Episode Recap: Nebraska Fiend

Danielle, her husband Randy, and their two daughters, Rhiannon and Rylee, moved into what seemed like a dream house in Norman, Nebraska. They were on the verge of expanding their family with plans to adopt a young boy, and the two sisters were excited to soon have a baby brother.

The disturbances began almost immediately, as Rhiannon and Rylee were drawn to the large run-down barn on the property. It was filled with old furniture and bizarre taxidermy, and it didn't smell very good. And within, Rhiannon started hearing a young girl's voice crying out, "Mama, mama …"

The family moved an antique china hutch from the barn to the kitchen and soon the terror spread to the house. Danielle heard the little girl's voice, and later there were three knocks heard coming from within the hutch. Rhiannon saw a shadowy figure in her bedroom, but when she turned on the light, there was nothing there. Rylee heard the soothing sounds of a flute, followed quickly by her bed rocking back and forth on its own.

Rylee got another scare one night when she went into the basement, where she found herself face to face with a ghostly-looking girl. Rylee drew a picture of this figure, with an angry face and black sashes for eyes, much to the chagrin of her mother.

That's not all. Later that night, Rhiannon was settling into bed when she was suddenly flipped onto her back by an unseen force. Paralyzed, she stared in horror at the ceiling, where the ghostly figure of another young girl appeared. Just as quickly, the girl disappeared … and when Rhiannon ran to tell her parents, three deep scratches suddenly appeared on her back.    

Danielle called in Kris Sedersten, a paranormal investigator, and her associate. They discerned that the disturbance was coming from the barn, where they set up infrared cameras and digital audio recorders. The EMF (ElectroMagnetic Field) device went through the roof, and Kris got a scare of her own when a male figure appeared in the infrared camera and attacked her from behind.

Upon leaving the barn, Kris found the tapes in the cameras were completely smoldered and ruined. However, upon reviewing the digital audio recordings, they heard a male voice answer when she asked "What is your name?": "Stephen Richards."

Some Internet research revealed that Stephen Dee Richards was the first serial killer ever hung in Nebraska. He wandered the midwest going from odd job to odd job, including a stint at the Iowa State Insane Asylum, where his duty of burying inmates gave him a taste for violence and death. Upon traveling to Nebraska, he befriended a woman named Mr. Harelson and her three young daughters, delighting them with his flute playing. One night, he killed them all with an axe, planning to take over their homestead.

Stephen Richards wrote a lengthy confession to his various crimes, showing no remorse. He was put to death on April 26, 1879.

Kris tells Danielle that they should do a spiritual cleansing of the land, which she'll be able to perform the next day. However, that night, Rhiannon is attacked by what seems to be the spirit of Stephen Richards … as the barn burns to the ground under mysterious circumstances.  

Danielle and Randy soon thereafter adopted a young boy, after which the family felt complete. The disturbances ceased, seemingly burned away with the wretched barn.