Original subtitles

Something is going on in nerve center.

In the most extreme cases, heart attack.

Is it true that they can't find his head?

Since I was a young boy,

I've been collecting haunted artifacts,

drawn to the dark and mysterious energy they carry.

The Manson murders will go down as one of

the most heinous crimes of all time.

Through my career as a paranormal investigator,

I've been able to build my collection.

Now, I'm building a museum.

The Conjure Chest is one of the deadliest

haunted artifacts in existence.

Robert the Doll has affected thousands of people.

And providing a place for people to bring

their haunted items and hear their stories.

We aid people into coming into the world.

Why can't we aid them in exiting it?

These are my deadly possessions.

My name's Jayne Harris from Stourbridge, England.

I'm currently the owner of a doll named Peggy.

It all started when I posted a photo of her online

and received hundreds of responses from people

all over the world who were experiencing

serious, potentially fatal health issues

as a result of seeing her.

At this point, we're really not sure what to do next.

And I would welcome Zak's help.

Why does the doll have a sack on its head?

Honestly, she...

hasn't been around many people,

and when she has,

things have happened,

so...

In the most extreme cases, heart attack.

So... people, when they look at the doll,

they've had a heart attack.

Had heart attacks, yeah.

That's interesting, um...

It's interesting,

because when I initially showed a picture online of the doll,

we had about 30 messages overnight.

These people are experiencing these things

just by looking at a picture of her?

We have a folder of statements from people.

- I know for sure... - ...Still have tingling...

...Had a sharp pain in my chest.

Over the past year, um,

about 200 I would say, I guess.

I got the feeling I couldn't breathe.

I got a pain in my right eye.

- Lights turned off-- couldn't see. - I had to lie down.

I have felt like someone is in my home.

And it was incredible, because we weren't sharing--

we weren't making it public

that anything was going on for anyone.

Who do you believe the doll is possessed by,

and why was the doll given the name Peggy?

Back in February, a psychic medium gave us

the name of a lady he was connecting with called Peggy.

How do you think that this doll has the power

to infect those

just by looking at a picture of it on Facebook or online?

- I've never seen this before. - We don't understand that, I mean,

whether it's-- whether it's a case that the spirits

are aware when someone takes an interest in them.

While there isn't a lot of documentation

about Peggy's history, we do know she was made in England

in the late 1960s.

The original owner bought the doll,

um, just at a sale, and pretty much straightaway,

things started happening in her home.

She would hear footsteps.

She would wake up at 3 a.m. and feel that there was someone

in the room, and she became more and more fearful.

She lost weight, she couldn't eat.

She had nausea, migraines.

The original owner was overwhelmed by Peggy's power,

so she sought out someone to take the doll off her hands.

She contacted me, because she'd been online

googling haunted objects, came across--

it's what we do, I've been studying this kind of thing

for about 17 years... experienced a touch...

So you specialize in this.

- I've had some experiences, yeah, nothing like this. - Okay.

Um... this has kind of thrown out

- all my theories and ideas on what the spirit world's about -

to be honest.

Is it something dark that's with the doll?

All of a sudden, I'm being plagued by flies.

I've never seen flies in here.

So, yeah.

Flies, infestation of flies.

Does Peggy-- does Peggy bring flies with her?

As we're talking about demonic stuff.

I don't-- I don't know.

There's so much about her that we don't know,

and as I said, the longer she's with me,

the more questions I've got-- I just don't...

it's what's fascinating, but it's also what's terrifying, as well,

which is the paranormal, I guess.

That's weird.

Do you see all of them?

- Yeah, I see them flyin' around you. - They're like...

there's flies all around me-- I've never seen flies in here,

and they're all just flying around me,

and there's a bunch of them.

Isn't that, there.

There it is, yeah.

It keeps buzzing around me, and-- and I think

we all know the manifestation of flies

in demonic presences.

Um... I'm not concluding anything, however, it is very interesting.

- And you're asking me questions, and maybe it's... - Yeah.

So I'm a little nervous.

Dolls is one of my phobia.

But just having a doll over there with a sack over its face

is probably one of the more unnerving things that I've seen.

Um...

It could get more unnerving.

