Jodi Foster moved into a new

The apartment

WRITTEN BY BEAU VANDERMATE & AVEED KHAKI | PHOTO BY BEAU VANDERMATE Jodi Foster grew up in Montana, but always had her sights set on leaving for places unknown. As a single mother, she lived a modest life at her own mother’s house, a blessing she didn’t take lightly, as her mother also helped care for Jodi’s young daughter, Hannah. As with so many, the promise of a new life in the Golden State beckoned to Jodi, and she discovered Chico to be the ideal place to raise Hannah. Having extended family in the area, she knew the move would also afford her the support network she needed to lessen the strain resulting from such a large life decision.

Jodi arrived in Chico in 1999 and set out house hunting. It wasn’t long before she found a cute apartment complex near the Chico DMV on Cohasset Road, and one conversation with the apartment manager was all she needed to know the location was just what she needed. Unfortunately, the complex itself only had vacancy in an upstairs unit, which was both an inconvenience and potential hazard considering her small child. As vacant units were difficult to find, she decided to take the unit and child-proof it as best she could.

To her luck, a unit below her quickly opened as she began to settle in upstairs. The downstairs tenant seemed to have moved out in a rush though, almost a frenzy. In fact, they left nearly everything except for a few personal belongings. It all seemed a bit strange, but Jodi tried not to think much about it as there were plenty of other things to worry about. She was just happy she wouldn’t have to consider the potential hazards of the upstairs unit anymore. Before she knew it, she was excitedly beginning another move to her new downstairs apartment.

Jodi was aided in the move downstairs by her good friend Idie who immediately felt something was wrong with the new space. Jodi sensed her discomfort and asked, “What’s wrong?” Idie responded, “I’m not sure, but there’s just something off about this apartment. It’s weird. I liked the upstairs one better, and I honestly think you should move back there.” Knowing what Jodi already knew of the upstairs unit, she didn’t think much of the suggestion, and continued with the move. However, she would soon learn this would be advice she should have taken.

Later in the evening, Jodi and her daughter were visiting in the kitchen area near the sliding glass door when Hannah exclaimed,

Jodi's daughter, Hannah.

“Hi!” Jodi heard her excited voice and turned around. “Hi?” She asked, “Who were you just talking to?” Hannah replied, “The lady over there! C'mon, Mom, you don't see her?” Jodi looked around, but seeing nothing, chalked it up to Hannah seeking attention through an imaginary friend. As the day passed, Hannah had the experience again and again, doing her best to convince Jodi she was indeed seeing someone else in the apartment. Though concerning, Jodi again dismissed it without cause for alarm, and the two readied for bed.

Dreams are meant to be pleasantly filled with desires, wants, needs, and perhaps love, but Jodi didn't receive anything like it at her new apartment. That first night, her dreams took her back in time to a scene of a man and woman patrolling the grounds of her apartment. In her dream, she could only see the outlines of the figures and partially what they were wearing—clothing reminiscent of styles from the 1970s. The figures just walked back and forth along the fence line, but there seemed to be something sinister about how they crept and gazed upon the apartments. Jodi awoke suddenly to the clock showing 3:37 AM.

The dream was so vivid, Jodi felt as if she didn’t sleep at all that night, but rather had been living a life in a parallel universe. She fell back asleep, but when she woke up again later that morning, she did so with unease, knowing the day would soon give way to the night, and she had an eerie feeling she would be visited by the strangers once again.

When she finally closed her eyes that evening, she found herself right back in the same dream—unsurprising, as it had haunted her thoughts throughout the day. This time, the dream had more detail—she could see clearer outlines of the outfits and the belt the strange man wore which shone a large “H” on the buckle. It seemed as if the dreams were trying to guide Jodi somewhere, or to a moment lost in time. She awoke suddenly once again to the clock showing 3:37 AM. This time, however, all of the lights in her home were on. Shooting out of bed, Jodi quickly checked to see what was going on, but nothing could be found out of place. In a daze at the early hour, Jodi shut off the lights and returned to bed hoping to get something that resembled decent sleep.

