On the evening of Halloween 2003, the unintended trilogy of "Unexplained: Haunts" ended with the half-hour television special: "Unexplained: Haunts III." It was Jeff Rent's second time hosting and it was our biggest production. Our first "Haunts" highlighted paranormal activity in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. "Haunts II" focused on several stories in Selma, Alabama. With "Haunts III," we traveled to the middle of nowhere - Cheneyville, Louisiana - to a 640-acre plantation and spent the night. Creepy doesn't begin to describe it.

On the evening of Halloween 2002, my privilege and honor of working with some very talented people was showcased in the half-hour television special: "Unexplained: Haunts II." Unlike our first program which featured investigations from various locations, we opted to investigate hauntings this time across a single city: Selma, Alabama.  Rich in history on the civil rights scale and a great resource for film making, we knew nothing about the hauntings Selma. It first came on my radar when I learned that the county chamber of commerce promoted a ghost tour. They were more than helpful to line up former and current owners of the properties and other information to help our investigation. We continued with apply our proven formula: capture and honor the history of a location and weaving that together with a documented paranormal investigation.

Halloween 2001 was the stage for what would become a trilogy of half-hour television specials. It was called "Unexplained: Haunts" and represented a year's worth of paranormal investigations. This programming was unique for its time and even more unique for a broadcast news television crew to create. This was before "Ghost Hunters" and other similar shows. We were influenced by MTV's "Fear" and "The X-Files," but we were also driven a formula: capture and honor the history of a location and weaving that together with a documented paranormal investigation.

10 years. Has it really been a decade since our first half-hour show aired on WJTV-12 in Jackson, Mississippi at 6:30pm?
Halloween 2001 seems like yesterday, and it yet seems so long ago. At the time, we were uncertain the special should even air. The terrorist attacks of September 11 were still very fresh in our minds. Stories and updates still poured in daily about the attacks. Nerves were raw and emotions were scattered. Was it really time to air stories about ghosts and death?

Written by: Jeff Rent
Case Filed: 11/26/03 - Vicksburg, Mississippi
Executive Producer: Rick Garner


One of the highlights of any trip to the Vicksburg National Military Park is a chance to explore the legendary ironclad Cairo. Commissioned in 1862, the Cairo was a state-of-the-art warship.

Cairo Museum Curator Elizabeth Joyner says, "She could float in as little as six feet of water."

Sent south to help with the siege against Vicksburg by Union troops, the Cairo met a quick demise while on patrol in the Yazoo River.

Written by: Rick Garner
Case Filed: 10/31/03 - Cheneyville, Louisiana
Executive Producer: Rick Garner





Day 1
2:00pm - Our team arrives at Loyd Hall. Kriss Stephens, our paranormal investigator, is to join us around 5pm. We each secure a room for the evening. Most of the rooms are located on the outside of the main house. One room in the main house is available to guests. I assign it to Kriss.

Jeff Rent is assigned to Room 4, the Commissary, which I have heard accounts of a guest being "kicked" in the back from beneath the bed while they slept. This "old store" building is original to the plantation and has been completely renovated. Rob Ruffin, our photographer, is assigned to Room 2, the Magnolia Suite. Once the original kitchen to the plantation, this building has been split into two rooms. I have Room 3, the Camellia Suite. Guests in Room 2 have been awaken to a wardrobe door opening and closing to the point one of the doors flew off its hinges.

David Bunger, our …