The public joins a paranormal investigation of Colton Hall – and witnesses some unexplained activity.

In a dark cell inside the Old Monterey Jail, with only a mannequin on a cot and a few curious onlookers for company, two pieces of equipment sit on the bed and a table.

Next to the mannequin is what’s known as a REM Pod, a small box with an antenna that creates an electromagnetic field. If it detects energy or a change in temperature in its vicinity, it sets off a series of lights.

On the table is a spirit box, which rapidly scans radio frequencies and emits white noise and very short snippets of sound. If a voice comes through that’s more than one syllable, investigators believe that is a spirit communicating.

Those in the room speak toward the spirit box, asking any spirits in the room to touch the REM Pod as a way to communicate with the living. Up to this point, the spirit box was only emitting static and sound bites of musical notes, but seconds after investigators make the command, a clear voice comes from the equipment:

“Touch it.”

The investigation of the Old Monterey Jail and Colton Hall on the night of Saturday, Aug. 15 was thought to be the first public ghost hunt of the historic facilities, which drew about a dozen people. It was led by Vegas Afterlife, a Las Vegas-based paranormal investigation company founded by its lead investigator, Danielle Nicole.

The ghost hunters were back at Colton Hall on Saturday, Aug. 29 for an investigation that quickly sold out. Another event is set for Sept. 26.

The small gathering is by design, Nicole says, as it allows the group to break off and investigate on their own with equipment provided by Vegas Afterlife.

Nicole says she had her first paranormal experience at 8 years old, and later when she moved with her parents to Pennsylvania, her experiences continued, seeing orbs and hearing disembodied voices. That led her to write a regular column for her parents’ magazine.

Later, Nicole left her career in marketing and in 2025, launched her full-time paranormal investigation business, Vegas Afterlife. After mostly being centered in Las Vegas and elsewhere in Nevada and across the country, the Colton Hall investigation was Nicole’s second event in California, with her first in the state taking place the night before at the USS Hornet in Alameda.

On a visit to Monterey County about two years ago, Nicole says she learned of Colton Hall and the jail – and their reported hauntings over the decades – and reached out to Brian Edwards, the library and museums director for the City of Monterey, about securing the location for an investigation.

“I don’t think anybody’s really investigated Colton Hall,” Nicole says. “It’s still pretty unexplored. A lot of people don’t realize it’s haunted. It has a ton of history.”

Nicole provides guest investigators with the equipment those on paranormal TV shows use, such as REM Pods and spirit boxes, along with electromagnetic field (EMF) detectors and dowsing rods.

Joining the Aug. 15 investigation was Edwards, who shared the history of the jail and Colton Hall. The jail in particular was the site of documented hangings from its time as an active facility from 1854-1956. That includes notorious outlaw Anastacio Garcia, who was hung by vigilantes who stormed the jail in 1856.

A mannequin holding a noose stands in one of the jail cells. When one of the attendees of the investigation grabbed the rope, a ball sitting alone on a cot lit up in response – even though it only lights up when it is touched.

Nicole notes that there is no guarantee of paranormal activity during these investigations. Indeed, there were multiple stretches of time when none of the equipment during the Aug. 15 event was activating, making the instances of activity all the more intriguing for the investigators.

Nicole acknowledges there is much skepticism surrounding the work of paranormal investigators, which is why she encourages everyone to attend her events.

“You don’t know it’s real unless you experience it for yourself,” she says. “I have a lot of people come to my events as skeptics and they leave as believers. They hear things and they see things they’ve never seen before. It’s quite insane how real this stuff is.”