Summary
Overview
This episode covers the disturbing crimes of Daniel LaPlante, a 16-year-old who terrorized families in Pepperell, Massachusetts in the 1980s. After being rejected by teenage girl Tina Bowen, LaPlante spent months living in the walls of her family's home, eventually escalating to armed home invasion. Released on bail, he went on to commit a horrific triple murder of a pregnant woman and her two children before being captured during a dramatic manhunt.
Introduction and Initial Haunting of the Bowen Family
In early 1986, Frank Bowen was left to raise his two teenage daughters Tina and Karen alone after his wife's death from cancer. When Tina began receiving calls from a charming boy named Danny LaPlante, it seemed like a welcome distraction. However, after an awkward first date where Danny appeared disheveled and nothing like he'd described himself, Tina ended contact. Soon after, the Bowen home experienced strange phenomena—knocking on walls, lights turning on and off, objects moving, and food disappearing from the refrigerator.
- Frank Bowen's wife died from cancer in early 1986, leaving him to raise teenage daughters Tina and Karen alone in Pepperell, Massachusetts
- Tina received calls from Danny LaPlante who claimed to be a popular football player, but their ice cream shop date revealed he had lied about his appearance and personality
- After the failed date, strange occurrences began in the Bowen home—knocking sounds, lights turning on and off, objects being moved, and food disappearing from the refrigerator
- Tina and Karen believed they had contacted their mother's spirit through a séance, but the phenomena felt aggressive and threatening, unlike their mother
" The two girls believed they'd contacted their mother. They thought their mother's ghost was doing these things to somehow communicate with them. "
The Basement Discovery and Police Dismissal
After a month of escalating paranormal activity, Tina and Karen discovered a chilling message written in what appeared to be blood in their basement: 'I'm in your room come find me.' When police investigated, they dismissed the girls' concerns after determining the message was written in ketchup rather than blood, attributing everything to grief-induced imagination despite the terrifying circumstances.
- Tina and Karen heard knocking from the basement and discovered a message written in apparent blood: 'I'm in your room come find me'
- Police determined the message was written in ketchup, not blood, and dismissed the incident as grief-related attention-seeking by teenage girls
- After the basement incident, the strange occurrences at the Bowen house temporarily stopped
" I'm in your room come find me "
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