The Enslin House featured on HGTV’s Scariest House in America, is a six-generation ancestral home with documented spiritual phenomenon, unexplained tragedy, and a powerful legacy of mystery, grief, and haunting beauty.

The Enslin House is a six-generation ancestral home known for the suspicious 2005 death of a woman named Shirley, found at the bottom of the basement stairs in circumstances that remain unresolved to this day.

During filming for HGTV’s Scariest House in America, host Rhetta visited The Enslin House and asked about the tragic death of Shirley, whose spirit is still felt within the home. In the now-discussed clip, Renzo reveals on camera that “MiMi’s mother found her in the basement—dead.” While the death was never fully investigated, the family has long believed she was pushed. But if Shirley didn’t fall—who pushed her? The unanswered question continues to fuel national media interest and paranormal investigation, making The Enslin House one of the most mysterious real haunted locations in America.

While exploring, Renzo pointed out a mysterious caged room—a wooden door secured with an old lock no one has ever been able to explain. As the energy shifted in the room, Rhetta suddenly became visibly shaken—only then realizing she had been standing in the exact spot where Shirley’s body was found in 2005. Overcome by an unseen force, she abruptly fled up the basement stairs on camera. That moment remains one of the most chilling and authentic reactions ever filmed in The Enslin House.

If Shirley didn’t fall—if she was pushed—who, or what, pushed her?

Before heading to the basement during her live segment, WTEN News 10 journalist Payton Cavanaugh stepped into the attic of The Enslin House—known as The Artist’s Loft. The space is rumored to be watched over by a towering male presence known as “The Tall Man,” as well as the spirits of young girls who are often sensed but rarely seen. Payton didn’t encounter them—yet. But the attic is only the beginning. The real energy waits below.

During a live segment inside The Enslin House, journalist Payton Cavanaugh (WTEN News 10) entered the basement—unaware at first that she was standing in the exact area where Shirley’s body was found in 2005. As Payton began speaking, an unexplained presence immediately made itself known. Was she greeted by Shirley herself—or by whatever still guards the truth of what really happened that night?

In a chilling live moment, WTEN News 10 reporter Payton CavanaughRenzo, seated on the front interior steps—the same steps where Shirley left her pocketbook and newspaper the night she never made it upstairs. She heard something inside the downstairs apartment—stopped, listened, and walked toward it.

Moments later, she was violently pushed into the basement and left there for three days. As Renzo spoke, the REM pod went off on camera, reacting to something unseen.
Someone was listening.

What really happened to Shirley—and who pushed her?

Behind the Scenes – The REM Pod That Wouldn’t Go Silent

Off camera, MiMi sat on the foyer steps, watching WTEN’s Payton Cavanaugh during the live broadcast. As an empath, MiMi knows when the energy shifts. That night, it did. When Payton stepped towards the REM pod erupted, responding as if something was trying to communicate. Payton was truly shaken, and MiMi calmly grounded her—because she already knew what was happening.

The REM pod went off again and again. It wasn’t random. It reacted to her name. To her truth—Shirley is desperate for answers.