Solved Murders - True Crime Stories - The Nightmare in Carmel Valley A Family’s Dream Home Turns Into a Living Hell PART1 #37

Episode Date: October 22, 2025

#horrorstories #reddithorrorstories #ScaryStories #creepypasta #horrortales #carmelvalleynightmare #familyhorrorstories #hauntedhomes #truestoryfear #livinghell  The Nightmare in Carmel Valley – Part 1 tells the terrifying true story of a family whose dream home turned into a living nightmare. From unexplained phenomena and eerie events to escalating fear and danger, this story explores how a perfect home can quickly become a place of terror and despair.  horrorstories, reddithorrorstories, scarystories, horrorstory, creepypasta, horrortales, carmelvalleynightmare, hauntedhomeencounters, familyhorrorstories, truescaryevents, creepyhomeexperiences, chillingtruestories, eerieencounters, livinghellstories, darkfamilytales, unexplainedphenomena, terrifyingrealstories, nightmareathome, fearandparanoia, unsettlingtruestories

Horror. The House of Letters, a true nightmare. The story kicks off in 2011 with what seemed like the kind of fresh start most couples only dream of. Janice Ruther, who was 37, and her husband Jerry Ries, who had just turned 40, had been chasing the dream of finally owning their own place. Not just any place, but the house. The one where they'd grow old together, raise their kids, paint the walls the color they wanted and never have to ask a landlord for permission again. Janice wasn't just anybody. She was a microbiologist working long hours at a children's hospital. Her job was stressful and carried that kind of weight where you knew mistakes could literally mean life or death. Jerry, on the other hand, had lived a totally different kind of life before

settling down. He was once a competitive swimmer, the kind that spends years of their life staring at the bottom of a pool, chasing seconds off the clock. After retiring from that intense lifestyle, he found meaning in teaching, special education, particularly working with kids on the autism spectrum. It was a job he loved, and it gave him a sense of fulfillment that medals and trophies never could. For years, the two of them lived a routine that most middle class couples know all too well. Work long hours, save whatever scraps you can, skip vacation, and try not to stress too much when bills show up at the worst time. Every extra dollar went straight into their house fund.

They weren't wealthy, but they were responsible. They wanted stability, a future, a foundation. After getting married and welcoming their first child, the search for their forever home suddenly felt more urgent. They looked at dozens of places, the kind of endless Sunday open houses that blur together after a while. They'd drive through neighborhoods, sometimes stopping on impulse if they spotted a for-sale sign.

They contacted agents, placed bids, and, of course, got outbid more times than they could count. Each rejection chipped away at their excitement, until it started feeling less like a dream and more like a chore. Eventually, they just stopped. Searching had turned into a grind, and neither of them wanted to keep torturing themselves. The rental they lived in wasn't terrible after all. The neighborhood was okay, the rent was manageable, and life wasn't awful. They told themselves, If the right house shows up, we'll know. Until then, let's just breathe. Then, like fate had been waiting for the right moment, Janice found herself pregnant again. She was only a few months away from giving birth when Curiosity made her open one of those real estate apps again. Just browsing,

just looking, no big deal. And that's when she stumbled on what looked like the one. It wasn't just a house. It was perfect. A Spanish-style residence sitting pretty in Carmel Valley, San Diego. One floor, sprawling layout with three bedrooms and three bathrooms. Enough space for their growing family. A big yard, a pool out back that sparkled in the photos, and the kind of atmosphere that screamed, this is where you'll host birthdays, Christmas dinners, and backyard barbecues. The Asset, price? Nearly $800,000. Now, for Janice and Jerry, that was pushing it. They weren't broke, but this number stretched them beyond what they had originally planned. Still, it wasn't entirely

impossible. They'd been smart with their savings, and Jerry's teaching, plus Janice's hospital work, meant they had steady income. They ran the numbers, talked to the bank, and somehow it looked like they could swing it if everything lined up just right. So, They went for it. The moment they stepped on to the property for a viewing, they were hooked. The place was glowing with character. They loved the neighborhood, calm but not too quiet, safe without being sterile, modern, but still warm. It felt alive.

They wanted it so badly that it almost hurt. Of course, the seller mentioned there were already eight other interested buyers. Eight. The odds were not in their favor. The couple tried to keep their own. expectations low. They had already been burned before, and losing another dream house was not something they wanted to go through again. But deep down, they couldn't help it. They were hopeful. And then the miracle happened. Against all odds, they got the call. The house was theirs. They had actually won.

