Whoops. We created a little bit of a stir with our article about Gina Renee Hall and St. Albans, even though it was published several years ago. The first author made a factual error, and several of our loyal followers have pointed it out. Thanks, loyal followers! We do pride ourselves in our accuracy and scientific approach, so it was humbling to make such a big mistake so publicly. (And I admit — it was a mistake we should have avoided.) It’s definitely time to try and set the record straight with a new researcher.
But the question still remains — who was Gina Renee Hall, and why does she haunt St. Albans?
Gina’s Story
Gina’s story, which takes place in 1980, is like so many in that she was a young, attractive college student, out drinking with friends. She met a guy, and went with him to a lake house for reasons unknown. Some speculate it was against her will, as noted in the book, “Under the Trestle.” She was never seen again. In fact, the case that convicted her killer became the first time in Virginia history that a suspect was convicted of murder without the evidence of a body.
Nearly forty years later, her community and family still don’t know exactly what happened or where her remains can be found. Her ghost is said to haunt the old asylum and popular paranormal hotspot of St. Albans, but given that she has no known ties there, we are curious about what draws her spirit to that place. And let me stop here to be clear — we still don’t know. But we have some ideas…
Reasons for Activity
First, one thing the APS team has learned over the years is that ghosts (or spirits if you prefer) can be drawn to areas simply because there are other spirits there. We assume something about the land or the presence of the other ghosts makes it easier for them to push through and be heard. We learned this at the Trivette Clinic, here in North Carolina, which may be home to as many as 70 ghosts. One of the Trivette Clinic inhabitants died in a wreck a few miles away, and some believe his spirit has taken up residence at the clinic simply because it was a close location that satisfied his needs.
So Gina’s presence at St. Albans could be simply because it was already home to paranormal activity and it was near where she died. Her spirit may have been attracted to the presence of others there. In fact, her car, with bloody towels and her hair in the trunk, was found very near the old sanitarium.
Another theory, and one that is hard not to think about, is that her remains are somewhere on the property. Apparently, according to some reports, the man convicted of killing Gina was working on the property at the time, as it was being expanded. Some have suggested he buried her remains in the foundation. However, the timing isn’t right — according to people who live nearby, she went missing after the foundation was poured.
However, it’s a large facility, and if her killer did have access to the property and knew his way around, he very well may have disposed of her remains there. Again, her car was found very nearby.
Alternative Locations
Other people, though, have suggested she is haunting a building on campus, where the convicted man was also working. People have said they can hear her scream at night, and have suggested he buried her in the foundation there.
This brings up another question for paranormal theorists. Can a spirit haunt more than one location? Can our spirits split, like the Horcruxes in the Harry Potter franchise? Can residual energy — something that might scream in a foundation — haunt one place while our conscious energy haunts another? I suppose it comes down to whether or not a single person’s spirit has enough energy to be found in more than one spot. Has anyone had any experience with this?
Finding Peace
The sad news of Gina Renee Hall, her spirit’s unrest, and the unresolved questions in her case mean that her family and the community cannot put their fears and concerns to rest. Her family, and the larger community, don’t know what exactly happened to her, and they can’t put her remains to final rest.
However, many remain motivated to find answers, and even now, interest continues in getting the final details of the case resolved. IN recent years, television shows and new books have brought attention to this case, all with hopes that new information will come to light. Several private citizens have donated their own time and resources to finding Gina’s remains and finally closing the chapter on this sad case. We are hopeful the needed details will come to light soon.
do your homework,, the st. albans new addition was totally completed by the weekend of june 28th, 1980… as a matter of fact, on june 30th,, monday , there was a dedication ceremony at the st. albans
at the new addition ,, meaning there was no more concrete being poured on the night that gina hall
went missing.. i found this in the newspaper archives… it’s a fact…. it is not possible that epperly could have disposed of her remains there since the new addition was already completed before june 28th. 1980
Hi Elaine,
Thank you for shedding light on this! We have a new historian on the team now so we will be diligent in making sure we’re more accurate in the future. Thanks again! – APS
Thanks again, Elaine. We just published a revision for this article.
I had always been told by a retired Magistrate/former police officer that one theory was she had been burned in an incinerator in the old part of St. Albans, which was easy to get into at the time..and Epperly knew the area, having had worked there in the past..
Now is this true? I have no idea, but he was very adamant about it..and he was the Magistrate who wrote the arrest warrants for Epperly and signed most of the warrants along the way of the investigation.
Elaine is correct. As far as Steven working there for St. Albans, he did not. However, his Sister did as well as another person involved in the case with the last name of “King” he was the Great Grandson of the “King” that has the wing named after him, and then his Grandfather and Father worked there. He even worked as an Aide there. However, there is a book coming out by her Sister Dlana, who was her room mate in Radford. She will shed more light on the subject and give you a little more explanation. I will telll you Steven was involved with some pretty hardcore drug lords in the New River Area. Gina is an Angel now, I hope some day she is found but it will be in God’s time.
Thank you for the extra info! We’ll keep an eye out on the book.
Thanks again, Monroe. We just published a revision for this article.
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I would change the phrase, “hooked up,” because it no longer means what it once did. It makes it seem as if her encounter with him was consensual, which it wasn’t. And according to the book, Under the Trestle, there is reason to believe he forced her to leave the Marriott against her will. I think many people would agree that “hooked up” is an inappropriate way to describe the events that night.
Thank you, Niki. We updated the content.