Conjuring House Hoax: Fake Hauntings and Faux Hunters Exposed
If you follow prominent paranormal figures like Jason Hawes, co-founder of The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS), and his medium daughter, Satori Hawes, you’re likely aware of the recent drama surrounding the owners of the infamous Conjuring House in Burrillville, Rhode Island.
The Conjuring House is the site of the hauntings allegedly experienced by the Perron family in the 1970s. These hauntings attracted the attention of famous paranormal investigation couple Ed and Lorraine Warren and are the basis of the popular The Conjuring movie franchise starring Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson.
However, in recent years, the Conjuring House has garnered more attention for what hasn’t occurred inside this infamous landmark. Unlike the Lizzie Borden House—about an hour’s drive from the Conjuring House—and the Villisca Axe Murder House, the Conjuring House lacks any factual occurrences that lend to its haunted reputation. The battles against evil depicted in the film and book never happened, and the myth of Bathsheba Sherman was wholly fabricated. Without any history to support its haunted reputation and only a fictional Hollywood franchise based on a fictional book, it appears clear that The Conjuring House is simply an attraction for manufactured thrills.
Today, the home is owned by Jacqueline Nuñez, a Boston-based real estate developer who purchased the estate, ghosts and all, from Cory and Jennifer Heinzen in 2022. Recently, Nuñez has unleashed a tirade of insults on social media concerning the staff of the Conjuring House and their supposed misdeeds, which include stealing money and setting part of the estate on fire.
Here’s what we know about the current controversy surrounding the Conjuring House.
The Backstory
Jacqueline Nuñez has operated the Conjuring House as a haunted attraction since purchasing it from previous owners Cory and Jennifer Heinzen in 2022. The Heinzens decided to stay connected to the house after the sale and, until recently, have been involved in the general management of the home.
Jennifer Heinzen recently indicated that Nuñez used her legal might to force the sale in late 2021. However, Heinzen admits that she initially liked Nuñez and felt she cared deeply for the house and its spirits, so she and Cory approved the purchase.
Since Nuñez took the reins in 2022, thousands of ghostly fans from around the world have visited the Conjuring House, hoping to connect with its many spirits while they take a tour or stay overnight. To manage the influx of visitors drawn to the infamous haunted home, she’s assembled a team of mediums, paranormal experts, and tour guides to oversee operations.
Staff Abandon Ship at The Conjuring House
Until April 2024, things at the house seemed to run smoothly. But an uglier truth bubbled to the surface when several members of the Conjuring House team suddenly resigned. Citing long-standing issues with pay and on-site duties, seven staff members added their names to the resignation letter:
- Cory Heinzen
- Jen Heinzen
- Satori Hawes
- Cody DesBiens
- Reed Boettger
- Steve Mills
- Erin Bush
The news became public in late June when Satori Hawes officially announced to her 143,000 Instagram followers that she, her fiancé Cody DesBiens, and five others had cut ties with the Conjuring House for good.
Several days later, on July 10, 2024, Jacqueline Nuñez unleashed an angry post in which she pointed fingers at her former staff for bringing down her business, being verbally abusive toward one another, and even faking their otherworldly gifts – particularly Cody and Satori, who have been at the center of many controversies regarding whether their mediumship is real or not. At the time of this writing, the post has been removed from the Conjuring House Facebook page but remains accessible on Reddit.
Why Did the Conjuring House Team Quit?
When asked about the Facebook post, Satori and others claim that Nuñez was not initially so hostile toward them. She initially begged them to come back to the house and resume their employment. But when that didn’t work, Nuñez resorted to legal threats, claiming that some of the staff had intentionally harmed the house and stole money from the business.
But the former employees tell a different story. They claim that they did not wish to leave the Conjuring House in a ball of fire but rather quietly and quickly, without burning bridges with Nuñez. They also allege that Nuñez began to self-sabotage her business by adopting a few bad habits, like failing to show up for booked stays.