If you choose to have a look at her.

Sounds like a challenge.

Could be.

Before I see Peggy for myself,

I need to know the risks involved.

Katrin Reedik is here to tell me

about the heart attack that almost took her life.

She traveled all the way to Las Vegas,

hoping I can provide some help to give her closure.

Can you tell me, exactly what happened

with-- with you and this Peggy?

My heart was racing like a running racing horse,

and I didn't feel good.

How close in proximity

to when you saw this video of Peggy

did you have the heart attack?

Just minutes.

- Just minutes. - Within minutes?

Yeah, within minutes.

It was so strange.

I went to hospital, and they confirmed

that there was changes in my heart.

Before the Peggy video,

I didn't have any health issues.

And then my GP confirmed it was heart attack,

and I'm still shaking.

Every time I'm speaking about this, I'm shaking,

and I don't feel good.

I can't see any pictures

about Peggy or any videos,

because I feel I'm going mad after this.

I have two children that I need to raise,

and they have nobody.

Sorry.

It's all right.

It's okay.

This has been hard?

It's hard, really hard.

It's hard to explain to my children

what's happening to their mom.

Why she's in the hospital, or what she's really feeling right now.

It's hard.

Mmhm.

They don't understand-- they're too young for this,

but they know that something is happening to their mom.

Sorry.

It's okay.

But... are you gonna be okay?

Yeah.

I hope.

Do you think that...

that this doll had something to do with it?

I don't think the doll,

but what's inside it.

You know, at the beginning,

I was going to ask you

to bring Peggy and all that, but...

- No, no. - No, I'm not going to.

- No. - I'm not going to, okay?

- Why don't you get up and take... - Zak.

Okay, something is going on in nerve center.

I am talking to Jayne Harris, owner of Peggy the Doll,

who is allegedly responsible for causing

serious health problems all over the world.

So since so many people online

have had these getting sick

and whatnot, I feel like I have a liability,

like I need to issue a liability to the camera.

What would happen if we take the sack off of Peggy's head

and show her face to our audience

through the video cameras? Is that...

Why are you shaking your head for?

It could be interesting.

It could be really interesting.

It would be interesting.

Okay, but... I don't want my viewers to get sick or anything.

I don't know what to do right now.

I think, with anything paranormal,

you... if you don't take the plunge, you don't get

the answers that maybe you want.

Well, she's already been listening to me, you know,

so let's... let's do it.

Why don't you get up and take...

Zak... Zak.

Okay, we have a red light blinking up here right now.

That means that something is going on in nerve center.

- Will you hold on, please? - Yes, yeah.

- Are you serious? - Yeah.

So...

There are cameras running throughout the museum

at all times, and whenever I'm conducting an interview,

Billy is here in the control room,

monitoring these feeds.

When Jayne and I are discussing removing the sack

from Peggy's head...

I think, with anything paranormal,

if you don't take the plunge, you don't get

the answers that maybe you want.

...the feed from the camera in the ballroom cuts out suddenly

when all the other cameras continue working perfectly.

I have to wonder if Peggy does not want us to see her face.

Is this a warning?

If it is, I cannot change my mind now.

I need to know what is under this sack.

Everyone that's watching this right now, um,

Peggy's face is about to be revealed.

We will film her face,

so you will see it.

Warning to all our viewers, Peggy the Doll's face

is about to be revealed-- by viewing,

you understand the risks involved.

Go ahead.

Why don't we flip Peggy around

so everyone can look at her at home.

You see her, Jay?

Yeah.

- You zoomed in on her? - Yeah.

She lookin' right at ya?

Straight at me.

So everyone at home...

what are you feeling right now?

Are you feeling anything at all through your television screen?

Any anxiety?

This is really interactive.

We've never really had the viewers

take part as much.

At this moment, I can feel something

that wasn't there before.

I don't want to be anywhere near Peggy.

The environment definitely shifted

when that came off of her face, so... so why don't you go ahead

- and take Peggy. - Okay.

- And I'll see you in a little bit, okay? - Okay.

Thank you.

I don't want to be in this room anymore.

I feel anxious and tense.

Crazy-- very, very cool, very, very awesome, you know?

