Agency News and AwardsHaunted Homes- Tales from a Realtor October 31, 2022

Haunted Homes: Janet Ramirez’s story

Janet Ramirez Is A Member Of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, Integrity Real Estate located in Stockton California.

She was kind enough to share with us a terrifying experience that happened 12 years ago while she was at a home in her area.

All of Janet Ramirez’s friends know she is the person to call for your real estate needs. That’s why when her friend, Angelica, was ready to start looking for a home she contacted Janet. 

They began their search by looking at homes in a Stockton neighborhood filled with houses built in the 1800s. It wasn’t long until Janet found her friend a beautiful craftsman-style Victorian that was for sale at 720 West Flora Street. For Angelica, it was love at first sight and they quickly put an offer in. There were smiles all around when the offer was accepted and they moved forward into escrow.

Janet wasn’t expecting anything crazy when she and her friend met the inspector at the home. They followed him into the basement and, as to be expected in such an old home, it was dark and creepy with a dirt floor. Janet had been in plenty of basements like this before but after a short period of time she began to feel uneasy; The heaviness in the room was making her head spin. At the time Janet was 8 months pregnant with her daughter and brushed it off as being pregnancy related. Her dizziness continued and she started to feel worse. 

Janet woke up on the front porch of the home. She was confused and had no memory of leaving the basement let alone going outside. It took Janet a moment to realize what was going on. Angelica and the home inspector were both crouched next to her, frantically trying to wake her up repeatedly asking her if she was okay. 

Janet sat up and asked her friend what happened and how she got there. Angelica explained to her that they had all been in the basement when Janet suddenly fainted. Thankfully the inspector had been standing behind her and caught her as she fell. Janet told Angelica about the feeling she got in the basement but once again brushed it off as nothing.

Janet and Angelica sat outside on the porch while the inspector finished up. As they were getting ready to leave the seller returned to the home and came over to them. Janet and her friend spoke with the woman quickly but needed to leave so Janet could get some rest after the incident; they said their goodbyes. The home inspector told Janet he was going to stay behind a couple of minutes to get all his tools packed up.

Janet returned home and had just sat down to relax when her phone rang. She glanced at the screen and saw that the home inspector was calling. She answered assuming he had been worried after she had fainted and wanted to see how she was feeling. 

Right away he said “Oh my God, I just left the house” He was in shock as he went on to tell her about a conversation he had just had with the owner. The inspector told the owner what had happened to Janet in the basement. She wasn’t surprised at all to hear what had happened to Janet followed by an explanation of how she is going to miss her friendly “Ghost Friends” when she moves. 

She continued to tell the inspector how Charles Manson fanatics often attempt to sneak into the home when she isn’t there. When the inspector inquired to her about why  Charles Manson fans were interested in that house she told him a gruesome story. 

In November 1972, members of the Manson Family-Nancy Pitman, Priscilla Cooper, James Craig, Michael Monfort and William Goucher killed a man by the name of James Willet, stealing his car and kidnapping his wife Lauren “Remy” and their baby Heidi Willet. They kept them hostage in the house on West Flora Street, according to mansonblog.com.

On November 8th, 1972 the body of James Willett was found in Guerneville, CA. Upon discovery of the body, the members then murdered Remy believing the couple was working with police. Her body was later found buried in that same basement Janet fainted in. The cult intended to keep Heidi to raise for themselves. 

Police received a tip that James’ car was parked outside of the home on West Flora Street. When the police came to raid the home, a member of the Manson Family was holding the baby in her arms, unharmed. 

The inspector said to Janet “Maybe this woman’s spirit sensed your baby girl and her spirit was attracted to you; that’s why you fainted.”

By the time Janet hung up with the inspector she felt sick. She called her friend to tell her about the horrifying new information she had just learned. While she was on the phone she googled the home’s address and sure enough, there was a news article about the brutal murder. 

You can never know the full history of a home and sometimes maybe you don’t want to. This story is absolutely terrifying and has definitely left a lasting impression on how Janet thinks of haunted homes.

If You Enjoyed Janet’s Story As Much As We Did Consider Checking Out Barbara TesaKrissy ManyBarbara Matchett, Spyce Hogan, And Sandra Medina’s Stories.