Well, it doesn’t happen very often but yep – the Ghost Divas got duped. You may recall back in November we interviewed Donna LaCroix from Ghost Hunters. She said a lot of things that pissed a lot of people off. We talked with her for weeks behind the scenes to do damage control and help her deal with the fallout from the interview. When we asked her to do the interview, she said she’d be honored, as she respected what we stood for and she’d love to do the interview.
We did not discuss any questions with her beforehand. We had no idea what she was going to say. We pretty much gave her the floor to say whatever she wanted to say and she did so.
Then, because she was getting so much flack about the show, she began to back pedal a bit. I don’t blame her for regretting some of the things she said – I believe when she was on and in the heat of the moment she was feeling empowered and let it all go and then later she regretted how much she said.
The words she said were HER OWN words. We did NOT corner her or manipulate her in any way.
Now, she is saying she didn’t know who we were and that we twisted the things she said.
BULLSHIT, DONNA LACROIX. You knew FULL WELL what you were saying and we DID not do any such thing. The interview can still be found and there is absolutely NO editing done to it – anything that was said was said BY HER. PERIOD.
THEN, because the heat was getting hotter, she began telling us (on the phone and in emails as we were consoling her) that her family was angry with her, that her boyfriend was leaving her, that the stress was affecting her job, and that her health was poor. Apparently she had Crohn’s disease and the stress was causing it to flare up. We truly felt bad for her and we offered over and over and OVER to handle the entire situation for her but she would not listen and she perpetuated the drama long past its prime.
MovieDan had been pretty harsh on her and she was angry about it. He wanted answers to some of the things she said and he was planning to air it all on his show one night when he got some horribly upsetting news – that Donna had cancer. He was very touched by the news and he vowed to let it all go – that it wasn’t worth it when she was in such poor health, looking at death even. So he agreed to drop the entire subject and she went on about her business.
Some time later, someone asked a close friend of hers, “How’s Donna?” “What do you mean ‘how’s Donna?’” “Her cancer.” “CANCER? SHE DOESN’T HAVE CANCER!”
You can imagine our surprise when we’ve all been sitting her for the last 6 months worried about her only to discover she does NOT HAVE cancer.
So her NEW BFF goes onto Google and discovers a link to a site that shows people can overcome colon cancer in a ridiculously minimal amount of time. Well, that’s all fine and good – except that there are emails where she is talking about FACING DEATH. If she were FACING DEATH, her case would not in any way be like the one her buddy Googled. There are emails where she talks about wearing cool wigs. If she were in such a state that she lost her hair, it would have been noticeable. She would not have been going about life as usual if her health was as poor as she purported.
The FACTS are thus:
1) Donna LaCroix was fully aware of who we were when she agreed to do an interview with us and stated she was “honored” to do so.
2) We did not twist one thing she said.
3) We tried very hard to help her through the backlash of the interview and she constantly told us one thing in emails and on the phone and then did the complete opposite, making it worse on herself than if she’d just left it alone.
4) She owned her own words and said plainly she had no regrets – now she is weaseling out of it.
5) She LIED about having a horrible illness to deflect the TRUTH.
WHO THE FUCK DOES THAT?
We may be bitchy, we may be mouthy, we may be potty mouths, we may be a lot things, but WE ARE NOT LIARS.
We had no dog in this game – we didn’t know Donna before the interview and quite frankly, at this point, we wish we never did. She has done nothing but cause drama and perpetuate the stupidity in this field.
Let me point out that even if she DID have cancer, she is STILL LYING about all the other things she said. I could give a shit about the cancer issue at this point, she’s still a liar.
The following are emails we received FROM HER. She knew full well what she was doing.
What is extremism? Mosts Americans agree that jihad is extremism. Most people believe murder is extremism. Most people believe that many cults are extremism. Fanatacism is extremism. But what do those two words mean? Well, according to Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary it is
1: the quality or state of being radical 2: the doctrines or principles of radicals”
So now I wonder if these three words are synonymous? Since none of those three words are listed in the thesaurus, I looked up their roots and guess what I found?
“2 being very far from the center of public opinion <their extreme political views attracted only a small band of followers>
Oftentimes, there are two subjects that trigger the use of these words: politics and religion. Because we as paranormal investigators do not usually deal with poilitics in general, religion is often a focus of what we do. Some people believe we defy their religious learning and teachings. Some people believe religion encompasses their paranormal beliefs. Oddly enough, there is neither evidence concluding that “ghosts” or God exists nor is there any evidence proving that they do not exist. With that being said, I will begin my discussion.
The following views are not those of all six of those of us who make up the Ghosts Divas, but I hope to cover many things we do agree upon.