But, just gotta be real cautious.

While most of the crew takes a break,

Aaron notices that something isn't right.

I almost put my hand through this window.

Just wanted to start punching everything.

You know? It's weird.

I mean, think about it, if you were the doll,

and you just got flown over and you have a bag over your head

and it came out, you'd be confused, frustrated,

a little pissed, and curious.

You probably-- you probably did feel some sort of emotion

of the doll, I mean...

I felt it enter my body.

You, in a way, made that happen.

I felt it enter my body.

- Enter your body? - Mmhm.

- You're the one who made the call and made it happen. - Think about it, think about it.

- The swarm of flies that are just around me. - That was weird.

That was weird.

Then the feed to the camera goes out,

only in that room where she is.

Yeah.

- Then the anxiety, and I go **** bat-**** crazy. - Yeah.

All of a sudden, I come out here, and I feel better.

After this personal experience,

I'm even more worried about Katrin.

Although it will be hard, I believe it is necessary

for her to confront Peggy one last time,

so I decide to enlist the help of psychic, Patti Negri,

who has assisted the "Ghost Adventures" crew

on two previous investigations.

He is taunting you.

Are you okay, Patti?

Something entered that's malicious.

I... interviewed

a couple women from,

the United Kingdom,

Yeah.

and one of the ladies

has a doll, okay.

And I know that you do a lot with dolls.

- Yes. - That's why I wanted to call you,

because I need your help.

I'm not gonna tell you a whole lot about this.

Another lady that is here

was severely affected by

just looking at the doll.

She's never... been in

the presence of the doll, okay?

I need you to try and help,

because she needs closure.

Theo, can you send Katrin in?

I've also invited Jay Wasley, an investigator of mine

on "Ghost Adventures," to participate in this séance

as a third party eyewitness.

Hi.

Hi, Katrin.

Do you want to have a seat?

Breathe.

Slow, deep breaths.

If at any time you want to leave, leave, okay?

I'm serious.

No, I want to do it for myself.

Okay.

Because... I know she's controlling me,

but she can't do it anymore.

Okay.

Okay, if everybody wouldn't mind just taking hands.

Um, left palm up, right palm down.

Yeah.

I just want to call a circle of protection within this space,

a center of light within this space

as we slowly raise the veil between the worlds.

Can Peggy manifest physically?

She says she is.

Does anyone notice that the candles, every now and then,

they just go crazy as if they're about to go out.

- That one, that tall one. - Mmhm, yeah.

- Look at it-- it goes from one to the other. - It's like a hand over the top.

There's no breezes in here.

- What's weird, though, is if you look at these, - Mmhm.

- they don't do that, and they're the same candles. - Yeah.

But over there, next to her,

By her.

they dance from one to the other.

See that?

This entity is a bit of a trickster.

Is that the typewriter I keep hearing?

It's the typewriter I keep hearing, yeah.

It's like, it's typewriter sounds.

Yeah, what is it...

You hear like a

From the moment I first ask the spirit

within Peggy to reach out to us...

Can Peggy manifest physically?

...there has been a flurry of activity,

from the candles...

Look at it, it goes from one to the other.

...to audible anomalies.

This entity...

This entity...

Some kind of intelligent being is definitely here with us.

Are you-- are you okay?

It's okay-- a lot of energy flying around.

It makes people react in lots of different ways, lots of different ways.

Sorry.

It's okay.

It's obvious that the energy in the room is having

an effect on Katrin.

If she is ever going to break away from the hold

that Peggy has on her life, now is the time.

She needs to confront her fear alone.

- Can we try something? - Yeah.

What would you feel

if we all got up and left you here with her?

Can you come please? I feel the same stabbing here.

What would you feel

if we all got up and left you here

with her?

It's, I mean, it's up to you.

I was just only gonna say if-- if we all left,

then you can just...

spend some time alone.

Do you want to try it?

Mmhm.

Let's get up and see.

You're okay.

Crying? Or what?

- Do you think it's... the spirits are there in there? - Yes.

Is that a bad thing?

Katrin's fear has only made Peggy more powerful.

Whatever the horrible connection between them is,

we need to destroy it.

You good?

