Paranormal Researcher To Share ‘Haunted Stories’ In Wallingford

WALLINGFORD, CT — Wallingford’s Joe Franke, an original student of famed paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, has been carrying on the work of his mentors for more than 37 years.

Franke will be sharing stories from his paranormal investigations in a talk at Lyman Hall High School on Saturday, Oct. 21. The event, presented by the Wallingford Adult Education Department, will take place from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Franke said he was first introduced to this line of work on a fateful night in 1986 when he met the Warrens at one of their lectures at the Holiday Inn in North Haven.

“The first time I met Lorraine Warren, she told me that there was a special reason why I was there that night and that I was ‘meant’ to do this work,” Franke said. “I was only 18 years old when I was ‘chosen’ by the Warrens to become one of their students.”

Franke currently serves as the Board Chair and Chief Investigative Officer (CIO) for The Warren Legacy Foundation for Paranormal Research. Franke, who is also the co-founder of the Connecticut Paranormal Research Society, helped establish the Warren Legacy Foundation in 2014 with Lorraine Warren and her grandson Chris McKinnell.

The foundation is a global organization comprised of a “diverse network of dedicated professionals working to help people face their fears of the unknown and overcome their paranormal afflictions,” according to Franke.

“I, along with the foundation leadership, strive to help educate our members and the public on what we feel is the proper way to conduct paranormal research,” Franke said. “And although we admittedly don’t have all the answers, we hope to help contribute to laying the proper groundwork for current and future researchers.”

That research includes the recent case of a 33-year-old woman in Oklahoma who “believes that she is oppressed by an evil, possibly demonic entity,” according to Franke.

“She is so consumed by this that she can barely function in her day-to-day life,” Franke said. “She also believes that she has come under attack and possible possession at times. The case is still in its infancy stages. I also recently spent five days working on a case in the Albany, New York area this past June, helping a grieving family who felt they were under diabolical attack. One of the family members suddenly and unexpectedly murdered his wife and child with a knife, and the family was convinced that there was an evil presence in the home, possibly brought in by some form of satanic ritual.”

In his talk at Lyman Hall, Franke will discuss his personal connection with the Warrens and that fateful night in 1986 when he was “chosen” by them to become one of their students. He will also discuss some of their “most iconic cases such as Amityville, the story of the real Annabelle doll, the Enfield poltergeist and the Southington haunting better known as The Haunting in Connecticut,” along with some tough cases from his personal files.

Tickets for the event are $20 each, or $50 for a family of four.

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