Episode Recap: Salem Witch

Donna LaCroix sits down with Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson to review her most recent research into haunted locations in legendary Salem, Mass. Ever since she visited the town at age 11, Donna has been obsessed with the town and its stories. Now she thinks the time is right for TAPS to go and investigate.

She brings the team to the Lyceum Bar & Grill, built near where Bridget Bishop, the first woman hanged as a witch, lived in the 17th century. They set up their equipment and then break into teams to begin the investigation. Over the next several hours, one odd occurrence after another is explained away, such as a scent of apple blossom that might actually be coming from a janitorial closet.

The work is interrupted when Jason receives a call that his youngest son, Logan, has fallen and broken his arm in two places. The team wishes him well as he rushes home, and they continue their work.

Steve Gonsalves and Brian Harnois examine a mirror that may be the cause of some of the sightings. However, in the bar, Grant and Lisa attempt to contact the spirits and are rewarded when two different computer screens flare to life. One of the credit card machines also spits out a receipt with a time stamp and the words "Good Morning."

During the analysis, nothing concrete turns up. When Grant reviews the results of the investigation, he notes that pretty much everything reported can be easily explained, except for the credit card receipt, which the manager cannot explain.

The next day, the team heads over to the Hawthorne Hotel. With Jason tending to his son and Brian Harnois taking the day off sick, Grant brings in Dave Tango and Dustin Pari to help with the investigation. They tour the hotel and check out the library (formerly known as the Lower Deck) and several of the guest rooms, where the most frequent sightings have been reported.

That evening, Dustin and Dave are in room 325 and find nothing out of the ordinary. A vent opposite the foot of the bed might be what causes some people to report feeling "a presence" in the room. Rushing water through the pipes behind the thin walls also could impart a sense of the supernatural.

In room 628, a swinging chandelier causes Steve some concern.

Grant and Donna review a guestbook found in a different room and remark on the number of sightings that guests have noted in the hotel throughout the years. Something must be causing it, though the long-time friends are somewhat at a loss for an explanation.

After the hours of footage are reviewed, Steve tells Grant not much was detected. The few things he shows Grant are easily attributed to mundane causes.

Sitting with the manager, Grant and Steve say that not all cases yield paranormal evidence. TAPS can't produce sightings on command. While there was little that could be debunked, there was also little that could be counted as true supernatural phenomena.

Back home, the TAPS team visits Jason and Logan, and the team-members sign the boy's cast. Jason is happy to hear he didn't miss much and notes how much the team has become a family.