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What lurks in the basement of Rotorua Museum?

17 year old Jessica Altman was determined to find out. But in August 2012 on a family holiday in Rotorua while exploring the dark corners of the building's foundations, she disappeared... never to be seen again.

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Published by layla.robinson, 2016-08-01 09:24:48

The Disappearance of Jessica

What lurks in the basement of Rotorua Museum?

17 year old Jessica Altman was determined to find out. But in August 2012 on a family holiday in Rotorua while exploring the dark corners of the building's foundations, she disappeared... never to be seen again.

Last seen: Rotorua Museum Basement - August 5 2012
Missing, presumed dead.

Chapter I

On August 5th 2012, 17 year old Jessica Altman was visiting New Zealand’s
major tourist destination, Rotorua, with her parents.
They each had a wishlist of attractions to visit while in the city, and
Jessica had chosen the Rotorua Museum which is nestled in the
Government Gardens near Rotorua’s city centre.

Jessica had selected the Museum after seeing photos from friends on
Facebook who had attended a ‘horror walk’ event there the previous year.
The photos were terrifying and her friends claimed that the basement at
night was the scariest place they had ever been. So scary, that they were
sure it was haunted.

Having always been interested in the supernatural, Jessica spent hours
researching the building online and finally discovered a section of
archived newspaper from August 1919 with the heading: “NIGHTMARE
SCENE AT THE BATH HOUSE”.

The full article wasn’t contained in the file Jessica discovered, only the the
first sentence. But her best friend Brianna, said it sparked an interest in
Jessica even though “Jess admitted it sent a chill down her spine”.

The excerpt read: “The world famous Bath House, opened in 1908 has
today closed its doors after the bodies of over 30 people were found within
the basement cavities.”

 
Layla:​ ​[email protected] ​or text/phone: 027 287 3837 

Kathy: ​​[email protected] ​or text/phone: 0276 741 898  
F: ​​www.facebook.com/NightmareattheMuseum   

 

Chapter II

Brianna said Jessica became fixated with the building, continuing to
search for more information about the apparent massacre... but she hadn't
found anything. She even went as far as to call one of Rotorua’s local
historians to question him about it, but he denied all knowledge of the
event.
Jessica’s mother, Maryanne said that on the day they arrived at the
Rotorua Museum, the perfectly manicured Government Gardens were
awash in colour. “It was a beautiful scene, and towering over the gardens,
was the huge Tudor building in all its glory. I thought it was such a
stunning place”.
Maryanne remembers tourists taking selfies with the building in the
background and as the family got closer, Jessica posed for a photo in the
centre of a long path that led to the front doors.
“Jessica was in awe of the building and while she was in great spirits that
day, she seemed distracted by something that at the time, I couldn’t put
my finger on.”
The family entered the building together but Jessica soon went off on her
own, telling her parents she was headed to the lookout on the rooftop.
Maryanne and her husband returned to the foyer after a few hours hoping
to meet with their daughter, but the foyer was empty other than a woman
at the front desk who informed them the Museum was about to close for
the day.

 
Layla:​ ​[email protected] ​or text/phone: 027 287 3837 

Kathy: ​​[email protected] ​or text/phone: 0276 741 898  
F: ​​www.facebook.com/NightmareattheMuseum   

 

Chapter III

Jessica’s parents started to worry and soon the last few Museum staff
members were searching the building. After an hour and numerous calls
to Jessica’s phone, the police were called and a missing person file was
opened for the 17 year old.
While Maryanne and her husband were sure something must have
happened to Jessica, the police seemed more relaxed and said while they
would keep an eye out overnight, it was better to head back to the hotel
and see if she turned up.

When back in their hotel room, Maryanne called Brianna to ask if she
knew where Jessica may have gone. Maryanne noticed the chill in
Brianna’s voice immediately and demanded that Brianna tell her what was
going on.

Once informed of her daughter’s fixation on the Museum, and the snippet
she had found on the Internet, Maryanne was more worried than ever.
Brianna assured Jessica’s mother that the teen would not have run off and
may have been lost in the Museum while looking around.

