After Their Baby Woke Up With Scratches, These Parents Discovered Something Unsettling
Many parents fear something happening to their child above all else. For a young couple in Michigan, this fear became a reality once they noticed strange markings on their daughter's face. After reviewing the footage on their baby cam, the young parents were sure they were in danger.
Fearing for their lives, the couple now prepares to move out. The conclusions they drew from the footage has received widespread attention. Read on to discover what they think they saw, and what one critic believes really happened that night.
A Happy Couple
Twenty Five-year-old Heather Brough and 30-year-old Joshua Higgins were living the life many young couples dream of. Living in a guesthouse next door to Joshua's mother, they were focused on raising their adorable one-year-old, Lily.
Then their quiet life in Michigan was turned upside down when Heather noticed that something was off about Lily one morning. She had scratches on her face. Her suspicions grew when the scratches healed only to reappear again shortly thereafter. Something was off.
The Perfect Situation
Joshua and Heather had been living in the guesthouse for more than a year. They were able to bring their bundle of joy into the world and raise her in the home they thought was safe.
Being so close to Joshua's mother was a huge perk. Having their first newborn was not an easy feat, and they could use all of the help they could manage. Things were looking bright for the young family. That's when the unexpected happened.
Out Of The Blue
This photograph shows the scratches that appeared on Lily's face. They look more like red blotches, showing the level of irritation the poor baby was enduring. It isn't uncommon for a baby to scratch themselves while they're sleeping.
However, these markings seem oddly large considering how tiny her fingers are. Heather was quick to notice the red spots when she lifted her daughter out of her crib in the morning. Her intuition told her that this was not normal.
Mother Knows Best
Upon first noticing that something was strange, she tried to think logically. Since Heather sees Lily more than practically anyone else, she would naturally notice any little thing that was off. Undoubtedly, the scratches would heal.
Babies bump themselves all the time, and a one-year-old is just beginning to refine their motor skills. There were a million explanations, but none of them could explain the feeling Heather had inside. Her maternal instincts were telling her to look further.
Getting A Second Opinion
Heather was so shaken up by the markings on her child's face that she instinctively ran out of the house. She grabbed Lily's jacket and headed over to her mother-in-law's house, who lived just across the street.
Seeing that Heather was crying, Joshua's mother did all she could to reason with her. She held Lily's hand up to her face, and that's when it became apparent that her fingers did not match the scratches.
Other Unusual Occurences
Heather's intense reaction wasn't coming out of nowhere. As it turned out, her fear had been building for quite some time. She admitted to her mother-in-law, Kris, that this wasn't the first time something unexplainable had happened in the house.
Having lived in the house for a year, there were multiple times that Heather felt unsafe. She kept hearing things that seemed out of place. While house noises are normal, this wasn't like that. She was hearing specific noises that didn't belong.
Unusual Sounds
Heather told Kris that she had heard a male voice in the house. It definitely was not Joshua's voice or it wouldn't have startled her. She described it as an angry male that was yelling and laughing.
Another odd noise she'd heard was while she was taking a shower. Heather told her mother-in-law that it sounding like someone was going up and now the stairs. It distinctly sounded like footsteps. That's when Kris told her something that put everything into place.
The House Had A History
Kris had purchased her home, pictured here, and the nearby guest house more than a decade prior. At that time, she was told that the previous owner had passed away inside the main house.
If the story Kris was told is correct, the lady died after falling down from the stairs and breaking her hips. It seems like a perfect match to the stair noises Heather was hearing. The problem is that they were living in the guest house, not the main house.
Is Any Place Safe?
Kris told her daughter-in-law that the guest house was built for the homeowner's brother. Other than that, there didn't seem to be any correlation between the woman's sad death and the guest house.
If Kris could live in the home where the accident actually occurred without any problems, then surely they would be okay to stay put in the guest house. Heather returned home with Lily, but she still didn't feel reassured. She relayed the events of the day to Joshua. Both of them had a feeling something was wrong here.
