The Night Owl: True Ghost Stories

Episode: The Villisca Axe Murder House - Part III (Campfire)

September 29, 2025

Host: Stephen Ballew, Night Owl Paranormal Research Society

Overview: The True Haunting of the Caretaker’s Family

This immersive campfire episode brings listeners to the unsettling conclusion of the Villisca Axe Murder House campfire series. Host Stephen Ballew returns to the emotional and paranormal journey of the caretaker’s family, who unknowingly moved across the street from the infamous Villisca Axe Murder House. After sharing only fragments of their story in Part 1, the family finally reveals what truly transpired: from cryptic animal encounters to emotional unraveling, unexplained phenomena, a disturbing incident involving a friend, and ultimately, a hasty flight from Villisca.

More than a simple collection of eerie stories, this episode chronicles how the ordinary slowly became “profoundly unordinary,” exploring the toll that unresolved tragedy and lingering darkness can have on the living.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Relocation to Villisca: Grief, Signs, and an Ominous Start

• Caretaker’s Wife describes grief over her mother’s death as the catalyst for their move.
  (08:50)

  “When my mom passed and how she passed, that was probably the taker of faith for me... I watched my mom die – which was a big decision to make, so that affected a lot.”

• Family stumbles upon a home in Villisca, unaware of its proximity to the Axe Murder House.
• Caretaker secures the caretaker job at the murder house almost immediately – his enthusiasm is contrasted by his wife's lingering unease and sadness.

  “He does the whole calling and gets… a call back. And it worked out, like, within. Literally. I’m not kidding. Like, three days. Like, it was weird. Just got the job. I mean, it was so easy for him.” (12:21, Caretaker’s Wife)

Notable Sign/Quote:
(Caretaker, 14:43)

“Our home was owned by a woman named Margaret Ann Landers... When we visited the grave site for Margaret Landers, it also had on there Margaret Ann or Mother Margaret. So to me, that was another big sign like, wow, we were meant to be here.”

2. The Watchful Cat Church: Symbol or Sentinel?

• The family encounters Church, a legendary grey cat associated with the Axe house, who increasingly insists on being part of their lives.

  “She talks to you. She really does… I’m kind of talking to her about, is this okay to live here?” (18:42, Caretaker’s Wife)

• Odd behavior: Church never appears to use the bathroom, almost as if she is “not a real cat.” Only begins using the litterbox after the wife says she’ll have to get rid of her if she doesn’t.
• Both caretakers come to view Church as a protective spirit or omen – and her sudden theft coincides with a downward spiral in the household.

  “Now that I look at it today and think about it, it was this cat was telling us, leave. Don’t buy this house. Leave, leave, don’t take this job. Go, go, go.” (20:33, Caretaker)

3. A Lurking Darkness: Changes in Mood, Obsession & the Mary Peckham House

Shifting Emotional States

• Caretaker’s growing obsession with his duties at the Axe house strains his marriage.
• His wife, initially depressed and lonely, becomes increasingly fixated on the neighboring Mary Peckham House, drawn to its unusual energy.

  “I want to go ghost hunt with one of those spirit talker apps in the neighboring home… she became absolutely obsessed with this neighboring home.” (48:32, Caretaker)

Paranormal Experiences Intensify

(45:12, Caretaker's Wife)

• Describes “ominous” feeling on the stairs in the Mary Peckham House; upstairs rooms feel heavy and wrong.
• Caretaker’s Wife starts to awaken regularly at 2-3am, plagued by strange dreams – always accompanied by Church, who she describes as her “protector.”
• Use of ghost hunting apps: Caretaker’s Wife gets “answers” referencing her mother and increasingly personal details.

  “My mom’s favorite color is yellow. The Ghost Tube, when I walked into one room, said, yellow, yellow… and then it said, he’ll be okay.” (50:00, Caretaker’s Wife)

4. Emotional & Physical Effects: Dreams, Pain, and Aggression

• Repeated visits to the Mary Peckham House correlate with worsening marital arguments and the caretaker’s wife’s mysterious, escalating back pain.

  “My back hurts so bad that I really can’t move a certain way… to the point where I want to throw up.” (57:44, Caretaker’s Wife)

• Staying out of the house provides relief, suggesting a direct link between her “obsession” and physical ailment.

