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in your shoes. Get to know the wool runners, pipers and loungers at Alberts dot com. That's alll BI RDS dot com. The Newport Subdivision a suburban housing development in the southeast of Texas in the southern United States, first took route in the late nineteen seventies, extending outwards from the town of Crosby and tucked in behind dense forest on the edge of Lake Houston. By nineteen eighty, its concrete tendrils twisting and curling ever deeper into the surrounding wilds,
had grown steadily to comprise one thousand homes. For many, the green and leafy neighborhood, with its private security guards and manicured lawns hidden under the canopy of hundred year old trees, provided the perfect mix of suburban decorum and rugged country. For those unfamiliar with the term, a subdivision in this sense is a housing development that begins as little more than individual plots of land serviced by a system of roads that have been provided with plumbing and electricity.
Having purchased one of the plots, it would then be down to the buyer to decide what house they would like to have shipped in and assembled onto it. For Jean and Ben Williams, it was a subtle, tan brick Mediterranean style home that had taken their fancy, having been encouraged to move to the new development by their eldest daughter, Marcia Anne, who also lived in the neighborhood. The couple finally took the plunge and relocated in the fall of nineteen eighty, picking a plot at the far end of
the brand new Section eight on Poppet's Way. The couple, who were both in their fifties, elected to have their home built back to front, a special request of Genes, so that their living room would look out over the spacious garden toward the small patch of woodland stretched out behind it. But there was one tree in particular that Jean had fallen for, a sturdy oak, by then resplendent in fiery autumnal color, that the developers at one stage had suggested they cut down to make room for the
Williams's new home. Jean was adamant, however, that it should stay, so rather than remove it, the aged oak instead was incorporated into the design of the build, so much so that it appeared almost to be holding up an entire corner of the house. It was somewhere within the surrounding woodland that remnants of the old McKinney plantation could still be found. Either Ruth McKinney, the family's last living descendant, was said to still be living in a property somewhere
behind it. Mercer McKinney, along with his wife Mary, and their six children, moved to Harris County in eighteen fifty seven, shortly before the outbreak of the American Civil War, bring five slaves with them, who were immediately put to forced labor on the McKinney's plantation. By all accounts to the local white community, at least, the Mercers were a highly respected and well liked addition to the local area, to whom the somewhat oxymoronic description of being masters that were
kind to their slaves was often applied. For those with the luxury of choice when looking at a new property to rent or buy, it is often the way that so much of it speaks to you the first time you see it. It is easy to miss some of the finer details. In many cases, it isn't even until the deal is done that you suddenly notice the way a worktop doesn't quite run straight, or that small patch of damp just peeking up over the skirting in the
master bedroom. For Jean and Ben, it was the peculiar short rectangular depressions that pockmarked the grounds of around their property that they had failed to notice those, and the strange markings carved onto that large oak tree that Jeanne had grown so fond of. Even from the first day, it hadn't been a great fit. Perhaps it was down to the fact that the builders hadn't quite finished up before jean and Ben moved in, or perhaps because of
the lateness of the year. It was the fact that Jeanne would have to wait a while before she could really get a handle on the garden that made those first few weeks a little strained and disjointed. Regardless, it wasn't unusual for a couple moving in to a brand new home and neighborhood to experience a few teething problems
as they adjusted to their new surroundings. Though their previous neighborhood, Deer Park on the eastern fringes of Houston, had been fairly quiet, it was clear that the almost complete stillness of Newport would take a little getting used to. But there was something else too, something a little different they couldn't quite put their finger on, but could somehow sense, Nonetheless, like a distant, silent alarm leaking out at a pitch, at first too high to be audible, but was slowly
steadily dropping into range. Having finally settled in. One night early in the new year, with Jeanne asleep in bed, Ben returned home from a late shift at work to find the house unusually cold. Conscious about waking jean, he moved silently between the rooms and the dark as he made his way to the bedroom when something outside drew
his attention. Standing in the dark, staring out the back window, he was convinced for a moment that something or somebody was approaching the house from the back of the garden. As he narrowed his eyes to focus, he caught it again, only now there were two strange, wispy patches of darkness, at once a morpheus, but yet oddly reminiscent of the human form, moving slowly side by side toward him. Gripped by a sudden fear, Ben felt his chest tighten as
he stumbled back into the kitchen, struggling to breathe. When he looked up again, the shapes had gone. Still struggling for breath, Ben made his way to the bedroom, and, being careful not to wait, jean was soon able to breathe again. After explaining the episode to Jean, the following morning, at his wife's insistence, Ben paid a visit to the doctor, who diagnosed an asthma attack, something Ben had never experienced before.