Brianna and Jessica had previously exchanged iPhone logins, so through
the ‘Find My iPhone’ application, Brianna tracked Jessica’s mobile phone
to the precise location of the Rotorua Museum. It was now midnight, but
after a call from Maryanne informing them of the new evidence, the police
returned to the building to investigate once more.

 
Layla:​ ​[email protected] ​or text/phone: 027 287 3837 

Kathy: ​k​[email protected] ​or text/phone: 0276 741 898  
F: ​​www.facebook.com/NightmareattheMuseum   

 

Chapter IV

The following information is from an officer’s statement from the police
report following the investigation:
“When we were here earlier, there was so much noise with visitors to the
Museum and vehicles outside that even if we’d called Jessica’s phone, we
probably wouldn’t hear it. But now it was eerily quiet, so we began our
search at the lookout where Jessica was apparently heading and called her
phone repeatedly.

“We then paced the main floor which again resulted in nothing, so we
headed down the stairwell to the dark and humid corridor of the Museum
basement.

“During the day it was a tourist attraction, and I’d been there with my
kids and thought nothing of it. But now at night, and with a teenage girl
missing, it had a different kind of feeling for me. I couldn’t let it bother
me, I had to get on with my job so I walked down the stairs and called
Jessica’s phone again. This time, we heard it ringing.

“The Museum’s security officer let me through one of the glass gates that
led to the dusty maze that made up the Museum’s foundations. There was
no obvious path to follow, just the sound of the phone.

“I flashed my torch around looking for footprints, or evidence of any sort
but didn’t see anything. Then when passing through yet another archway
I entered a room that seemed to be at the corner of the building, and the
phone rang shrill like a dentist’s drill in my ear.”
 
 

 
Layla:​ ​[email protected] ​or text/phone: 027 287 3837 

Kathy: ​​[email protected] ​or text/phone: 0276 741 898  
F: ​​www.facebook.com/NightmareattheMuseum   

 

Chapter V

Officer's statement continued:
“I swept the torch light around the room, trying to walk lightly and not
mess up any prints that might lay in the dust. The room was oddly shaped
and there was a table in the middle but the strangest thing is that a large
concrete pillar was positioned in the center of the table, like it had grown
straight through.

“I’m not sure what I expected to find, but I sure felt uneasy being there
alone. I walked around the table and nestled in the dust in front of me was
Jessica’s phone, the screen flashing with each ring. Kneeling down to get a
bit closer, my torch lit up the area around the phone, picking up what
seemed to be black blotches in the dust. It was then that I knew Jessica
hadn’t run away.

“Later, it was discovered that the blotches were not black at all, but dark
red. The substance was tested and confirmed to be the blood of Jessica
Altman.”

*

The entire basement floor was examined, but no further evidence was
found and Jessica Altman remains missing, presumed the victim of foul

 
Layla:​ l​[email protected] ​or text/phone: 027 287 3837 

Kathy: ​​[email protected] ​or text/phone: 0276 741 898  
F: ​​www.facebook.com/NightmareattheMuseum   

 

play.
The police reviewed footage from Jessica’s phone but have not released
their findings. However, inside sources have claimed that the last video
recorded is “extremely disturbing” and will never be released to the
media.
While both Brianna and Maryanne have implored officials to have it shut
down, the event that originally sparked Jessica’s interest in the Rotorua
Museum returns to the majestic Tudor on August 5th, 6th and 7th 2016.
Event organisers have stated that Nightmare at the Museum is a
completely fictitious event staffed entirely by volunteers, and that while
the scare factor will be high, participants will be safe...
or will they?

UPDATE August 2 2016: Maryanne Altman and Nightmare at the Museum
Event Organisers have come to an agreement to honour the memory of
Jessica by holding a Memoriam with a closed casket at Rotorua Museum
on August 5 2016. The ‘presence’ of Jessica will remain throughout the
entirety of the event.

 
Layla:​ ​[email protected] ​or text/phone: 027 287 3837 

Kathy: ​k​[email protected] ​or text/phone: 0276 741 898  
F: ​​www.facebook.com/NightmareattheMuseum   

 


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