When morning finally arrived, Jodi and Hannah started their normal morning routine, but Jodi realized things were indeed out of place—shoes had been moved, cabinets were open, and silverware was scattered about. Neat and tidy, Jodi was always well aware if anything was out of place. Between the strange dreams, the ghostly figures she was watching within them, little Hannah having an imaginary friend, and now the physical disarray, the whole thing was finally starting to sound an alarm. At the same time, she thought to herself, “What do you tell someone? You're being haunted by a ghost, and you and your daughter both see it? Well, that's certainly one way to get you institutionalized.”

As days passed, the experiences only became more intense. Cupboards were opening and closing regularly, and you could often hear footsteps where no one was. Ready to start looking for help, but needing some reassurance that she wasn't losing her marbles, Jodi asked her friend Misty to stay over for a night. Not wanting to scare her friend, Jodi left out the part about there possibly being a poltergeist in the house. That night, Misty, Hannah, and Jodi all settled in and readied themselves for bed.

There is a detail that deserves mentioning before the next part of this story—Misty is completely deaf, so any “bumps in the night” would surely pass her right by. That night, to Mistry’s surprise, all of the lights in the apartment went on simultaneously. She rushed to Jodi's room, frantically signaling something was wrong. Jodi attempted to calm Misty and explained she didn’t know why it was happening, but that it had been a regular occurrence. After much deliberation and exhaustion, the two decided to once again go back to bed.

The next night, things reached a fever pitch. The dreams Jodi had been having were finally laid bare. No longer was there just a man and woman stalking the grounds, but now she could see a younger woman, perhaps between 18-20 years of age, saying

something. She couldn't quite make out the words, but peered more intently until the contours and movement of her lips became more clear. Was she saying, “Help me?” The lips repeated themselves and became clearer each time, “Help me, help me, help me.” Finally, with emotion visible on the young woman’s face, she shrieked, “HELP ME!” Jodi suddenly awoke to lights on throughout the house. The time on the clock? 3:37 AM.

Jodi finally had enough. Without a good night’s rest in nearly a week and so many nights filled with terror, she found herself in desperate need of answers. Wanting to start at the most logical place, Jodi called the maintenance manager to check out the electrical wiring. The man found nothing wrong but replaced a few bulbs and switches for peace of mind. Jodi decided to give it another shot. Misty would be staying over again as she was just as curious about the ongoing events at the apartment. Neither of them could have predicted what was to follow.

Like all nights before, Hannah was tucked in first before everyone tried to get some rest. This night was different though. Jodi's dreams were extremely detailed with numbers, phrases, and random dates coming to her like a constant flow of data. She saw 35.67 miles and A-17, along with other phrases as well. The dream once again portrayed the young woman, but now it seemed she was fighting off abductors— upon a more focused gaze, they were the same people originally stalking the grounds. This time, they were taking the young woman. With the last glimpse that Jodi could ascertain in the dream, the young girl let out her final words, “PLEASE HELP ME.”

Jodi awoke. The lights were again on in the house, and the clock displayed the same 3:37 AM. The cupboards were open, and her house was in complete disarray. Misty woke to the same, and quickly flew off the handle alongside Jodi. Hannah, on the other hand, didn't know why her new friend was causing a frenzy in the house.

The trio ran to the manager's office and exclaimed something weird was going on in the apartment, and they refused to go back. The manager set out to check the grounds with her small toy poodle in hand. While walking up to the apartment, her dog leapt from her arms and bolted inside and around the corner. Everyone followed to find the dog barking hysterically at the corner of the room. To everyone's horror, the telephone wire was aggressively swinging like a jump rope from above, as if it would hit anyone in the near vicinity. Thoroughly spooked, everyone ran from the apartment.

In an attempt to gather her thoughts, Jodi pulled up a chair next to the complex’s outdoor swimming pool and sat down. An old man appeared from nowhere walking his dog, and seeing Jodi was in distress asked, “Are you okay?” Not being able to hold it in any longer, Jodi yelled, “NO! There is something horrible inside that apartment, and weird things keep happening!” The old man took a deep breath and shared, “I’ve lived in the complex for over 20 years. People never stay in that unit for more than a couple months.” In Jodi's case, it had only been three weeks. The old man spoke of a story where a young college student went missing from the apartment decades ago and was rumored to have been abducted by a couple who lived in Red Bluff. Jodi’s mind raced, and she quickly asked the man more questions, but that was all he knew. He apologized for not being more helpful and went on his way.