It wasn't long after that the Jean was finally able to put a finger on that strange sensation she'd been feeling ever since they'd moved. It was the feeling that she was being watched. Over the next six months or so, a number of relatives came by to visit the couple, from the daughters Marcia Anne, Jennifer, and youngest Tina, to Jean's parents and her brother, all of whom couldn't help but feel the same that there was something wrong with
that house. Not long after Ben's peculiar experience, the couple's oldest, Marcia Anne, announced that she was leaving her husband. This was followed a few weeks later by the shocking news that Jean's mother had cancer. It was a few nights later that Ben returned home again from a late shift. As Jean slept soundly in the bedroom, resisting the urge to turn on the lights so as not to wake her.
Ben headed to the kitchen, feeling hungry, he pulled open the fridge door and stood for a moment bathed in its soft yellow light as he scoured the shelves for something to eat. Seeing nothing he wanted, he closed the door, then turned toward the living room and froze in shock. Those odd, whispy shapes that he'd seen before were now hovering right in front of him. Rooted to the spot, Ben could only look on in confusion as they drifted
out into the hallway, suddenly snapping out of it. Ben gave chase as they moved down the corridor and seemed to turn into the bedroom, where he then found them hovering at the end of the bed as Jean slept soundly under the covers. Without thinking, Ben ran straight for them, only to pass right through and fall on top of Jean. She woke in alarm to find a terrified looking coughing and sputtering beside her as he looked frantically about the room,
but the shapes had gone. Having eventually calmed down, Ben proceeded to explain what he'd seen and how he'd seen something similar in the garden a few weeks before. He could have sworn that the shapes were moving with the agency, and yet saying it all out loud. He realized then just how ridiculous it sounded. As a plant worker for the Ethel Corporation, a chemical manufacturing company based out of Houston,
Ben was no stranger to toxic gas. Was it possible, he thought, considering the recent asthma attack and coughing fit, that the strange clouds was some kind of poisonous gas that had seeped out of the ground. But nothing of that nature was ever found. Though Jean and Ben continued to sense something unusual about the place, they resolved to ignore it as best they could and concentrate on enjoying
their new home. But as the green leaves of summer began to turn a golden brown, the family were beset by a series of terrible events that would test even the strongest of resolves. Most pressing was their daughter, Jennifer's ongoing domestic problems, which resulted eventually in Jean and Ben offering to take in her daughter Carly to give Jennifer some space. Not long after Carly moved in, Jean's brother Glenn, was diagnosed with inoperable cancer and given no more than
twelve months to live. Mere days later, Glenn's granddaughter was diagnosed with leukemia, all of which was then topped off by the catastrophic news that Jean and Ben's twenty four
year old daughter, Tina had Hodgkins lymphoma. The next months would prove uniquely testing for the family, as Jean devoted what time she could between looking after Carly and ferrying Tina back and forth from hospital as she underwent a spleen removal and a heavy and debilitating course of chemotherapy or the while Jean continued to supervise her mother's cancer
treatment too. That Christmas of nineteen eighty one, the family rallied together as best they could under the circumstances, but by then Jean was fairly convinced that something of the house had cursed them. Are you always taking care of your family? Do you often take care of others and not yourself? Now it's time to take care of yourself,
to make time for you you deserve it. Teledoc gives you access to a licensed therapist to help you get back to feeling your best to feeling like yourself again. With tele adoc, you can speak to a licensed therapist by phone or video therapy Appointments are available seven days a week from seven am to nine pm local time. If you feel overwhelmed sometimes maybe you feel stressed or anxious, depressed or lonely, or you might be struggling with a
personal or family issue, teledoc can help. Teledoc is committed to facilitating great therapeutic matches, so they make it easy to change counselors if needed. For free. Teledoc therapy is available through most insurance or employers. Download the app or visit teledoc dot com Forward slash Unexplained podcast today to get started. That's teladoc dot com slash Unexplained podcast. In March the following year, Jean's brother Glenn died at the