The Key To Unsolving The Mystery
Some families put up surveillance cameras around and inside their houses. These can especially come in handy if a babysitter you don't personally know cares for your child, in which case they are often called nanny cams.
Heather and Joshua didn't have anything like that, so they wouldn't be able to resolve all of the strange occurrences. However, they did have a baby monitor so that they could see Lily at all times. This may enable them to see what happened.
Something Went Wrong
They knew that something had happened the night before Lily woke up with markings on her face. The hope was that they would review the footage and see that there was a logical explanation.
Instead, the exact opposite happened. Joshua and Heather felt a chill of terror run down their spines as they watched footage of their baby girl in her crib that night. Something was, indeed, out of place. They couldn't have been prepared for what they witnessed.
Looking Over The Footage
This picture is a still from the actual footage Heather and Joshua reviewed from their baby monitor. A few things were out of place, but nothing terribly unusual. A television was left on. The monitor was slightly tilted from its position on the nightstand.
What truly shook these young parents was seeing a ghost-like figure pass through the room. The translucent figure moved from one side to the next at the very moment that Lily stood up in her crib.
A Terrifying Realization
Both parents were taken aback by the footage. Joshua told WXYZ-TV in Detroit that it was "chilling" and made him wonder, "Is this what I just saw?" Heather told the news reporters, "It scares us that it could do something else."
It's clear in their remarks that they truly believe that they saw a ghost. As far as they were concerned, this was not a momentary lapse of judgment. That footage confirmed what they had been suspicious of all along.
Hard To Breathe
One of the reasons Heather and Joshua took the footage so seriously was because of other experiences they had undergone in that house. Heather had told her family about hearing noises, and then there were the scratches on Lily's face and the video footage.
There was another instance that may be the most unsettling yet. Heather told reporters that one morning she had woken up and it felt like someone's hands were around her neck.
Calling For Help
All of the unsettling occurrences were nearly enough to make the young family want to move out. The video footage had confirmed that it was time to do something. They decided to call for help.
They got into touch with Scientific Paranormal Investigations of Michigan, who sent out Mike Priest. He told reporters that they believed there was something "going on" in the main house. He added, "We're definitely anxious to check out this one as well," while he gestured to the guest house.
Another Recording
Mike and his team set up shop in the property's main house where Joshua's mother lives. This is the home where the previous owner had passed away. He was convinced that something would be discovered, and he was right.
The team captured a noise that sounded like a man's voice, but no one was talking. The voice seemed to say, "Oh here we go again," and then a moment later, "Oh yeah." And another recording appeared to have caught something paranormal.
Continuing The Investigation
Mike and his team didn't explain to newscasters why he ended his investigation there that day. For whatever reason, they didn't enter the guesthouse immediately after the main house.
Instead, they left with a promise that they would return to investigate what moved in the video at another date. He told WXYZ TV that, "their goal will be to see if they can find a logical explanation, such as reflecting light before they consider paranormal activity."
Going Viral
Since Heather and Joshua released the video to the public, it's attracted widespread attention. Viewers shared, liked, and commented on the strange figure that some believed to be a ghost.
Some were skeptical, presenting their own theories about what it could be. The debate further popularized the story. All of the conversations wouldn't allow for the story to fall to the wayside. People wanted to see this story through and to find out what exactly happened.
Some Aren't Buying It
Ghost stories are nothing new, so the novelty of the whole thing has died down for many. Instead of buying into the fear Heather and Joshua presented on television, some are quick to look for ulterior motives.
Not everyone believes in ghosts, so for some, this story is pure entertainment or a puzzle they are trying to put together. Some are as convinced as Heather and Joshua were that this has to be the evidence to prove ghosts exist.
Meet Kenny Biddle
Kenny Biddle was one of many who caught wind of Heather and Joshua's ghost story. As a contributor for the Skeptical Inquirer-- a science and reason magazine-- he brought a critical eye to the story at hand.
