Peru, Indiana -  Okie Pinokie

Joint investigation  MRIPA  &      *Investigation [5/17/08]   *Reveal [5/18/08]

 Many visitors come to an area known as Okie Pinokie, which is located off of River Road in the Frances Slocum State Forest in Peru, Indiana.  Okie Pinokie is known quite well not only because of the many reported claims of paranormal activity that take place there, but also a popular place for people to hang out and congregate.  Illegal situations unfortunately occur frequently there that require law enforcement officers to patrol the area.

 Situation: Unexplainable phenomena has been reported to take place at Okie Pinokie for many years.  This location once was swampy and marshy territory, and Mississinewa staff have reported that at least 8 decaying bodies have been found there.  It is said that if you whistle at Okie Pinokie, you will hear someone or something whistle back to you from deep in the forest. Also it has been mentioned that satanic rituals have been performed out in the forest at Okie Pinokie.  Supposedly a young girl was raped and tortured out in the woods and there have been reports of the voice of a young girl being heard in the woods by several visitors.  Almost every website that talks about Okie Pinokie that involves other groups or individuals who have gone out there to see if the claims were true of paranormal activity state not to use an Ouija board because the spirits that supposedly exist there do not like it.  Members of the MRIPA and O.P.I. teams set up the base station on the round-about that is located at the end of the dirt road that leads into the Frances Slocum State Forest.  Five night vision cameras were set up around the base station facing in five different directions: South, Southwest, West, Northwest, and North.  Five team members did a perimeter sweep before the actual investigation began.  Three teams of three people set out onto three different paths into the forest, while 2 team members monitored the group’s activity from the base station.  A digital recorder was placed on a tree stump located by the river bank.  Each team had flashlights, a digital recorder, digital camera, EMF meter, and IR Thermometer.  Two teams had hand held night vision video cameras. 

  Investigation Highlights and Evidence: During the perimeter sweep several cold spots were discovered close to the edge leading down to the river bank and several light anomalies were caught on different digital cameras.  During the actual investigation a female voice was caught on the digital recorder that was placed on a tree stump located by the river bank, with what sounded like a voice saying, “help.”  Brian of OPI caught footsteps on the digital recorder that he was carrying and also the sound of someone or something whistling back to them after a team member started to whistle into the forest. 

 Invalidated Data: The moving water running over rocks in the river at certain locations sounded like footsteps following behind.  Some pictures taken with the digital cameras picked up light sources that were either rain droplets that reflected the glare from the camera flash and other photos were the camera flashes bouncing off insects that were flying by at the time the picture was being taken. 

 *The investigation was cut off short about three hours early due to an unexpected thunderstorm. Based off what was discovered during this investigation, it has been determined that a follow-up investigation of Okie Pinokie will occur at a later date.*

 Investigation by Jason, Rachel, Andrea, Sean, Amber, Deb,   (MRIPA)  & Brian, Michelle, Becki (Optic Paranormal)   With Guest investigators Kyle & Lynn Marie.