04/06/2025
An article from the old KSC website regarding the investigation KSC conducted at the Villisca Axe Murder House / JB Moore Home in Villisca, IA:
THE INVESTIGATION
DATE: 4-1-2006
INVESTIGATORS: Joe Patterson, Fleshia Patterson, Tabatha Wynn, Weslynn Chatman, Cindy McFarland
Layout of the house: The home is a five room home with an unfinished attic space. Entering from the rear door, the kitchen is the first room entered. The stairs leading to the two upstairs bedrooms and the living room are accessed from the kitchen. One bedroom (the bedroom the Stillinger children were killed in) is immediately to the right of the living room and adjoins it. Going up the stairs the first bedroom is the bedroom of JB and Sarah Moore. At the end of JB and Sarahs bedroom is the bedroom of the Moore children. In between the two bedrooms is a door that leads to the unfinished attic room. The attic room is on the same level as the bedrooms and is accessed through a doorway. The attic room is where authorities think the killer(s) hid while they waited for the family to come home and go to bed. Cigarette butts and a small pile of burned clothing was found in this room
The Victims: Sarah Moore (39) , JB Moore (43), the four children of the Moores, Herman (11), Boyd (7) Katherine (10), and Paul (5). Two children, who were friends of the Moore children, were also victims, Ina Stillinger (8) and Lena Stillinger (11).
The Crime: All victims were murdered between 12:00 AM and 2:00 AM. They had attended Childrens Day at church that Sunday and arrived home around 10:00 PM. It was widely rumored all victims were killed as they slept but evidence uncovered at the crime scene indicated some of the children tired to get away from the killer(s). Axe marks are in the top of the doorway leading into the childrens bedroom and in the middle of one of the bedrooms.
The next morning the next door neighbor , Mary Peckham, arose around 5:00 AM to begin her daily chores. At approximately 7:00 am. she realized that not only had the Moore's not been yet seen outside nor the chores began, the house itself seemed unusually still. Between 7:00 and 8:00 a.m., Mary Peckham approached the house and knocked on the door. When she received no response, she attempted to open the door only to find it locked from the inside. After letting out the Moore's chickens, Mary placed a call to Josiah's brother, Ross Moore. Ross Moore knocked on the door and when he was unable to rouse the inhabitants he unlocked the door and entered the home. He entered the bedroom off the living room and discovered the Stillinger girls bludgeoned in their beds. He rushed outside and told Mary Peckham to call the sheriff.
Neighbors and curious onlookers converged on the house, law enforcement officials quickly lost control of the crime scene. It is said that up to a hundred people rambled through the house gawking at the bodies before the Villisca National Guard finally arrived around noon to cordon off the area and secure the home. The only known facts regarding the scene of the crime were: Eight people had been bludgeoned to death, presumably with an axe left at the crime scene. Doctors estimated time of death as somewhere shortly after midnight. Curtains were drawn on all of the windows in the house except two, which did not have curtains. Those windows were covered with clothing belonging to the Moore's. All of the victims faces were covered with the bedclothes after they were killed. A kerosene lamp was found at the foot of the bed of Josiah and Sarah. The chimney was off and the wick had been turned back. The chimney was found under the dresser. A similar lamp was found at the foot of the bed of the Stillinger girls, the chimney was also off. The axe was also found in the room occupied by the Stillinger girls. It was bloody but an attempt had been made to wipe it off. The axe belonged to Josiah Moore. The ceilings in the parent's bedroom and the children's room showed gouge marks apparently made by the upswing of the axe. A piece of a keychain was found on the floor in the downstairs. A slab of bacon had been placed at the foot of the bed of the Stillinger children and at the foot of JB and Sarahs bed. Click "read more" to see the investigation results.
The Investigation: To coin a phrase....it was a dark and stormy night. Thunderstorms were heading for Villisca and the sky was flashing with lightning. The approaching storms definitely gave an eerie feeling to the night. Kentucky Shadow Chasers arrived at the JB Moore home at 6:30 PM. Every member of the team stated they felt an oppressive atmosphere in the house. The team did a walk through and was joined by Darwin Linn, owner of the house. Darwin gave the team a brief history of the house and took the team to the cemetery where the victims are buried. The team arrived back at the house at 7:30 PM. The equipment team began the setup of the equipment. Infrared bullet cameras that were networked to a multiplex DVMR system with quad display were set up in the upstairs bedroom of the Moore children and in the bedroom the Stillinger girls occupied. Audio equipment was placed in each room of the house. Camcorders with nightshot were placed in the living room and kitchen area. One camcorder was a mobile unit. .Other equipment used included digital cameras, Trifield Natural EMF meters, laptops, Parabolic microphones, thermal imaging camera and laser thermometers.