- Okay, okay. - Can you come, please?

Okay, you did really good.

'Cause I feel the same stabbing here.

Yeah, but you're-- we're gonna let go of that, okay.

It grabbed onto you so we can cut it.

Can you see that? There you go.

Only time will tell if Katrin has truly escaped

from Peggy's darkness.

As I recover from my encounter with Peggy,

my mom and Aaron talk to customers at the museum shop.

This makes me think you take pictures,

and you save 'em, and then they're just gonna end up

at some antique shop, and then, after that, it's gonna... you know?

Like this one, you're right.

Hi, Nancy.

Hey, David!

- I told Zak about this when you guys were down buying stuff, - You finally found it.

and I brought you in to let you see it.

- My God! - My God, that is so crazy!

You know, ooh, okay.

Is that real?

- This one's real. - If you just wanna lay something on it.

This is crazy.

Wait, is that a bone that you put bones on?

Yeah, that's a human jawbone.

Really, my...

What the ****?

This is amazing-- where did you get it?

A friend of mine had it in his coin shop for years,

and it sat up on a shelf that said "Former Shoplifter."

That was great, that was great.

- Probably was. - And when he moved, he sold it to me.

- What age is he, do we know? - He's old-- he's got minerals growing in his teeth.

My God.

You're right.

This-- he's an old skull.

He's been preserved so well.

God, you can hear how the bone...

We look like that, actually.

I mean, you kinda look like that right now, but...

My God.

But the last two owners after they sold it didn't live a year.

So whoever owns it dies?

Well, if you get rid of it, apparently.

So I figure this one's probably going to the grave with me.

Well, we'd sure like to display it.

We could probably do that.

Yeah?

- You think? - Well, because, I mean, if you don't want to sell,

we'll make sure you can come back.

You can come in and take it whenever, it's one of those deals,

- 'cause we'd love to have it. - I don't even want to touch it, though.

Touch it, it's okay.

It's okay-- no, it's okay.

Eight weeks after this was filmed,

David Steinke, who was a friend of my mom's,

passed away.

The whereabouts of the skull is unknown.

I'm Mary Skinner from the Tennessee State Museum

in Nashville, Tennessee, home of a very gruesome item

I'm bringing to Zak Bagans.

This is not so much an exhibit as it is a part of a human being,

a human being that was the leader

of hundreds of men

that terrorized the Natchez Trace in the Mississippi.

This item has reportedly

made some people sick in the museum,

scared many children,

and I want to bring it to Zak's attention.

Hopefully, he can fill in some answers about this mysterious outlaw.

- Hello. - Hello.

Welcome, come on in.

Whatever you have in your hand,

please place it on the podium there.

Wow.

Good things come in small packages?

You could say that.

Is it inside this little coffin?

Yes it is, yes.

- I like surprises. - Now if you touch it, you have to wear gloves.

Ooh, I have to wear gloves to touch it?

Is that a...

what am I looking at?

This is a thumb that belonged to once...

It's a thumb.

It's a thumb.

This is a real human thumb?

Yes.

When he felt like they were no longer of any use to him,

then he murdered them.

What in the heck?

This is a thumb--

This is a real... human thumb?

Yes, from a notorious outlaw,

John Murrell.

I believe Mark Twain was, actually a fan of him.

- He wrote about him in Life on the Mississippi. - Exactly.

He terrorized people along the Mississippi.

And there's people that still believe that his treasure

is buried in caves somewhere on the Mississippi.

Even today, people still search

for the treasures in the caves, but Mark Twain wrote about that.

What are Jesse James

and his half dozen vulgar rascals

compared with this stately old-time criminal John Murrell

with his sermons and his majestic following

of ten hundred men sworn to do evil.

We did an investigation in Natchez, Mississippi, once.

And I know that that was his stomping grounds,

the Natchez Trace, the Devil's Punchbowl.

And I know there's a lot of good stories associated with him in that area.

He was the son of a Methodist minister,

and that's how he got the idea

to pull off these, um,

robberies that he was so famous for.

He would go around to communities

up and down the Mississippi River and the Natchez Trace

and pretend to be a traveling minister.

While he was giving the sermon,

his band of outlaws were out stealing everybody's horses.