Their bid was accepted, and suddenly they weren't renters anymore. They were homeowners. I couldn't Believe it, Jerry would later say in an interview. We were just standing there, looking at each other like, wait, what? This is actually happening? This was where we were going to raise our kids, build memories, live our lives. It didn't feel real. Moving in felt like stepping into a new chapter.

Hi, I'm Darren Marler. Host of the Weird Darkness podcast. I want to talk about the most important tool in my podcast belt. Spreaker is the all-in-one platform that makes it easy to record, host, and distribute your show everywhere, from Apple Podcasts to Spotify. But the real game changer for me was Spreeker's monetization. Spreaker offers dynamic ad insert insert ads into your episodes. No editing required.

And with Spreker's programmatic ads, they'll bring the ads to you, and you get paid for every download. This turned my podcasting hobby into a full-time career. Spreaker also has a premium subscription model where your most dedicated listeners can pay for bonus content or early access, adding another revenue stream to what you're already doing. And the best part, Spreaker grows with you. Whether you're just starting out or running a full-blown podcast network, Sprinker's powerful tools scale effortlessly as your show grows. So if you're ready to podcast like a pro and get paid while doing it,

check out Spreker.com. That's S-P-R-E-A-K-E-R.com. The neighbors were welcoming. The houses in the area were all relatively new. The oldest ones only dated back to the year 2000. There was a vibe of youth and growth in the community, young families just like theirs settling in, making friends, creating that sense of togetherness.

People helped each other out. It was exactly the kind of environment Janice and Jerry had envisioned. Everything was good, too good, maybe. Because only a month after moving in, the first strange thing happened. It was just a letter, a single envelope dropped in their mailbox. At first glance, nothing about it seemed threatening. The tone was polite, almost formal.

The sender didn't identify themselves beyond a first name, but the message was crystal clear. They wanted to buy the house. And not just buy it, they were offering the couple more than what they had just paid. In fact, the offer was $100,000 over. Janice and Jerry stared at each other, confused. The letter sounded almost business-like, but it all was. also made no sense. Who does that? Who goes out of their way to offer someone a hundred grand overmarket unprovoked? Their first thought was that it had to be a prank. Someone was screwing

with them, maybe a scam. Either way, they didn't take it seriously. They folded the letter up and stuck it in a drawer, almost laughing about it. Something so ridiculous didn't even deserve to be ripped up or thrown away. They kept it without really knowing why. That small decision to hold on to that strange letter would turn out to matter far more than they could ever have imagined. Weeks past, life returned to normal, and they almost forgot about it. But then, the visits began. At first, it was small things. A car slowing down in front of their house, a couple walking by, staring a little too long at the windows, people stopping on the sidewalk as if trying to get a better look inside. But then it escalated. Strangers were coming.

coming into their yard, walking up to the pool, peeking through their glass doors. One day, the doorbell rang, and they opened it to find a crowd of people waiting outside. Not just one or two, a group. All of them were smiling, polite, but confused. They told Janice and Jerry they were there for the open house. Except, of course, there was no open house. The couple insisted they hadn't listed the property. But the strangers swore they had seen the listing online.

that the house was definitely up for sale. Some even said they'd struggled to find the place, that the directions had been confusing. Jerry, starting to get irritated, pulled up his laptop and began searching. And sure enough, there it was. Their home listed on a real estate website called The Shadow. The same photos from the original sale, the same details, everything looked official. Except the seller was listed under a name neither of them recognized. No profile picture, no history. Just a ghost seller. It was fake, a scam.

Hi, I'm Darren Marler. Host of the Weird Darkness podcast. I want to talk about the most important tool in my podcast belt. Spreaker is the all-in-one platform that makes it easy to record, host, and distribute your show everywhere from Apple Podcasts to Spotify. But the real game changer for me

was Spreaker's monetization. Sprieker offers dynamic ad insertion. That means you can automatically insert ads into your episodes. No, edit. required. And with Spreaker's programmatic ads, they'll bring the ads to you, and you get paid for every download. This turned my podcasting hobby into a full-time career. Spreaker also has a premium subscription model where your most dedicated listeners can pay for bonus content or early access,

adding another revenue stream to what you're already doing. And the best part, Spreaker grows with you. Whether you're just starting out or running a full-blown podcast network, Sprinker's powerful tools scale effortlessly as your show grows. So if you're ready to podcast like, a pro and get paid while doing it, check out spreeker.com. That's S-P-R-E-A-K-E-R.com. The couple panicked, reported the listing online, and took screenshots of everything. But that was all. They didn't go to the police. They didn't file a formal report. In their minds, it wasn't that serious. Just some internet scammer trying to trick people. Annoying, yes, creepy, maybe, but not dangerous. At least that's what they thought.

To be continued.