Kenny writes a blog, creates YouTube videos, and hosts workshops that breakdown how occurrences deemed paranormal activity may have happened. He also explains methods to solve paranormal mysteries, especially those involving photos and videos. Based on his background, he seemed to be the perfect guy to evaluate the baby monitor story.
What Do You Think?
In his article "Michigan Nanny Cam 'Ghost' Most Likely Mom Or Dad," Kenny explains that he was introduced to Heather and Joshua's story on social media. Dozens of people presented the story to him and inquired about his opinion.
Kenny goes on to describe a summarized version of the story we've just told. The first thing he notes is how vague the timeline is presented. It's a valid point since we aren't sure when Heather experienced her own "ghost attacks" in comparison to Lily.
Looking For A Longer Video
Another thing he noticed right away was how short the video clip was. The one he saw was only about 5 seconds long and didn't show the "ghost" actually disappear since the video cut off so abruptly.
Kenny searched the website for a more extended version, eager to see as much as he could. Sure enough, he found a twelve-second-long video of that night. This one began at the same spot as the others but continued longer.
His First Bit Of Counter Evidence
The longer video was a vital piece of information in Kenny's search for the truth. He watched closely as the figure in question moved across the room and past Lily's crib. That's when he gathered his first bit of evidence that went against the ghost theory.
The figure continued into the hall, rather than disappearing in the room. This information is important because it may be the difference between deeming something human activity and calling it paranormal activity.
Something Else Pointed To Human Activity
Since the longer footage started at the same place as the shorter version, Kenny couldn't deduce any information about where the figure came from. However, the start of the video did lead him to another conclusion.
According to Kenny, the video revealed that the "ghost" cast two distinct shadows. The first comes at the very start of the video and is cast to the right near the ceiling fan. The second was cast on the wall to the left as the figure moves along.
The Importance Of The Shadow
Kenny states that seeing the shadow, "tells me the figure is a solid, physical object able to reflect light." That information would debunk the notion that the figure is translucent, which is how it appears in the video. It additionally means that there was light in the room.
The most obvious source of light indicated in the video is the television, which was left on for the duration of the "ghost's" movement. Kenny speculates that someone was watching TV and got up, moving across the room and captured Lily's attention.
An Important Camera Feature
Kenny states that the WXYZ news crew showed the baby monitor that filmed the event, naming it the Logitech Circle 2. He went onto the camera's website and discovered that one of its conditions it that it needs to be used in an unobstructed area without any objects close by.
Having an object near the lens can, "cause the automatic system to over-compensate, darken the image, and reduce the visibility of objects in the distance.”
Night Vision And Motion Blur
This screenshot from the "ghost" video shows that there clearly was something in the way of the camera. Since the monitor was at an angle, the surface of a table appears in the foreground. The bright white of the surface suggests that the night light was being interfered with, just as the camera website warned about.
Kenny then watched a video review that YouTuber Gabe Baron did with the camera. According to Kenny, the video clearly showed motion blur as Gabe moves his hands. This suggests that it was motion blur that gave the false impression of something translucent floating by.
As For The Scratches...
If all of Kenny's observations so far are correct, then someone got up from watching TV and walked across the room, casting shadows from the television light, and appeared translucent due to night vision motion blur.
As for the scratches on Lily's face, Kenny points out that the poor quality of the photo makes it hard to tell if they are scratches or some other kind of mark. Assuming they are scratches, it isn't clear when the picture was taken since there isn't a time stamp.
The GoFundMe Account
Once Kenny gathered all that he could from the video, the only thing left to do was try to find the parents online to get more information. He went onto Heather's Facebook and discovered a GoFundMe page.
The goal was set for $5,000. In the description, she writes that the she created the account, "Due to the many requests for information to send money to help us move for the safety of our daughter Lily."
Access Denied
Kenny decided to message Heather on Facebook. He wrote that he has investigated claims for decades and was curious if there was an extended clip he could see to rule out the possibility of someone watching TV.
He assured her that he wasn't calling it a hoax and that he appreciated her time. Heather didn't reply. Kenny states that he did notice a few hours later that her GoFundMe post was no longer visible to him.
