hotels. I've spoken to Steve and Beth
22:19
since and they informed me that activity at the cabin persisted
22:24
shortly after our departure and that although not fully
22:27
convinced, Steve is convinced that there are things in this
22:31
world that we will never truly understand.
22:36
Sightings would do a follow up episode segment years later with
22:39
the Lees where they brought in several spiritualists in an
22:44
expert in hyperdimensional studies and all would come to
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the conclusion that the home was indeed haunted.
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The expert would draw the conclusion that the home sat
22:56
atop an interdimensional vortex and coinciding with his
23:01
conclusion. Interestingly, a Hopi elder from
23:05
the local area would also explain that the Black Forest
23:09
sits on top with the Hopi call a rainbow vortex, a raging storm,
23:16
a portal of sorts that contains great spiritual energy and the
23:21
coming and going of many souls. Sometimes they burn out over
23:27
time and sometimes they don't. They are considered gateways
23:32
between the world of the living and the spirit realm.
23:37
Some strange and noteworthy things that took place during
23:40
the second filming of the show Sightings at the Lee's residence
23:44
was that a paranormal investigator had asked anyone if
23:48
the name Howard bore any significance to them.
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The Lee's were surprised because one of their best friends in
23:55
Colorado Springs was a man named Howard.
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The entity then told the investigator, who relayed the
24:02
information to everyone, that he was Howard's son and that he in
24:07
fact had not killed himself, but rather had been murdered.
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This disturbed the lies a great deal because Howard's son had
24:17
supposedly taken his own life by consuming deadly chemicals
24:23
working as a chemist. The stories and reputation of
24:27
the home got such a local buzz from the press that even a
24:31
Colorado Senator by the name of Charles Duke visited the home
24:36
with his own camera crew and would snap a few photographic
24:39
pieces of evidence of apparitions.
24:43
To his and everyone else's surprise, Senator Duke was so
24:47
convinced of the Lee's haunting that he even contacted the FBI
24:51
to conduct a formal investigation, but the Bureau
24:55
would rebuttal with no federal laws have been broken.
25:01
Years later, after everything had happened, Steve Lee, who
25:06
still wasn't fully convinced of the supernatural, came to his
25:10
own conclusions as to what was taking place.
25:14
And for the record, it's a wild theory.
25:18
He began to believe that the government was using his family
25:23
and their remote location to test biological agents and
25:28
psychological weapons of war. He claims he has even
25:33
photographed military personnel on his property with firearms
25:38
and claims that they may have been shutting off the
25:40
electricity in his home so they could enter undetected.
25:45
These claims, although far fetched, would be incredibly
25:49
disturbing if true, and it would account for the noxious odors
25:53
the family said they were experiencing, as well as the
25:57
lights and some sounds. But oddly enough as well, the
26:03
Air Force Base is located just a few minutes away where the Lees
26:08
live. The Lees, as far as we know,
26:12
after placing the home for sale in 2010, no longer live there.
26:18
The current residents are unknown, but it seems as if the
26:21
property has changed hands multiple times.
26:25
Whether it was ghosts, the result of what the Hopi call a
26:30
rainbow vortex, or more sinisterly, the result of
26:35
government military Black Ops, The Haunting of Black Forest
26:39
Colorado is truly an intriguing tale.
26:44
And if you find yourself seduced by what you could consider your
26:48
dream home, take caution because this calling might just be a
26:54
siren sound. Don't let them take you.
27:01
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