I've always believed that John Murrell,

pardon the pun, has gotten buried in history.

He's not as notorious as Billy the Kid

or Jesse James

Many newspaper articles wrote about his crimes.

He was a horse thief, a bandit,

um, he was accused of stealing slaves,

and he was arrested for stealing a slave.

Some people believe he would capture slaves,

and he would sell them and resell them,

and then, when he felt like they were no longer

of any use to him, then he murdered them.

After only a brief encounter with John Murrell's thumb,

Sara Harvey was overcome with physical symptoms

that lingered long after exposure,

leaving her feeling sick and drained.

Um, and I assume you know what that is?

Yes.

You do.

Um, does it make you uncomfortable

- sitting next to it? - Yes.

It does?

It definitely left a mark.

It was quite memorable.

Tell me exactly what happened.

I could tell where it was pretty much without anybody

having to tell me, I was just following

the sense of dread as it got larger.

What did you start feeling?

What was this dread?

That creepy...

vibe and aura coming off of it,

Right.

that you could almost follow.

Mmhm.

And it was very tingling,

a little disorienting.

Were you getting, like, headaches and stuff?

Kind of a migraine-y, low hum,

vertigo feeling, um,

a feeling of not quite-- not quite knowing

where all your extremities are.

Your feet feel kinda fuzzy and far away,

and your fingertips, little pins and needles.

Is he getting gratification still in the afterlife

by his thumb giving people like you these reactions?

- The heebie-jeebies? - Scaring people, making them in fear?

Is he thriving off of this?

Probably-- he is not a nice person.

He was not a-- um, a good-hearted person in life.

One of the theories that John Murrell's spirit

is attached to his thumb is because pieces of him

are literally scattered about, but this is not the only piece.

Is it true that John Murrell was also said

to have been decapitated, and they can't find his head?

That's one of the stories.

He died of a lung disease, didn't he, or something?

- Tuberculosis. - Tuberculosis.

And because he was such a notorious person at the time,

- his body was sent to the Nashville Medical College, - Mmhm.

and they mummified the body and put it on display

with his arm extended

as he was going to shake people's hand.

His body was sent

to the medical college?

Yes.

- At that point, did he still have his thumb and head? - Yes.

He did.

But the thumb was severed

and sent to the Historical Society.

- So you have documentation that the thumb was severed. - Yes.

- We have a letter - A letter.

from somebody that states that in the letter, our files.

But this thumb has been in your possession,

Tennessee Historical Society, for how long?

Um, since the early 1800s.

So that's his thumb!

I am familiar with some of John Murrell's ghost stories,

and there are reports that many people have seen his ghost,

his full apparition, in the Devil's Punchbowl

in the Natchez Trace area,

and being as John Murrell was,

in his life, an evil man,

if it's true that his head is also missing from his body,

I imagine that, in the afterlife,

he would be even more vicious that his body parts

are all over the place.

Do I get to touch it?

John, if this is your thumb,

I'm gettin' ready to pick it up.

- Do you approve? - Yes.

Okay.

I gotta be careful not to drop it, right?

So is it, like... my gosh.

Gosh, so this is mummified, right?

Yes.

My gosh.

I'm like...

a little nervous right now.

Not gonna lie.

As I hold a piece of this famous outlaw,

I wonder if his spirit is watching over me

or if my direct contact to his DNA

will welcome a new attachment to the Zak Bagans ghost family.

Wow, that's incredible.

Just to touch this.

You imagine...

how many times he held a gun with this thumb

or how many times he killed someone with his gun

or...

John Murrell and his gang left a trail of bodies in their wake.

Now his descendent,

Jamie Pistel, is here to tell us

about her struggles with her family's bloody legacy.

Growing up, my father always told me that I had some--

lots of really good ancestors, and then lots of ancestors

that were not so good on this particular one side of the family.

Do you feel anything in that respect?

Do you feel dark energy around it or anything like that?

Um... it's really, um, amazing

that I do feel-- I mean, like, I'm tearing up now.

It's overwhelming to me, really.

Why are you getting emotional?

