Edward Warren Miney and Lorraine Rita Warren were American paranormal investigators and authors associated with prominent cases of demonic possessions and hauntings. Edward, a former U.S. WWII Navy veteran and police officer, was a self-taught demonologist, author, and lecturer. Lorraine was a clairvoyant and a light trance medium.
Ed and Lorraine investigated well over 100 known cases and collected evidence as well as relics, artifacts and witness testimony's from each site of demonic or haunted activity. They also authored many books about the paranormal and their investigations and due to the popularity of these writings they inspired many films, television series and documentaries, including the Amityville Horror and The Conjuring universe.
The Warrens notable investigations include:
Annabelle
Perron Family
Enfield Poltergeist
Smurl Family
Union Cemetery
The Warren's have been considered America’s preeminent experts on the subject of spirits and demonology. Over their 50 years of investigating the paranormal religious authorities have turned to Ed & Lorraine to control some of the most profane outbreaks of diabolical phenomena in the US.
Due to the Warrens publicity in their paranormal research, it is not surprising that they had their fair share of skeptics. Perry DeAngelis and Steven Novella investigated the Warrens evidence and described it as "blarney". Skeptical investigators Joe Nickell and Benjamin Radford concluded that the better known hauntings, Amityville and the Snedeker family haunting, did not happen and had been invented. Despite what side of the fence you sit on regarding the Warrens claims, they both certainly made people sit up and think, question, and delve into the paranormal, bringing much interest into the field publicly. We at Team H certainly have a soft spot for this famous couple and look up at them as inspiration for our own paranormal investigations.
MUSEUM OF THE WARRENS
DATE(S) VISITED: OCT 30, 2021
LOCATION: MONROE, CT
In addition to investigations the Warrens ran an Occult Museum which they operated from the basement of their home. Opening in 1952, they collected and displayed many claimed haunted objects from around the world, everything from an alleged vampire’s coffin to a child’s tombstone used as a satanic altar. Death curses, demon masks, and psychic photographs also line the museum’s walls. Some of the artifacts are also from their most famous investigations, such as the infamous Raggedy Ann doll named Annabelle.
Unfortunately, since Lorraine's passing in 2006 the museum closed down. This was due to zoning issues, as you can imagine this house attracts a LOT of attention and the locals that live in the tiny cul-de-sac are not very happy with all the traffic that passes through. When we came to take a quick peek of the house it was a very quick drive-by and a photo taken from the passenger side window.
Son-in-law Tony Spera now manages the property and after attending a talk of his, at Paracon in 2021, he mentioned that they are looking for a new location to move the artifacts into so they can be viewed again by the curious public and intrepid ghost hunters alike.
The house is also home to the New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR) which Ed and Lorraine founded in 1952. NESPR prides itself with being the oldest ghost hunting group in New England and they were among the first investigators in the Amityville haunting. The society uses a variety of individuals, including medical doctors, researchers, police officers, nurses, college students, and members of the clergy in its investigations.
Tony Spera currently runs NESPR as co-director as well as being the curator of the Occult Museum. The Warrens daughter, Judy Spera, also co-directs the organization. The duo continue the tradition of giving lectures on the paranormal and preserving the Warrens legacy.
ED & LORRAINES BURIAL SITE
DATE(S) VISITED: OCT 30, 2021
LOCATION: MONROE, CT
Two miles from the Warren's home is the rather quaint Stepney Cemetery. The plaque out front of this historic site states that dates back to 1794 where over 1,400 men, woman and children are interred here, including many of the areas first settlers. It also includes veterans from the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, American Civil War WWI & WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. The oldest surviving tombstone is that of Betsy Sherman, 1794, age 5 yrs, 10m & 16 days.
The cemetery is also known as Birdsey's Plain Cemetery or Beardsley Plain Cemetery and is situated next to Our Lady of The Rosary Chapel. One of the pastor's of the chapel was Bishop Robert McKenna and he had assisted the Warrens in several exorcisms.
Ed and Lorraine are also both buried here and their gravesite can be found in the East corner. It was a rather bizarre journey as we made our way towards Monroe as when we left home in MA it was torrential rain, that was until we got closer to the Warren's. The clouds cleared to reveal blue sky and sunshine... an omen or message from them both perhaps? Suffice to say it made us smile that they were possibly greeting us somehow.
Ed Warren passed away in his home on August 23, 2006 at 79 years old. His health had deteriorated in the five years leading up to his death, this was after he allegedly collapsed in 2001 when he was opening the door to let the family cat inside the house. Even though paramedics were able to restart his heart, he continued to be in a coma for 11 weeks. Ed's son-in-law, Tony Spera, was quoted to have said, "They said at the hospital he wouldn't make it through 24 hours. He had such a strong will. He wanted to stay."
His funeral took place on Saturday, August 26, 2006 at 9:00am from the Abriola Parkview Funeral Home in Trumbull, CT, and then at 10:00am in St. Stephen Church, Trumbull, CT for a Mass of Christian Burial. His interment at Stepney Cemetery was with full military honors.
When Ed was asked if he feared death, he remarked... "No, I don't fear it, not one iota, I know I'll be going to a beautiful place, a place so spectacular it defies words. As Jackie Gleason once said, when asked the same question, Why should I fear it?, I'm going to die anyway."
It is said that if you pray as you sit by his grave and then touch your right hand on the cross of his grave, it turns very warm. We never tried this ourselves due to the fact that we only found out about the story after our visit.
Lorraine Warren passed away peacefully in her sleep, also at the family home, on April 18, 2019. She was 92 years old. Tony Spera, paid tribute to Lorraine shortly after her death on social media, commenting, "She was a remarkable, loving, compassionate and giving soul. To quote Will Rogers, she never met a person she didn't like. She was an avid animal lover and contributed to many animal charities and rescues. She was wonderful and giving to her entire family. May God Bless her."
Lorraine's funeral took place on Wednesday, April 24, 2019 at 10am in St. Stephen's Church, Trumbull, CT for a Mass of Christian Burial. Her interment followed at Stepney Cemetery where she was reunited with her beloved Ed.
The Warren's also wrote a book entitled Graveyard which discusses the ghost named the White Lady that haunts both Stepney Cemetery and nearby Union Cemetery. She is said to be a woman wearing a white gown, white bonnet, and has long dark hair. She is often seen wandering route 59 between the two locations and appearing to unsuspecting travelers.
Many people have reported and documented sightings over the years, including the police who patrol the graveyard. One such incident in 1993 involved an off duty firefighter who when traveling home, hit the supposed woman, leaving a large dent in the front of his car. When he got out of the car to check on her there was nobody to be found.
A little video of our visit can be found on our YouTube channel and for even more photo's that we took of the locations featured above, check them out via our Facebook page.