Inspirational Paranormal Investigator Lorraine Warren Dies Aged 92

Lorraine Warren, world-renowned paranormal investigator and the inspiration for the movie "The Conjuring", has died last Thursday at the age of 92. Her death was announced by her grandson on social media. As we mourn the death of one of the world's best-known paranormal investigators, let us take a look back at her life and work.

The Amityville Case

One of the best-known cases that has been investigated by Ed and Lorraine Warren is undoubtedly the Amityville house of horrors. The case was so famous, it eventually became the inspiration for a movie.

The Amityville house was the scene of a brutal mass murder, executed by Ronald DeFeo, who claimed an evil being had taken over him as he killed six family members. A year after the murders, the Lutz family would move into the home, reporting voices, levitation, noises, and swarms of flies. Ed and Lorraine Warren were called in later to cleanse the house. Photographs were taken during the cleansing, one showing a boy with glowing eyes.

Only 28 days after moving into the Amityville house, the Lutz family moved out. They would claim they were terrorized by haunting figures during their time, a claim supported by Ed and Lorraine Warren. The family would later retract their statement, saying it was a hoax. Years later, one of the children would state that the statement from the family was retracted due to unwanted media attention and attacks from the public. George and Katy Lutz would later take a polygraph test to prove their claims. They passed the polygraph.

During an interview in 2013, Lorraine Warren stated that the Amityville house was the case that haunted her the most. When the movie, "The Conjuring" was released, she mentioned she would never return to the Amityville house again.

Annabelle

Another famous case involving Ed and Lorraine Warren was Annabelle. Several movies and series have been created surrounding the case. To this day, it still speaks to the imagination, despite the fact the case took place as early as the 1970's.

The original case involved a Raggedy Ann doll, bought by a mother as a gift for her daughter. The doll was purchased at an antique store, so its exact origins has never been determined. However, there was something wrong with the doll, as it started changing positions in the room shortly after it was purchased.

While the owners of the doll originally believe the doll was moving due to the bed being nudged or another explainable phenomenon. Weird occurrences would increase, as the original owners claimed the doll would leave notes behind such as "Help Me" and "Help Lou".

Because of the messages, the owners called in a professional to make contact with the spirit. The medium told the owners Annabelle was the spirit of a young girl who was murdered. The Warrens were called in later, who stated the doll was not possessed by a little girl, but by a deceptive demon. Ed and Lorraine Warren took the doll with them and placed it behind some protective glass in their Occult Museum in Connecticut.

The Perron Haunting

The "true story" behind the movie "The Conjuring" is claimed to be the Perron Haunting, a case also studied by Ed and Lorraine Warren. The case rests on Roger and Carolyn Perron, who moved their family to Harrisville in Rhode Island. They moved to the Old Arnold Estate, which appeared to good to be true later on.

While the owners of the home were not disturbed by the clear presence of the spirits to start, things would take a turn for the worse as spirits started to move furniture and even assault family members. Lorraine believed the worst of the spirits inside the house was Bathsheba Sherman, a satanic witch who hung herself from a tree in the 19th century. It is believed the witch wanted the family out of the house and would do everything to achieve that goal.

The ghost eventually got her way, as the Perron family decided to move out. While the film states that Lorraine and Ed Warren were able to remove the spirit from the home. The real life case states that the spirit still remains and the the paranormal investigators were not able to remove it. Interestingly, those who owned the Perron house after the family moved out have reported paranormal activity too.

The Enfield Poltergeist

The Enfield Poltergeist case was the real-life inspiration for "The Conjuring 2", a case who took place in 1977 England. The case met with as much skepticism as it did genuine interest, prompting Ed and Lorraine Warren to investigate.

A lot of things were claimed during the initial report, mainly due to the immense media attention the case attracted. It was claimed that the children had witnessed their toys being thrown around and furniture moving on its own. A police officer called to the house would also state he saw a chair moving on its own.

While the Enfield Poltergeist is certainly a famous case, it has been dismissed by many paranormal investigators as a hoax. Of course, others believed in it, with Guy Lyon Playfair writing a book in the 1980's about the case. In "This House Is Haunted", he stands behind his belief.

The Demonic Werewolf

One of the more intriguing cases surrounding Ed and Lorraine Warren is that of the demonic werewolf. A man called Bill Ramsey had been showing signs of wolf-like behavior since he was nine years old. During his childhood, he would repeatedly bite his family members and have seizures.

While originally thought as a mental health problem, Bill admitted himself to a mental health institution to cure himself, mainly after he felt a strong urge for have blood. During his treatment, he would attack a nurse and bark like a dog. After being released from the institution, he went on to attack a police officer in 1987. It took reportedly a total of six police officers to control the man.

Shortly after the incident with the police office, Ed and Lorraine Warren were called in. They believed Bill was possessed by a wolf demon. A priest called Father McKenna was called in to expel the demon. The exorcism is said to have been successful. Bill has not shown any signs of werewolf-like behavior since.

Skepticism

Despite the many infamous cases worked by Lorraine and Ed Warren, the couple were often met by skeptics, mainly due to the fact their cases always attracted a lot of media attention. Leave aside the skeptics, both Lorraine and Ed Warren have brought the world of the paranormal to the forefront. Where such things were complete taboo in the past, they are more acceptable to talk about these days. I have no doubt that paranormal investigators such as Ed and Lorraine Warren have certainly contributed to that. Their work and their legacy will last for a long time to come.