She was required to attend these experiences, which can cost over $1,000 and often attract long-distance visitors, and when she wouldn’t attend, the staff had to cancel them. Consequently, the staff could not process customer requests, leading to frustration and hostility from customers. To make matters worse, Nuñez would go silent for weeks on end, leaving staff to wonder where she was and how to keep up the business without her there.
There was also the issue of the home falling into disrepair. Staff complained of a broken heating system and a snow plow that didn’t work. Ice and snow accumulation made the estate dangerous and unsightly for visitors. None of these concerns were addressed.
Despite this, many staffers admitted to staying longer than they wanted out of love for the house, its history, its spirits, and its significance to the larger paranormal community. However, missing paychecks and evasive responses from Nuñez when asked about pay and other issues around the estate ultimately compelled the team to submit their two weeks’ notice.
It was around this time that the staff reported feeling worried about Nuñez’s mental health. When asked about the paychecks, Nuñez would often say that the Conjuring spirits told her not to pay the staff. These ghostly advisors included John Arnold, a relative of the family who built the original estate.
Nuñez believed people were trying to steal her money. She also pointed to an incident at the Conjuring House barn as a reason to stop paying the staff, particularly Cody and Satori, who had contributed money toward the barn and were employed at the time of its ruin.
What Happened to the Conjuring House Barn?
One of the major points of contention in this story is the barn on the Conjuring House estate. Jacqueline Nuñez believes that the damage sustained to the barn was intentional and a proof point that Cody, Satori, and others did not respect the estate and wanted to literally and figuratively let it go up in flames.
At the time of the incident, the barn was being refurbished to open as a museum of ghostly artifacts. Cody and Satori jumped on the opportunity and contributed their own money to the project, understanding that they would be repaid once the museum opened to the public.
Unfortunately, rags soaked with combustible fluids were disposed of improperly, and the barn went up in a chemical fire late one night. Though the fire was ruled an accident, and Nuñez initially said that she’d still repay Satori for the sunk costs, Nuñez ultimately decided against it. Plus, by this point, Nuñez is convinced that Satori is faking her “gifts,” and why should she pay a woman who lies about speaking to dead people?
Are Cody and Satori Faking It?
Cody DesBiens and Satori Hawes are a controversial couple in the spiritual world, with many believing that the duo have faked their ability to interact with the dead to grow their fame.
Satori’s situation is further complicated by her being the daughter of TAPS co-founder Jason Hawes. A well-known figure in the ghost-hunting world, Hawes starred in and co-produced the popular SyFy show Ghost Hunters. Given her family background, it’s unsurprising that Satori would pursue a similar career, regardless of her actual mediumship abilities.
Many people believe that Satori’s tactics for speaking with the dead are staged and nothing more than camera tricks and quirky tools. Cody, a paranormal investigator himself, is often accused of enabling this behavior and joining in when it seems lucrative for the couple.
For years, Jacqueline Nuñez defended Satori and Cody’s abilities, even threatening legal action against podcasters and YouTubers who claimed they were fraudsters. But Nuñez has changed her tune. In her Facebook rant, she wrote that she is “[suspicious] that some staff were fraudulent in their investigative methods.” In texts to Satori, she has echoed the same sentiment.
Is the Conjuring House Really Haunted?
It’s unclear what will happen with the Conjuring House in light of these events. The paranormal community seems completely turned off by these events and has sworn off from visiting or working there.
All of the drama raises questions about what’s really going on at the Conjuring House and whether it is really haunted. This has revealed that the house has been run more like a campy haunted house attraction for years, and without the staff, what kind of experience will it offer to fans? Possibly one that is not very haunted after all.
Couple this with the fact that the Conjuring House’s authenticity has been debated for years, and it’s starting to look like the entire operation may be one giant hoax designed to dupe customers. (Read more about the evidence against the Conjuring House.)
As YouTuber Mythos Paranormal says in his video on the subject, the Conjuring House is “the Content House, and now [that] there’s no content being able to be made there, it’s just a house.” We couldn’t agree more.
Read more about our coverage of the controversy surrounding the Conjuring House and The Warrens as we continue to follow this developing story.
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