KYMA EXCLUSIVE: Inside the “most haunted destination”

USA Today’s ” Most Haunted Destination ” holds dozens of spirits inside.

“It really started as a grassroots prison in 1875,” said Historian Tina Clark.

The inmates who called the Yuma Territorial Prison built it from the ground up.

” It started small and they started adding on instead of having six prisoners like they did originally. They ended up housing over three thousand prisoners over a thirty-year time frame, ” explained Clark.

The cells were made of granite.

” The prisoners made their own cells and they were on the rock pile chipping blocks to create this prison, ” said Clark.

The ruthless called the prison home.

“She caught her boyfriend cheating on her so she killed him and cut his heart out and threw it in his face,” explained Clark.

The Yuma Territorial Prison also served as a shelter for those heading to California during the great depression.
” That whole group of people in the 1920’s and 30’s during the depression were down and out and broken hearted and you just don’t know who those folks were, ” said Clark.

But, inside of The Dark Cell ghost hunters who say they feel the energy as soon as they walk in.

” There’s a pretty good decent amount here. It’s a combination of and we’re also doing this under a full moon, ” explained Tim, local ghost hunter.

We trekked through the prison with the local paranormal group. Its members used a voice box to communicate with the spirits who remain at the prison.

The group set up cameras to catch the spirits in action. They came into the dark cell to find it shut off

Tim had to leave the dark cell because he felt a sharp pain.

“That much pain would be a gunshot,” said Tim. ” Maybe he’s not part of the prison. Maybe it happened just on the other side of this fence before they tore down a lot of the prison to build the railroad right here. Maybe it’s from the great depression. ”

Tune into News 11 at 5 and 6 p.m. to watch News 11’s Ciara Encinas ‘ haunted experience.