age of fifty two. The family had been preparing for it since his diagnosis, but nothing truly prepares you for the finality of the moment when it eventually comes. However, with Jean's mother, Tina, Jennifer, and Carly to worry about, Jean and Ben had little choice but to pull themselves up and dedicate their energy to the living. In fact, with so much else to worry about, Jean and Ben had all but forgotten about the peculiar events of the previous year when one night they were startled by Carly
screaming out for jean from her bedroom. Rushing to her aid, jean found her granddaughter huddled tightly under her bed covers, trembling and crying with fright. As jean did her best to calm her down, Carly explained that she'd heard footsteps outside her door, and, thinking it was Jeanne, had called out for her but got no reply. When they didn't go away, she screamed out for help. But that wasn't all,
as Carly to explain to her concerned grandmother. Ever since she'd moved in, she felt as though she was never quite alone in her bedroom at times, although she couldn't be sure. She thought she'd even seen shapes moving about in the dark, and heard the sound of voices submerged within the gurgle of water in the pipes whenever the cistern flushed. Jeanne looked at her granddaughter in quiet alarm. A few nights later, the phone rang, Hello, asked Jeanne,
holding the receiver to her ear. For a moment, there was nothing but dead air as jean waited expectantly for a reply, when suddenly a strange guttural noise began to worm its way out of the speaker, followed by the sound of someone coughing and gasping for air. Jeane slammed down the phone and ran straight through to Ben in the living room, her face completely drained of color. Who was it, asked Ben. Only then did Jean realize, with
the sickening horror who it had sounded like. I think it was Glenn, she said, her brother that had died months before. With Tina's treatments intensifying, Jean and Ben decided it was best that she move in with them. One evening, while Ben was out at work, a terrific storm began to batter the house from outside. Tina, Jean, and Carly huddled together in Carly's bedroom as the thunder clattered all around them. Streaks of lightning flashed and ripped through the sky,
while thick, ominous clouds swelled ever tighter over the house. Smokey, a cat that had been bought for car shortly after she moved in, had joined them on the bed too. When the sound of the front door being slammed shut was heard, followed by what sounded like soft falling footsteps. Approaching from down the hallway, with the rain pelting down against the window. Jean, assuming it was Ben, called out
to him, but there was no reply. Suddenly panicked, Jean instructed the others to stay put, then slowly made her way to the bedroom door and into the hallway. Beyond Hello, she asked again, but still there was no reply, and yet that sound of footsteps just kept on coming, moving up the hallway toward her. With amusement, Jean backed into the bedroom as the sound continued all the way to
the bedroom doorway and then into the room. Just then, with a crack of thunder and flash of lightning, Smoky leaped forward with a fierce screech towards something in the middle of the room, then bolted into the hall. As soon as he touched the ground, the sound of footsteps had gone. Later, when Tina and Jean tried to account for what had happened, Jean failed to mention the numerous other events that had been plaguing her and Ben since they moved in only eighteen months ago what seemed like
a lifetime. Though the events had been myriad and undoubtedly strange, Jean and Ben had been loath to attach any potentially supernatural explanation to them, preferring instead to seek rational answers. By now, however, for Jean, at least, the possibility was becoming harder to ignore. The couple had discussed just selling up and moving out, but with so much going on and all the medical bills stacking up, their only option
was to stick it out. That summer of nineteen eighty two, Jean watched with quiet concern from her back window as two more couples moved onto the street. Though it was nice to finally have the neighboring plots occupied, she couldn't help but wonder just what might be in store for
the new owners. The Haynes schoolteacher Judith and husband Sam, who divided his time between working for an airline company and running a small art store in nearby Crosby, had been eagerly anticipating their move for months, waiting patiently as their house was slowly assembled piece by piece. Having finally moved in, Sam presented Judith with an early birthday and moving in present plans to add a swimming pool to sparkling new property. However, no sooner had Sam found a