I don't know-- I don't know, I don't have a lot of experience

with this type of thing-- it's probably the energy,

and just, um, the fact

that, um, he did a lot of things

that, you know-- I know you can't--

I can't control what happened in the past,

but things that I'm not, you know, proud of.

'Cause the museum, actually, where his thumb is housed

is walking distance from where I work,

I spend the majority of my time,

um, and to just know

that there's something that is on display, um,

is... is hard.

So...

Do you just not-- do you not like being around this?

Can you-- can you feel

things around it?

Yeah, it's real--

I'm just uncomfortable.

I mean, I'm okay-- I mean, I'm okay, but it's just heaviness.

Mmhm.

If you were to come into contact

with the spirit of your ancestor, John Murrell,

and you could talk to him and he could talk back,

what would you ask him?

Why?

Why he did what he did,

and what was so, um,

appealing or enticing that you felt that you had

to, you know, do the things that you did.

We were planning on doing some work around the thumb,

- just to see what happens, we don't know, - Yeah, yeah.

but, you know, maybe his spirit will come through,

maybe he won't, but if he does come through,

I thought maybe that would be a good opportunity

for you to have some closure.

- Would you like to do that? - Yes.

Jamie agrees to join us as we attempt to communicate

with the spirit of her ancestor, John Murrell.

Hi, Jamie.

- Hi. - How you doing?

Good, thank you.

Why don't you have a seat?

- Hi. - Hey.

We are using this blood relative,

along with Murrell's own thumb,

as trigger objects to provoke a response.

During this, I want you to ask questions.

You are his ancestor,

Mmhm.

- and there was a lot of emotion, and I think that we can use that - Mmhm.

to help try to communicate.

For this session, we are using a device

known as the Paranormal Puck, which translates

electromagnetic energy fields into words,

allowing spirits like this murderous outlaw

to reach out to us from the past.

So I typed a question in, it reads the energy around

and selects a word.

Before we can even begin the session,

while Billy is still testing out the equipment,

he receives what appears to be a response

from the spirit attached to this human thumb.

Whoa.

Do you have a message for Jamie? That's what I typed.

It says cut.

I'm gonna have you switch.

I want you to see this as he's doing it,

'cause we're starting to get-- that's--

It's connected to you.

Cut.

Could that possibly mean cut thumb?

I don't know.

- Ask another question, watch him type. - Yeah, I'll type it.

Um, you said "cut" -- what does that mean?

Cave.

There's people that still believe that his treasure

is buried in caves somewhere on the Mississippi.

What is hidden in the cave?

Is there something hidden in the cave?

- Swim. - Swim?

At this moment, I don't yet understand the significance

of this response.

Did you commit murder?

Did you commit murder?

Drowned.

It said swim earlier.

Yeah.

We were unsure what this meant,

so I send a crew to visit the region

where Murrell and his gang

buried bodies in unmarked graves.

A man offers up a story

with astonishing connections to this evidence.

I was coming back from a conference

in South Mississippi with a friend of mine,

and we looked down here at the water,

and we could see a guy standing on the edge

of the riverbank down there,

and there was a couple more guys in the water

that had a body in between them.

It was kinda foggy that morning,

and it was kinda rolling in and out across the water,

and we didn't know if they were fishing a dead body out,

you know, a floater, they'd found a floater in the water, or what.

And, we kinda hollered, you know, "What are you guys doin'?"

We hollered a few more times, but they acted like

we just didn't even exist.

And the fog came rolling back in on the water

and just kinda covered them up, and they just disappeared into the fog.

I kinda looked at my friend, and I said, "What the hell?"

And, behind us, we heard somebody go,

"Not hell."

And of course, we spun around, it startled us,

all these dead leaves and sticks and stuff,

we didn't think anybody could sneak up on us,

but... then there was nobody there-- there wasn't a soul there at all.

Did you commit murder?

Drowned.

It said swim earlier.

Yeah.

Swim.

Swim?

Swim, drowned,

and now these figures appear on the riverbank.

I can't help but make the obvious connection

between this eyewitness's testimony

in John Murrell's old stomping grounds, the Devil's Punchbowl,

and our own evidence,

which seems to confirm that there is

some kind of intelligent entity

connected to John Murrell's thumb.