Let’s start from an intelligent point of view on religion AND politics. The First Amendment in the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” It has since been left up to the courts to decipher wherein the boundaries lie. The intent of the United States Founding Fathers was pretty straight forward, “Don’t tell us what religion we have to practice and and do not keep us from practicing the religion of our choice.” Now, anyone who knows history also knows there were some secondary issues as well. They didn’t want public taxes going to churches and they did not want churches collecting taxes for the government in the form of tithes intended for the church. This thus created the ideology of separation of church and state. No where does ANY of this state the country could not adopt a religion or acknowledge a religion. It just states that they cannot tell anyone what religion to practice and it cannot dictate what churches are allowed to do. So now you’re asking then why are animals and people protected from sacrifice for the religions that choose to do so? Well, that’s because those “religious freedoms” impede upon the basic rights life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that they strived for in the Declaration of Independence. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Now wait a minute! Did Thomas Jefferson just refer to a Creator? Yes he did and I’ll get to that in a minute. Back to those unalienable rights. If someone or something prevents another, through death, whether it be in the name of religion or not, from continuing to strive for those unalienable rights, then it is the duty of the government to protect the innocent from the agressors, in the name of religion. Regardless.
So let’s see if I can sum this up and move on because I know everyone is still trying to figure out where I am going with this. lol! The government may not establish a religion and cannot tell anyone what religion, if any, they have to practice. This included collection of taxes for tithing the church and collection of tithes to pay taxes. This protection is guaranteed as long as you do not violate others’ rights to life and liberty in the name of religion.
The Founding Father’s and many other high ranking political figures referenced God and the Creator and many other religious terms over the course of time, but they never established a religion. The US was originally used as an escape from religious persecution in the early settlements. Protestants wanted to escape Catholicism. Puritans wanted to escape from whatever. This country allowed for Muslims, Buddhists, all forms of Christianity, Mormons, Judaism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Native American (and the list goes on and on and on) faith practices to exist. They were not always so forgiving of pagan-type practices, but that’s because many of them thought it was evil and not of good moral character to have those practices.
Did I just say morals? The core system for ALL religions is to teach its followers the basic moral principles for living. They may not be all exactly the same, but I think most people believe the same basics. I will refer to the basics of Christianity and Judaism because it is what I know. Thou shalt not kill, not covet, not bear false witness (lie), not commit adultery, steal, and one should honor and obey his/her parents. There are a few others, but for the sake of this discussion, we will focus on these. These are basic moral, ethical, and legal rules EVERYWHERE! So I ask, who cares if these are learned through cautionary tales of religion or from a bathroom wall? I don’t care where my children learn it, as long as they learn it! (Especially the obeying and honoring the parents part!)
Religion, just like paranormal investigating, is a personal choice of belief or lack thereof. There are no black and white answers. There is no definitive scientific proof of either, but lack of proof does not mean it doesn’t exist either. There are plenty of unsolved murders in this country to drive that point home. Just because they cannot prove who committed the crime does not mean the crime did not occur. Just as because you cannot see God or a spirit or another worldly entity does not mean it doesn’t exist, and we cannot prove it does becuase there is an anomoly on a recording (EVP) or in a picture. There is no definitive proof.
I believe in religious tolerance, as I believe in tolerance of many things even if it is not my personal lifestyle choice. I have friends of many religious backgrounds and paranormal beliefs. I do not feel it is right to pass judgement on people for their choices. What I do not agree with is allowing stupidity to be prevalent in one’s choices. If you choose to have or not have a belief system; if you choose to be Atheist, Agnostic, religious, a believer, a skeptic, or scientific, don’t be stupid about it. Don’t become militant, obnoxious, or pushy with your choice. You had a right to choose to have a faith system or choose to not have a faith system. It does not make you right. It simply means you have conviction.
So let’s revisit the orginal subject. People who become an extremist in regards to paranormal or religious viewpoints are worse than the ones they attack. If your only focus is to convince the world you are right and everyone else is wrong then YOU have a problem and no one else. Wars are committed in the name of religion. Wars are committed in the name of politics. Why? Because everyone wants to be right. You can only please some of the people most of the time, but never all of the people all of the time. I will add that as long as you are comfortable with the choices you have made for yourself, then why do you care what everyone else is doing or saying? Let them have their freedom to make the same choices you made. If you crusade to take away someone’s religion or worse yet, force you viewpoints upon them, you have become that radical I was talking about earlier. You have become intolerable. If your entire world is revolving around changing everyone to the same mindset you have, then you have become exactly what you are fighting against: CRAZY! If your decision to define religion makes you happy, it’s okay to share that happiness, but it’s not okay to force it on everyone. It’s not okay to tell everyone they have to justify their belief or prove what they believe is a fact. Now, is it okay to tell someone I believe that the sky is red when it is not? No, because that’s just stupid. There is a difference between the known and the unknown. If you tell me that an orb is a ghost when I can clearly see your flash reflected off a shiny surface I will tell you why I think you are wrong and use science and evidence to prove you are wrong. But there is a huge difference there. Common sense (which isn’t so common) and critical thought are very important, particularly when it comes to tangible and known facts. Beliefs are based on emotion, ritual, and learned behaviors.
