Victims of the Ax Murder House

Why the Paranormal Community Should Worry about the Stabbing at the Ax Murder House

Shortly after midnight on Friday, November 8, 2014, police were summoned to the infamous Ax Murder House in Villisca, Iowa. Upon arrival police found Steven Laursen, Jr. of Wisconsin suffering from a self-inflicted stab wound. He was transported to a local hospital and then airlifted to Omaha. Laursen was attending an overnight recreational investigation at the sinister location. Reports claim that he brought a real knife to use as a trigger object. No criminal charges are expected since there wasn’t any foul play. Laursen is expected to recover.

This story elicited little paranormal chatter. Some discussed; many ignored. This is very concerning. The entire paranormal community needs to wake up and to take notice. This small story has long-lasting implications in the paranormal field.

The obvious issue is Laursen’s using a real knife as a trigger object. Really? Who brings a knife sharp enough to cause severe bodily harm to an investigation? Shoot, why not bring a gun? [I’m joking] There should be a rule against this. Common sense should tell you that this is not a good idea.

The next issue is provocation. Was he planning on using the knife as provocation instead of as a trigger object? Provocation should be avoided. There is a definite difference between talking to the spirits and yelling at them. Yelling is hostile. Don’t provoke! Certainly don’t point a weapon.

Laursen experienced severe stab wounds, so severe, that he was airlifted to another hospital for care. This begs the question: Was this an attempted suicide? Even if he was using the knife as a trigger object and fell on the knife, his wound would not be that severe. Same goes for provocation. Early speculation revolves around attempted suicide.

The paranormal field attracts mentally unstable people. There has been a long discussion regarding mental health instability and exorcisms. Skeptics purport that most, if not all, people who have an exorcism would have benefitted from mental health evaluations. Paranormal experts caution groups to eliminate mental health instability before even suggesting or performing exorcisms.

Coordinators of public investigations need to be careful about attendees’ ulterior motives. They should warn against bringing weapons, flammables, and other potentially dangerous items. Evidence can be gathered safely without any of these amateur tactics.

Ax Murder House