RUNNING FROM DEATH – Summary from Lighthouse Point

We went to Lighthouse Point in New Haven, CT, just to see what we would find. This is the story of what occurred during our visit, based on our readings, observations and experiences.

Another cold day on the beach. Winter storm warning in effect. Two feet of snow expected, and there are five of us insanely bearing the sub-freezing temperatures.

What were we doing there?

Looking for someone.

We had been planning to do an investigation in a private home, when the homeowner cancelled due to the upcoming storm. Seeing as we were already prepared to investigate, we decided to hit the beach! Granted, the beach weather was far from ideal, but considering what we learned at Hammonasset, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

And we were right.

After we gathered in the parking lot, I was drawn to a spot at the east end of the beach. Avoiding walking into picnic tables and chained driveways, we worked our way to the place where I felt there was a spirit. I asked who was there.

Crystal could hear nothing.

We kept asking, and Crystal eventually heard a response – Sally. Sally was jogging. Back and forth on the beach, probably for years. Crystal could see her in some sort of workout clothing, and she looked to be in her early 30s. I asked her to stop for a moment so we could ask her a few simple questions. She told Crystal that she had to keep running – had to stay in shape. After a minute or so she slowed down to talk – however she continued to run, back and forth in front of us. Trying to find out who she was, we started asking questions about her and her life. She told Crystal that she was from New Haven, divorced, and was local to the area. She also said that she had a young daughter. After listening to her answers, Crystal and I came to a startling realization.

She didn’t know she was dead.

Getting Sally to stop running was impossible at this point, but we were able to get her to at least come over to the benches on the boardwalk. She continued to run in place as we talked. Crystal could see images of her head slamming into something, and also saw blood on Sally’s hand after she touched her head. Sally asked if I would look and see if it was bad. I couldn’t tell.

Crystal and I looked at each other, thinking this might have been the way she died, but we didn’t say anything to Sally. Then a question entered my mind.

How would we tell her she died?

We decided now would be a good time to have an EVP session with Sally. We were aware that we would most likely not get anything discernable as spirit voices in the recordings due to the wind, but we would still be able to gather information.

What is your name? Sally
Why are you here? I live here.
Are you waiting for something or someone? No, working out.
Did you live here? Mansion St.
Are there any other spirits here? No, I’m not a spirit.
Do you want to leave or stay here? Yes, finish workout.
Were you married? Divorced. His name? Mark.
Did you have children? Yes How many? One daughter – Samantha.
Are you angry or happy? Happy.
Are you sad or lonely? No.
Are you hurting right now? No.
Do you know what year it is? 1981
Do you know where you are? Lighthouse Point.
What year were you born? 1950
Were you religious? No.

After the session, I told Sally we had some bad news for her that she might not believe.

Yes, she had died. No, she did not believe it.

She told Crystal that she couldn’t believe she was actually dead. Everything seemed normal to her, except for the blood on her head, and she was just doing her normal exercise routine. I told her the year was 2009, that she had been running for more than a decade, and was probably in great shape for having such a long workout. She then started punching me, still in utter disbelief. I told her I couldn’t feel a thing. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a car key – one of the newer types that has no real key. She didn’t believe it was a key when I told her, since they didn’t exist at the time she died. I placed it on my leg, and asked her to try and move it.

She couldn’t. It didn’t budge.

This was too much for her to handle. Most people in Sally’s position would be overwhelmed with the news of their own death, and we expected that. Sally was no different, but there was one exception – she was warmed up and ready to run. And that was exactly what she did – she ran away.

But would she be back?

– – –

The wind was picking up ­– and our crew was getting very cold. Toes and ears were numb. Hands and fingers couldn’t function and pens stopped working. Crystal, our guest photographer and I started discussing whether she would be back. Our guest, herself a sensitive, did not believe she would return, as she could sense Sally’s anguish and anger. Crystal also had her doubts, and her face was starting to turn red from the wind burning her skin. The decision was made to find some shelter from the breeze, so the group moved up to a building on the boardwalk to block the wind.

Except me.

For five minutes I stood on the beach, my head going back and forth like a cat watching a tennis match. Sally kept running back and forth, probably trying to forget what she was told. I did not want to leave her there, and in my heart I felt she would come back to talk. And she did.

Sally came back to where I was standing, and she started pacing back and forth. I tried to explain how we could help her – that we understood her frustration and shock. I couldn’t tell what she was saying, and I felt at a loss. I turned around to look at the rest of the crew on the boardwalk for help.

Crystal and our guest photographer came over to where we were standing.

Crystal told us that Sally wasn’t pacing – she was actually still jogging. And Crystal started jogging herself. But at least Sally was listening, and wanted to know more. We explained to her about the light, and that her grandmother would be waiting for her to come through. Crystal said Sally seemed to understand what we were telling her, but of course she was still hesitant to believe.

The team walked back towards the boardwalk, with Sally in tow. Looking around, Crystal was able to identify the location of the light, positioned in front of a brick building on the boardwalk.

Darlene tried to tell her that it was safe, her grandmother was waiting for her, and she would be able to see her daughter again.

She got it. Sally approached the light, and could hear her grandmother calling her. As she went closer, she could see her grandmother’s image. Sally took only one step into the light, and the two of them talked for a few moments. Her grandmother then took her hand. She took one more step, and was gone.

And so were we. To find some heat.