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

via southwesttimes.com

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.

via nrvnews.com

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.