After the equipment was set up we began the investigation. The first room we concentrated on was the bedroom of JB and Sarah. Tabatha dowsed and contacted the children. As she was dowsing she felt someone push her. Weslynn asked who shoved Tabatha and an EVP was captured saying “it was me�. Immediately after that Fleshia asked the name of the spirit and a female childs voice replied "Kathy". Katherine was one of the Moore children. Visit our EVP page to hear this EVP. We moved into the Moore childrens bedroom. We asked the spirits to open the door to the closet. The door to the closet slowly swung open six inches. We asked the spirits to close the door and the closet door slammed shut. This was captured on camcorder and the bullet cameras. This footage is featured in the photo gallery in the Villisca album. We asked the spirits to open and close the door several times during the night and the door would open and slam shut. We also captured the door leading to the attic space opening and closing. When the train whistle sounded at 2:00AM (the authorities think the killer waited on the train to come by so it would mask the sounds of the slaughter taking place), we asked the killer to show us what happened. Weslynn captured an EVP that says "Bring out the axe" at this point. Visit our EVP page to hear this EVP. An orb was captured on camcorder, the dvmr system and on a digital camera entering the room, staying a few moments then leaving the room. Fluctuating EMF readings of 10 and above were captured on the Trifield on the closet door in the childrens bedroom when the door had opened and closed on request. This footage is in the photo gallery in the video album.
We went outside to take a break and Weslynn and Tabatha went upstairs to check on the equipment. As they came into JB and Sarahs room the closet doors slammed. Weslynn and Tabatha checked the equipment and headed back downstairs. Weslynn reported being shoved down the stairs.
Cindy was in the house alone doing a walk through with her camcorder. She felt a presence with her but realized the other investigators were outside. She heard heavy footsteps upstairs. At this time she exited the house to inform the other investigators of what was occurring.
Later in the investigation Joe went into the attic room, where the killer(s) were thought to have hid, to do EVP work. The headphones were pulled off his head.
Many EVPs were captured. You can hear them by going to the EVP page.
Conclusion: The Villisca Axe Murder House is definately haunted. KSC feels the haunting is a residual as well as an active haunting. It is very unusual to have two types of hauntings at one location. We were able to capture many EVPs and video footage of the door opening and closing and a white light eminating from the closet that can be seen in the crack between the door and the door frame. We feel the killer(s) waited in the attic for the family to come home and go to bed. After the killer(s) were sure the family was asleep they crept out of the attic and attacked JB Moore first. Sarah woke up and screamed "God NO! Please don't" ( this was reported to be heard by Mary Peckham the neighbor). Sarah was attacked. The children had woke up. Three of the children cowered in their beds while one child hid in the closet (the one the door opens and shuts). The killer(s) killed the three children that were in their beds and realized he had missed one. He opened the closet door and the child ran out and toward the parents bedroom.. He hit the child with the axe in the doorway (hence the axe marks in the doorway and on the ceiling in the MIDDLE of the room). The killer placed her body in her bed.
The killer(s) then went down the stairs and to the bedroom the Stillinger girls were sleeping in. One of the Stillinger girls was hiding in the bed and the other was hiding in the closet in the bedroom ( the police found a box of cotton that had been crushed like someone had sat on it and found a footprint in the dust on the floor of the closet). The child in the bed was killed first then the child was found in the closet and killed and placed on the bed. The police think the older Stillinger girl was sexually molested but not r***d in the conventional sense. Her body was displayed in a sexually suggestive position that modern day profilers call posing. Her underwear was missing and a spot of blood was on her knee. The killer wipes off the axe and proceeds to clean up. He covers the windows and mirrors, covers the victims, then fixes himself a meal. One witness stated there was a signal from the pantry window. It appeared to be a light flashing. Perhaps the killer was signaling an accomplice that the deed was done. He places the lanterns and bacon at the foot of the beds and leaves.
KSC deems this one of the most haunted locations we have ever investigated. The video footage can be found in the photo gallery in the video album and the EVPs can be found on the EVP page. A follow up investigation is planned. KSC wishes to thank Darwin Linn for his gracious hospitality and for preserving a piece of history and allowing members of the paranormal community to conduct investigations at this wonderful location.
To read more go to the Villisca Axe Murder House website.
