A popular Inland Empire haunted house is being shut down ahead of Halloween, after the haunt was closed by city officials over neighbor complaints.
The house is located in a residential neighborhood, and all the funds go to the family of a child who sadly doesn’t have long to live.
Family members tell NBCLA they are devastated.
They've spent countless hours getting the home ready inside and out.
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A similar situation in Chicago was brewing between neighbors and homeowners of a house featuring an epic haunted display with a "Stranger Things" scene.
But in the Inland Empire, the Cowan family has an extra special reason to continue with their tradition.
The Cowan family originally created the haunted house for family, friends and neighbors to enjoy, but it eventually took on a more special purpose.
"When my daughter got sick at 2, we all decided, 'Why don't we all do it as a fundraiser?'" Augie Cowan said.
Augie Cowan's daughter Andrea is now 14 years old. She suffers from a terminal brain illness, and may not live much longer.
"She has metachromatic leukodystrophy," Augie said. "She's been sick now for 12 years."
During these heartbreaking 12 years, the Cowans have been using the funds from the haunted house to help pay for Andrea's health needs, including a special van, hospital bed, and other items not covered by insurance.
This year is supposed to be the final year, but the Halloween house has been shut down because Augie says San Bernardino City Council member Ben Reynoso got complaints from neighbors.
One spoke at Wednesday night's council meeting.
"I and the other residents in the neighborhood have been putting up with the traffic, the noise, the trash, and last year, attempted vehicle break-ins and a shooting where fortunately no one was injured," the neighbor said.
The haunted house usually operates over the last two weekends of October.
Augie says he is baffled that he can’t open it this time, because he says he got a permit for fundraising from the city.
"When I called down there they said, 'oh we didn't know that people were actually going in the yard. We thought it was a drive thru.' So they pulled the permit," he said.
During Wednesday’s meeting, council member Reynoso explained that after the shooting last year near the haunted house, he got police and code enforcement involved to make sure everything was up to code at the Cowan home.
"I want to apologize to everyone because I'm fully responsible for you all being here," Reynoso said. "Don't burn our chief, don't burn our city. This is my fault for bringing this forward incorrectly."
Reynoso and other city officials say the haunted house can reopen, but not at the Cowan home because it needs to be in a building that is permitted to hold events like this.
The city doesn't have a space available for the Cowans who are now hoping someone else will come forward with a solution and help them with one final scare for their daughter Andrea.
"She's just so tough, she's a fighter," Augie said. "We're hoping we can at least get the final scare. We just take it day by day."
A city spokesperson says if the Cowans can find a proper venue, the city will do everything possible to expedite the permit process.
