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The Haunting In Connecticut: 5 Shocking Facts About The Snedeker Case, The Ghostwriter's Confession, And Where The Family Is Today

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The Haunting in Connecticut remains one of the most polarizing and terrifying paranormal cases ever documented, a story that has transcended books and blockbuster films to become a modern urban legend. As of December 2025, new perspectives continue to emerge, forcing believers and skeptics alike to re-examine the chilling claims made by the Snedeker family about their former Southington home, a house with a dark history as a funeral parlor.

The core narrative—a family besieged by demonic entities—was popularized by the controversial paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren and later sensationalized by the 2009 movie. However, the true terror of this story lies not just in the alleged ghosts, but in the shocking admissions and conflicting accounts that followed, which threaten to unravel the entire case.

Key Entities and Snedeker Family Biography

The "Haunting in Connecticut" case revolves around the experiences of the Snedeker family and the figures who documented their claims. The family moved into the house at 208 Meriden Avenue in Southington, Connecticut, in 1986.

  • Carmen Snedeker (now Carmen Reed): The mother of the family and the primary source for the haunting claims. She is the central figure in the book and film (where she is named Sara Campbell). She is currently a spiritual advisor and has publicly denounced the book written about her story, claiming little involvement.
  • Allen Snedeker: The father of the family. He reportedly spoke very little to the ghostwriter during the investigation.
  • Eldest Son (Philip Snedeker in the book/film): The reason the family moved to Southington. He was undergoing Cobalt treatments at UCONN hospital for cancer and reportedly began experiencing the most intense and disturbing paranormal activity, including alleged sexual assault by the entities.
  • Ed and Lorraine Warren: Self-proclaimed demonologists and paranormal investigators who took on the Snedeker case. They famously declared the house to be infested with demons and were the driving force behind publicizing the story. Lorraine Warren later admitted the film was "very, very loosely based" on the actual events.
  • Ray Garton: The ghostwriter hired to author the book In a Dark Place: The Story of a True Haunting (1992). His later public statements about the fabrication of the story became the central controversy.

The Chilling Original Claims of the Southington House

The Snedeker family’s ordeal began shortly after they moved into the two-story home at 208 Meriden Avenue in 1986. They were reportedly unaware of the property’s dark past—it had previously served as the Hallahan Funeral Home.

The family had moved to the area to be closer to the UCONN hospital for their eldest son's ongoing cancer treatments. However, the house quickly became a source of terror far greater than their medical anxieties.

From Funeral Home to Demonic Infestation

The paranormal activity reportedly escalated quickly. The son claimed to see shadowy figures and ghosts, including a man with dark hair and a suit, and a young girl. The basement, which still contained equipment and remnants from its days as a mortuary, was a nexus of the activity.

Claims included: objects moving on their own, water faucets turning on and off, strange noises, and the terrifying revelation that the former embalming room was still in the basement. The mother, Carmen, alleged she was sexually assaulted by a demonic entity.

The activity became so intense that the Snedekers sought help from the most famous names in the field: Ed and Lorraine Warren. The Warrens confirmed the family's fears, declaring the house was infested with powerful, non-human entities—demons.

The case concluded in September 1988 when a priest performed an exorcism on the house, an event that the Snedekers claimed finally brought the paranormal activity to an end.

The Ghostwriter's Confession: Fabrication Claims and Controversy

The enduring mystery of the Connecticut haunting is not whether the Snedekers experienced terrifying events, but whether those events were truly supernatural. The most significant challenge to the "true story" came directly from the man hired to write it.

Ray Garton, the ghostwriter of the 1992 book In a Dark Place: The Story of a True Haunting, publicly confessed that he was instructed to fabricate large portions of the story.

Ray Garton’s Shocking Admission

Garton stated that when he interviewed the Snedeker family, their accounts were constantly changing and often contradictory. When he brought this to the attention of the Warrens, he claims Lorraine Warren told him to simply "use what you have and make up the rest."

Garton has maintained that the Snedekers were dealing with a family crisis rooted in stress, their son’s cancer treatment, and potential mental health issues, rather than a demonic infestation. He concluded that their problems were "not supernatural."

This admission is the central pillar of the skeptical argument, suggesting that the entire narrative, including the graphic details of the demonic activity, was a highly embellished and fabricated tale created to sell a book. It places the Snedeker case alongside other controversial Warren investigations, such as the *Amityville Horror*, which also faced significant debunking claims.

The Haunting Today: Where the House and Family Stand in 2025

Decades after the events were first reported, the story of the Southington house continues to captivate, but the latest updates provide a definitive sense of closure for the property itself.

The Current Status of 208 Meriden Avenue

The infamous house at 208 Meriden Avenue in Southington, Connecticut, is no longer the site of alleged terror. The property, a 3,084 square foot multi-family home built in 1916, last sold in 1998 and is not currently on the market.

Crucially, the current owner, Susan Trotta-Smith, has stated on the record that the house is not haunted now. She claims the property is a quiet, normal home, directly contradicting the sensationalized legend.

Carmen Reed's New Role

The primary figure in the controversy, Carmen Snedeker (now Carmen Reed), has moved on from the trauma. She is now an active "spiritual advisor" and has reportedly expressed intentions to write a new book about her experiences.

Her family is grown, and the children who endured the alleged haunting now have children of their own. While Carmen continues to speak about the reality of the haunting, her public denouncement of Ray Garton’s book adds another layer of complexity to the already muddled narrative.

Ultimately, the story of "The Haunting in Connecticut" serves as a powerful case study in the intersection of real-life trauma, paranormal belief, and media sensationalism. Whether you believe the original claims of demonic possession or the later confession of fabrication, the tale of the Snedeker family moving into a former funeral home remains a chilling piece of American folklore.

The Haunting in Connecticut: 5 Shocking Facts About the Snedeker Case, The Ghostwriter's Confession, and Where the Family Is Today
the haunting and connecticut
the haunting and connecticut

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