contractor to begin the project. There was a knock at the front door. When he opened it, he was greeted by fifty seven year old Leicester Resler, a local woodcutter who'd lived in the area for many years. Much to Sam's surprise, Leicester had somehow gotten wind of the plans to build a pool in the back garden and had felt obliged to come and speak to the Haynes before they went any further. Leicester then asked if Sam wouldn't mind letting him through to the garden so he could
explain it all in better detail. Sensing an urgency in the man's voice, Sam agreed to show him round. Moments later, in the back garden, as the two men examined the plans for the pool, Leicester drew Sam's attention toward a small rectangular patch at the edge of the garden that seemed to be sunk a little deeper than the rest of it. There, said Leicester, that's where they're buried. What do you mean, asked Sam, as Lester explained the sunken
land was a grave. Sam stood speechless for a moment as he struggled to comprehend what he was being told. Surely the housing company wouldn't have knowingly sold them a property built over a grave, he thought. Seeing that Sam was a little unconvinced, Leicester apologized for being the bearer of such disturbing news and gave him the number of another local resident who could verify the claim. As he showed himself to the door, he suggested that Sam give
the number a call. Perhaps then he might find out where all the others were buried too. The others, said Sam with disbelief. Oh yes, replied Leicester, that whole area more or had been built directly on top of a graveyard. Although sickened by the prospect of living on top of a grave site, Judith and Sam couldn't quite bring themselves
to believe it. After all, what are the chances that the developers wouldn't have known of such a thing if it was such common knowledge amongst the other local residents. But rather than call the number that Leicester had given him, Sam decided to investigate for himself. Pulling a spade from the garage, he headed out to the spot that Leicester had pointed out and rammed it into the earth. An hour or so later, however, an exhausted Sam had only made it three feet down before the ground had become
too tough. The following day, after hiring a digger, the Hanes watched with concern as the operator steadily ripped the large chunks of earth from the ground, until suddenly, at roughly six feet deep, Sam yelled for him to stop. Leaping into the large hole before him, Sam brushed away at the dirt, revealing splinters of dark pine wood. As he brushed more of the dirt away, he revealed what was quite clearly the lid of a coffin. Prising it open,
he recoiled at the sight of the bones inside it. Later, the stunned couple watch ensombly as a section of the coffin and the bones are lifted from out of the ground by the local coroner's office. With both the coffin and bones being so deteriorated, it was agreed to leave most of it in the ground while they waited for test results to come back on the pieces they had.
That afternoon, Jean Williams watched with dread from her back window as the long black hearse from the Inner's office pulled away from the Haneys home, knowing full well that her troubles were far from over. You've been listening to part one of Unexplained Season four, episode twenty one. The Underweight. Part two will be released next week, Friday, December twenty seventh. Unexplained.
The book and audiobook, featuring ten stories that have never before been covered on the show, is now available to buy worldwide. You can purchase through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Waterstones, among other bookstores. All elements have Unexplained, including the show's music, are produced by me Richard McClain smith. Please subscribe and rate the show wherever you listen to podcasts, and feel free to get in touch with any thoughts or ideas regarding the stories you've heard on the show.
Perhaps you have an explanation of your own you'd like to share. You can reach us on fine at Unexplained podcast dot com, or Twitter at Unexplained Pod and Facebook at Facebook dot com. Forward slash Unexplained Podcast. Now, it's time to take care of yourself. To make time for you, teledoc gives you access to a licensed therapist to help you get back to feeling your best. Speak to a licensed therapist by phone or video anytime between seven am to nine pm local time, seven days a week. Teledoc
therapy is available through most insurance or employers. Download the app, or visit telldoc dot com Forward slash Unexplained podcast Today to get started. That's T. E. Ladoc dot com slash Unexplained Podcast