More than a century ago, in the quiet town of Villisca, Iowa… a horrifying crime shattered a sense of small-town innocence: two adults and six children were brutally murdered in their sleep with an axe. The case remains unsolved to this day.

Today, the home where it happened still stands — preserved not just as a historical site, but as one of the most chilling and active paranormal locations in the country.

Previously on this Campfire Series, listeners heard from the current tour guide of the Villisca Axe Murder House… a tourism rep who left the home feeling deeply unsettled… a seasoned paranormal investigator… and a researcher and author who has studied the house for years.

But at the center of this series is one family: the caretaker and his wife, who unknowingly moved into the house directly across the street from the Villisca Axe Murder House — and soon after, began experiencing something they couldn’t explain.

In Part I, the caretaker shared his side of the story — but it became clear there was more he wasn’t ready to say. Since then, others have echoed the idea that a dark presence lingers in Villisca. And now, in Part III, the story returns to its heart.

Listeners will hear what the caretaker held back during that first interview.

And for the first time… his wife’s side of the story will finally be revealed.

Photo provided by Travel Iowa

EPISODE SPONSORS:

LUMI GUMMIES
Go to LumiGummies.com and use code NIGHTOWL for 30% off your order.

AG1
Go to drinkAG1.com/nightowl to get a FREE Frother with your first purchase of AGZ.

BETTERHELP
The Night Owl is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/nightowl

FACTOR
Thanks Factor! Go to FACTORMEALS.com/nightowl50off and use code nightowl50off to get 50% off your first box plus Free Breakfast for 1 Year. Offer only valid for new Factor customers with code and qualifying auto-renewing subscription purchase.

In Part I of this Campfire Series, you heard from a range of voices connected to the site of one of the most notorious unsolved crimes in American history — the 1912 Villisca Axe Murders.

You heard from the current tour guide of the Villisca Axe Murder House, who walks its haunted halls regularly. You also heard from a representative with Iowa’s tourism office, who described the same strange unease that so many others have reported after visiting. And you were introduced to the gripping account of a man who unknowingly moved his family into the house directly across the street from the Villisca Axe Murder House — only to be hired as the property manager of the very home he once thought was just part of local legend.

Over the course of five months, his skepticism gave way to fear as a series of unsettling events unfolded — ultimately leading him and his family to flee Villisca entirely, relocating to Florida with no clear plans of returning.

Now, in Part II, we’re taking a short detour from that story to bring you two new voices whose experiences with the house span years and miles: a seasoned paranormal investigator with a personal history at Villisca, and an author who has spent years preserving the legacy of the case and the home in writing.

Together, their stories offer deeper context — and raise new questions — about what might truly linger inside the Villisca Axe Murder House.

And later, in Part III, we’ll reconnect with the caretaker you met in Part I and hear from his wife for the very first time — bringing this Campfire series to its unforgettable conclusion.

Photo provided by Travel Iowa

FEATURED GUESTS:

Richard Estep - Book “A Nightmare in Villisca”
Colin Browen - The Paranormal Files “The Axe Murder House of Villisca”
The Paranormal Files YouTube Channel
The Conspiracy Files YouTube Channel
Murder in America Podcast

EPISODE SPONSORS:

LUMI GUMMIES
Go to LumiGummies.com and use code NIGHTOWL for 30% off your order.

AG1
Use my link to give the new AG1 flavors a try, plus a FREE Welcome Kit:drinkAG1.com/nightowl

Prepare yourself to venture into one of the most chilling true crime cases in American history — the 1912 Villisca Axe Murders.

This is part of our Campfire Series — a storytelling format where we gather firsthand accounts, interviews, and stories connected to a haunted location. Unlike our usual investigative episodes where my team and I conduct on-site investigations, these campfire installments bring together voices from afar to share their lived experiences.

In this special two-part series, we’ll explore the tragic night when eight people, including six children, were brutally murdered in their sleep. The case remains unsolved to this day. And the house where it happened? It still stands — a modest white home in Villisca, Iowa, now known across the country for both its history and its hauntings. It’s a place you can visit… though some who do report leaving with no intention of returning.

Over the decades, the Villisca Axe Murder House has drawn in investigators, authors, and television crews, all hoping to uncover the truth — or connect with something beyond it.

In Part I, you’ll hear phone calls with individuals who have direct connections to the house: a current tour guide who walks visitors through the home regularly, a local Villisca resident rooted in the town’s legacy and history, and a man who unknowingly bought the house directly across the street — only to discover that Villisca may have called him there for reasons he couldn’t yet understand. A few months later, he would find himself entangled in a series of events that nearly tore his life apart — beginning when he was hired to manage the murder house property itself.

And that is only the beginning. In Part II, we’ll continue his story, hear from this man’s wife, and speak with both a longtime paranormal investigator as well as an an author who has written extensively on the home’s haunted legacy.

So settle in, and listen closely. Because this campfire burns in the shadow of a home where something unthinkable happened over a century ago… and where some believe it never truly ended.

Photo provided by Travel Iowa

EPISODE SPONSORS:

AG1
New subscribers, go to drinkAG1.com/nightowl to get a FREE gift with your first order.

SHADY RAYS
Thanks, Shady Rays. Get 35% off polarized glasses at shadyrays.com - code NIGHTOWL

BETTERHELP
The Night Owl is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/nightowl