5. A Disturbing Incident: Betrayal at the Fire Pit

(62:33 - 67:07)

• Close family friend (and only real friend in town) abruptly gropes the caretaker’s wife while her children and husband are close by.
• The incident provokes deep trauma, shame, and a rapid breakdown in trust and marital stability.

  “It just ripped the friendship apart immediately... created a boiling heap of anger.” (66:15, Caretaker’s Wife)

• Both spouses begin to feel “possessed” by intrusive rage and dark thoughts—beyond the expected level for loss or betrayal.

  “These are things that I’ve never felt before… this was different to where it almost was – it was a good feeling. And I’m thinking, what the hell is wrong with me?” (67:07, Caretaker)

6. Spread to the Children: Nighttime Wanderings & a House Stirred Awake

• The family’s son, previously a “scaredy cat,” begins leaving the house at 3am to sit at the fire pit behind the Mary Peckham House – behavior he cannot explain.
• Family members hear unexplained residual footsteps, see fleeting shadows; the home’s energy is described as “awakening” in parallel to heightened distress and conflict.

  “Something’s wrong… The only thing I can think of at this point is maybe the house did have history. Maybe I have to believe that there’s something. My back. I don’t know what to do.” (72:46, Caretaker’s Wife)

7. Escape: Sudden Flight from Villisca

• Mounting supernatural and emotional pressure culminates: severe anger, deep sadness, mysterious injuries, and deep anxiety.
• The family abruptly flees, leaving possessions and even a second car behind.

  “If I don’t force my family out of this situation and we don’t all drive in the same car, with me being in charge of the driver, I don’t think we’re going to leave.” (73:55, Caretaker)

8. Aftermath & Reflection

• The wife is visited by her mother in a dream, who urges her: “you need to go... this is really real and you need to go.” (75:20, Caretaker’s Wife)
• Both acknowledge lingering effects after leaving; emotional wounds persist, and the belief that the darkness “wanted” the wife, who had become the most faithless and vulnerable.

  “I am 150% convinced it was calling me there because I’m faithless. And maybe not so much now, but definitely before. And I think that’s kind of where I had to like, admit myself it was me.” (75:20, Caretaker’s Wife)

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “The paranormal is rarely that overt. It’s subtle, it deceives, it builds slowly... It’s about the accumulation of moments that make the ordinary feel profoundly unordinary.”
  – Stephen Ballew (08:01)

• “Church was eventually stolen. Ever since then, I would say it got worse.”
  – Caretaker (31:49)

• “It was as if our feelings and the rage and the anger and the sadness and the doubt… just nasty as heck… My house starts doing weird things.”
  – Caretaker’s Wife (70:19)

• “It destroyed my life, at least for a while. And it, it made things pretty hard. And we were only there five months. That’s all it took.”
  – Caretaker (74:50)

Important Segments & Timestamps

• 08:50-14:43: Caretaker’s wife recounts why they ended up in Villisca, grief, and unease.
• 14:43-20:56: Caretaker’s perception of “signs” and the first arrival of Church the cat.
• 25:57-33:53: Relationship with Church intensifies, and her loss marks an ominous shift.
• 45:12-50:00: First entry and experiences inside the Mary Peckham House.
• 50:00-57:44: Obsession escalates; wife’s back pain and use of ghost hunting apps.
• 62:33-67:07: The traumatic fire pit incident and marital deterioration.
• 70:19-75:20: The “awakening” of their own home, haunting experiences, and decision to flee.
• 75:20-end: Reflections on dreams and meaning; consideration of faith, evil, and the cost of believing (or not).

Final Reflection

In closing, Stephen Ballew draws parallels between the family’s experience and common theories of spiritual attachment: invitation, oppression, obsession, and possession.

“Sometimes the most dangerous kind of haunting is the one that follows you home.” (78:40)

The Villisca Axe Murder House may have a tragic past, but this story reminds listeners that the “haunting” is not always in the spectacle — it is in the slow, insidious unraveling of the self, family, and faith.

If you’re left wanting more, the host reveals a final call with the family upon their brief, necessary return to Villisca will be shared soon via Patreon.

For event info, story submission, and resources:
thenightowlpodcast.com