Refusing to stay another night in that apartment, the complex manager offered to move Jodi to a unit in the Downtown Chico area as long as she kept this situation to herself. Wanting to leave the whole experience behind, Jodi obliged. After settling into her new place and finally getting a good night's rest, Jodi found the time needed to reflect on the happenings and what to make of it. Years passed, but she couldn't shake the experience. Wanting more answers to the so-called abduction and this couple from Red Bluff, Jodi felt compelled to delve deeper She picked up the phone and made a crucial call. The conversation that followed would change Jodi's life and the people on the other end forever.

Jodi called the Red Bluff police department and asked if they had any reports of an abduction that took place in the 1970s involving a couple and a young woman from Chico. The lady on the other end responded puzzled, “Why are you calling today? What is the reason for this call?” Not knowing the right or wrong thing to say, Jodi exclaimed, “I just had a feeling I should call you guys, and I may have some information that could be beneficial to the investigation.” She had no idea just how big of a break this would end up being. One of the lieutenants arrived on the line and said, “I have never been so freaked out before. We were just getting ready to close the case today as it has been dead for many years without a single break, and here you are calling when all hope seemed lost.” Jodi was happy

to be of service, but this all had been so otherworldly it was hard for her to even believe that what she dreamed about was somehow applicable in real life.

Before she knew it, the FBI had arrived in town and was interviewing her to try and get as much information as they possibly could. They had Jodi sketch pictures, write down every phrase or number that crossed her mind, and made her relive those horrendous three weeks in hopes of finding a clue. Jodi remembered, “To relive those three weeks was nothing compared to what that young woman had endured so many years prior. I was just happy to help.” At the end of the FBI interview, the agent looked at Jodi with eyes of endearment and said, “Thank you so much.” At the time, Jodi didn't know what to think exactly but was thankful the haunting she went through wasn't for nothing.

The couple in Jodi’s dreams were indeed real, as was the young lady who was pleading for help. Janice Hooker testified that in 1976, she and her husband stalked and preyed on 19-year-old Marie Elizabeth Spannhake. They abducted her from her apartment in Chico, the same apartment Jodi shortly resided in, and held her captive in Red Bluff. The telephone cord swinging from the ceiling in the apartment had relevance as well, as the couple hung her from their basement rafters before burying her body near Lassen National Park. Marie’s body was never found. The two then went on to commit the high-profile kidnapping of Colleen Stan, the following year, also in Northern California. Cameron and Janice held Colleen hostage in their home, imprisoned in a box, for seven years before she made what many FBI agents regard as one of the most daring escapes ever. They also consider her story to be unparalleled in FBI history. The crime has since been portrayed in film, print, and on countless podcasts as “The Girl in The Box.”

Cameron Hooker was convicted in 1985 and sentenced to 104 years in prison for the kidnapping of Colleen Stan and his subsequent crimes thereafter. Though, due to lack of sufficient evidence beyond his wife’s testimony, never stood trial for the kidnapping and murder of Marie Elizabeth Spannhake. He has served decades in prison for Colleen Stan’s kidnapping, but was again made eligible for parole in 2020 as a result of changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tehama County District Attorney Matt Rogers is actively working to make sure that doesn’t happen. free due to the mental manipulation and physical duress she underwent over her years with Cameron.

The paranormal is out there, and though some may not believe it, this story certainly suggests it could be as real as the paper you hold in your hands. Spirits and past lives live on through all of us and often are in search of peace, justice, or simply the ability to move beyond unimaginable trauma. Look around and observe as you may be able to help provide just that. Things are often not as they seem.

Though there are plenty of stories throughout this issue regarding tales of ghosts, ghouls, and more, Cameron Hooker is a real life monster. If you feel impacted by this story, reach out to the Tehama County district attorney at (530) 527-3053 and show your support for keeping him locked away for the rest of his life.

Jodi is republishing her book, A Haunting in Chico, Secrets, Sex Slaves, Murder, which will be re-released at the end of October. Do a quick Google search for more information on Marie Spannhake and Colleen Stan. Both of their stories are simply astounding, with Colleen's being the most well-documented as The Girl in the Box.