A Haunting in New Braunfels, TX
*SPOILER ALERT: The following article contains spoilers for Episode 9. Before reading, be sure to listen to The Restless - Part I here . Afterward, feel free to check out this "Behind-the-Episode" blog for additional info and photos! And visit our Patreon page for more extras!
One thing I love about Texas is the open road. Highways that stretch for thousands of miles that, on occasion, weave you through quaint little towns you'd otherwise miss if you blinked. New Braunfels is one of these towns. Nestled just off Interstate 35, between Austin and San Antonio, it sits on the Balcones Fault, where the Texas Hill Country meets rolling prairie land. The Comal and Guadalupe Rivers cut through the city and snake their way through two beautiful, forested parks, Landa and Cypress Bend. The town is actually a destination hot spot for river tubing and water park fun during the summer, being host to one of the top water parks in the nation, Schlitterbahn.
Ariel view of tubers enjoying the Comal River in New Braunfels, TX
Photo by @thaophotography
The Comal River in New Braunfels, TX
Photo by @thaophotography
Honestly, I've never been a huge fan of the water, but I was interested in this town's history and the reports coming from this family with concerning experiences in their newly purchased home.
I mention in the episode that this case fell into my hands through my good friend Franklyn. Below is a photograph of us working on a paranormal case back in 2010.
Me and Franklyn on a paranormal investigation in Kenedy, TX in 2010
Franklyn was one of the first members Alexis and I brought into our paranormal research team we formed in Austin in 2010, which was called The Occult Sciences Society (OSS). Below, Alexis, Franklyn and I are at a bed and breakfast in Kenedy, Texas about to do an overnight investigation.
Alexis (right) and Franklyn and I (Left) on an investigation in 2010
It'd been 6 years since our last investigation when Franklyn brought up this new case involving his barber and her husband in New Braunfels to me the night of his Bourbon n' Ribs Party on April 14th.
I called Alexis after the party was over (and I was sobered up from tasting about 12 different whiskeys) and he was game to join us on a road trip to New Braunfels. It was a nice drive that Sunday morning. The road was clear and it was great having about an hour to just catch up and discuss the case with the old crew.
As I mentioned on the show, I was growing a bit nervous as we neared the couple's house in New Braunfels. Exiting the highway and cruising through the neighborhood streets, I began to realize this case was a lot different than all the others I had this year. This was a couple's home. Not a place of business. Amanda and Paul were going to detail everything they had been experiencing over the last 9 months, but they couldn't clock out and leave when we were done. They'd have to stay there and eventually try to sleep that night. Something they've been struggling with since they purchased the home.
Foreground is the master bedroom - middle room is the breezeway bathroom where a lot of activity had been reported - and I'm standing in a spare room on the other side.
Amanda and Paul's house was really cute. It reminded me of my house in Austin - a small cottage-like home on a pier and beam foundation. The remodel that had recently happened on their house prior to them purchasing it was really nice. The wood floors looked refinished, the amenities were modernized, and the fixtures and trim were all updated. On top of all this, Amanda and Paul had decorated the place with an eclectic collection of antique furniture, relics and artwork.
It had a lot of sunlight coming through the windows, smelled great, and felt cozy, so there was really no reason to get a vibe that felt ominous or oppressing. But being there a while, Frankly and Alexis reported that they felt the air was heavy. Franklyn equated it to being at a high altitude. In fact, he'd just returned from a vacation to Colorado and said he felt very similar in their house.
Franklyn during our initial walk-thru getting a baseline EMF for the house. Here he exits the bedroom to enter the breezeway bathroom.
The shower in the breezeway bathroom where Amanda and Paul reported many experiences. In the reflection you can see the light Amanda reported falling after a dark shadow fell over the entire ceiling.
The shower door has a powerful magnetic strip that runs the length of the entire door. If you recall from the episode, there were a couple instances where Paul and Amanda heard this shower door open and close.
The twist-on light fixture that Amanda witnessed fall when she was in the shower. Paul and Amanda have been unable to unscrew it now that Paul has put it back on.
At the end of this hall is where Paul witnessed the little girl come out of the door on the right (their bedroom) and walk through the door on the left (the spare room).
In front of these french doors is where Amanda witnessed the spirit they refer to as "Milky" grab her shirt and toss it up into the air. Paul witnessed the shirt on the way up but did not see the spirit. There used to be a fainting couch and dresser here but has since been removed.
As you learned from the episode, I immediately began to grow ill the moment I stepped in the house. It started with a headache that quickly intensified and developed into severe nausea. When I sat down to interview Amanda on their living room couch, I was doing all in my power not to collapse. My hand was visibly shaking holding the mic the whole time during her interview. It was hard to see straight the in my head was so intense.
When her interview ended, my team could see I was visibly ill. Alexis said I was extremely pale and my ears were beet red. Amanda quickly got me a glass of water and aspirin for the pain. I decided it'd be best to step out to their backyard, where Paul was waiting, and try to walk around and get some fresh air. It helped a little, enough for me to interview Paul. But before I knew it, the nausea had returned and was getting worse than before. I told them I think I had to go lay down in my truck for a while. Amanda and Paul were so nice, they had recently acquired some fast-acting anti-nausea dissolvable tablets from the hospital from a recent surgery one of them had had, and they quickly ran it out to the truck for me. I had turned my AC on and reclined all the way back. I graciously took the tablet and dissolved it under my tongue.
I eventually got well enough to return to the house to finish the investigation. Franklyn and Alexis briefed me on some interesting new discoveries and happenings while I was away. I'm reserving these details for Episode 10, where we'll also return to Amanda and Paul's 3 more times to try to help them solve the serious concerns they face with losing sleep, seeing things they cannot explain, and not enjoying their time in their own home. In the next episode we involve Sara, capture sounds and video footage of something we cannot explain, and ultimately must reach out for help with a local church because something goes terribly wrong during our investigation.
Tune in on July 30th for the 2nd part of this case.
Stay restless out there,
Stephen Belyeu