'Portals to Hell': Jack Osbourne and Katrina Weidman run into old bones, grizzly murder and a sheriff's secret
When the current owner of what was once the old Paulding jail bought the building, she knew that some unwanted things may pop up. But she had no idea just how bad it would be. From slamming iron doors, shadow figures, disembodied voices, apparitions to pulling and pushing people and scratching them, the property is a hotspot for paranormal activity. Here's the real story behind this eerie 150-year-old establishment that hides many secrets, from mobsters to murders to allegations of a sheriff covering it all up.
Six-decade old unsolved murder of a teen
The death of Nancy Eagleson, a 14-year-old girl from the town, is puzzling. She died in 1960 and her body was found almost within an hour of her being reported missing by two hunters. She had been kidnapped and raped and then killed as she was walking home. Her personal belongings had simply just vanished. No one knew what happened to her.
Years later, in 2013, when renovations began, a small-sized ladies black shoe and a torn piece of clothing was found in the building. The family later identified it as Nancy's. What were her belongings doing in a closed jail basement inside a hidden tunnel-like space?
Who killed Nancy?
Many theories floated around to figure out the story. The place was under the thumb of mobsters, giving them the space to eliminate anyone they would have wanted. It is believed that Sherriff John Keeler, the resident charge of the jail, had something to do with it.
Although it was never proven, many people believe that Keeler tried to cover up whatever gruesome fate Nancy went through, which is why her spirit roams the jail's basement. Keeler is also thought to be a resident spirit in jail. The shoe was tested for DNA back in 2013 but no profile could be established. It could be because of the age of the object or her killer precautions.
Human bones?
Paranormal investigators Jack Osbourne and Katrina Weidman dig into this property and find something shocking sealed away inside a false well — Two bones that are too large to be from an animal and a little too small to be from a human adult. They guess it could be from the scapula bone and note something interesting. The bones looked like they had been cut cleanly with a sharp object, sliced right through. The bones have not been identified yet by the local police.
Whatever the outcome, this has got to be one of the most haunted places in Ohio. The history is murky and the fact that a jail had false walls that were sealed off with no record of orders being given to do so, is an investigation on its own.
'Portals to Hell' airs every Friday at 9 pm ET/PT on Travel Channel.