So, quit taking your beliefs to which there are no proven evidence and imposing them on others as facts. If my neighbor wants to light a Menorah, I DON’T CARE! If my town wanted to light a MENORAH, I DON”T CARE! If the government wants to leave in GOD WE TRUST on our money, I don’t care. If we say ONE NATION UNDER GOD in the pledge of allegiance, I DON”T CARE. This nation was, for the most part, founded on CHRISTIAN principles. Does it hurt anyone? NO! Does it mean we are mixing religion and politics? NO! It simply indicates that this country had a history of being a Christian nation. We do not require anyone to be Christian. We do not tell anyone who is not Christian they cannot practice their belief system or not practice any belief system. Quit acting like religious tolerance and atheist tolerance are bad things. If the government wants to endorse a Day of Prayer, I DON”T CARE! They can have a day of COOKIES (although, I would particpate in that one!), THEY CAN! If they called it a day of meditation, I DON”T CARE! It is not hurting anyone who does not choose to particpate. Many people pray, but they don’t all pray to the same god. WHO CARES?!?! When your religion and changing the world become a primary focus in your life, then you need to re-evaluate your stance and wonder if you are a fanatic, an extremist, or a redical. Every one of those words are negative and I don’t want to be negative!
Lastly, I remind you, that not all of these opinions are held by all the Divas. These are mostly my viewpoints. We have a wide variety of religious and non-religious aspects among us and we do not all agree all the time.
Now for fun, I want to add a couple of random facts (because I’m a nerd):
A skeptic is one who maintains doubt and questions the validity of something unless or until
it is proven.
Agnostic, literally translated from the Latin means, “without knowledge”
Atheist literally means “without religion”
The term “agnostic” (without knowledge) was actually coined by the Roman Catholic church to explain those who didn’t follow Christianity — they were without knowledge, or stupid.
I am agnostic and I find I am sometimes envious of people who can have blind faith in things without proof. Thus, according to the Roman Catholic Church, I am stupid. lol!
I was recently consulted on a case here in my home town where a young girl was concerned her house was haunted. The house is across the street from the cemetery and her small child kept getting strange bruises and scratches.
Of course it is, I thought to myself. Of course her house is haunted by an evil entity that’s wandered over from the graveyard.
I looked her up on Facebook to see if I knew who she was and to get an idea of her lifestyle. As I expected, she was all “gothed out” and had lots of horror convention pictures and things like that on her Facebook. She is only 21 or so and her house is a constant state of chaos – people there all the time, parties, etc.
It took all of about 2 minutes to figure out what was going on. Her house is not haunted – either her small child is getting into things or someone is hurting her and no one is paying attention because they’re too busy being stupid. I told the investigator that was telling me about this case that I would almost guarantee that was what was happening.
Now this story is making the headlines. The child is hospitalized with a fractured skull.
So, to all you investigators out there – PAY FREAKING ATTENTION to the people that contact you. Do not be quick to believe what they’re telling you, ESPECIALLY if there are children involved. (The investigator I was talking to did not do this – this is a general statement to alert other people).
This woman (girl) is so ate up with the whole horror/ghost thing that her child was being abused and she was too hung up on her house being haunted that she totally dismissed the truth and the child suffered for it.
IT’S BECAUSE OF THINGS LIKE THIS THAT WE CONSTANTLY ASK THIS COMMUNITY TO STOP BEING SO GODDAMNED ATE UP WITH GHOSTS AND PAY ATTENTION TO THE REAL FREAKING WORLD.
This is a blog that was posted a couple of years ago and it seems appropriate since we now have a new batch of folks that are clearly unaware of who we are or what we’ve done.
It’s not news that there are people out there that don’t like us. They think we’re mean or too brash or too foul mouthed and you know what, that’s OK. We know people aren’t going to all like us and all we’ve ever set out to do was to make people think about what they are putting out there – to make people be accountable for their claims. That’s IT, no more, no less.
We’ve never lied about anything or anyone. We’ve used very few names in the entire time we’ve been blogging. Yet we get called liars all the time and accused of calling out EVERYONE and their dog. We see comments from people we’ve never heard of that say things like, “they attacked my friend”. Bullshit – we can name everyone we’ve ever called out and I would be willing to bet they are not your “friend”.
Anyway – this “image” that people have of us is amusing to us. I’m sure several of you have watched the silliness over the past few years. If you have a question – we would be glad to answer it. Always have been. We’ve never hidden a thing and we’ve never claimed to be anything we aren’t. We comment. Don’t like it, don’t read it.
People have commented that “all” we have is an internet radio show and that we are just trying to get famous. Well, that’s a big ass LAUGH. We aren’t interested in fame in the least. We’re all successful in our regular lives. So to those that say we have done nothing, I would like to make a short list and ask you, what have YOU done lately?
WE are published authors.
WE have had buildings added to the National Registry of Historical Places so they will not be demolished.
WE have participated in and conducted cognitive experiments for paranormal research as well as several psychological ones as well.
WE do all have legitimate teams that conduct research and investigations on a regular basis.
WE have created a journal for peer review in this field – funny, none of the assholes have ever submitted anything to it…
WE have all authored articles on the field that some have even said should be a “must read” for anyone getting involved in this field.
WE have raised money for historical preservation for different buildings.
WE have conducted HISTORICAL tours to educate the public about the importance of historical preservation.
WE have put together a Halloween festival for 7 years for a town of 50,000 people for FREE so the kids have a safe place to trick or treat.
WE have been featured in numerous LEGITIMATE newspaper articles and stories for the things we have done OUTSIDE of paranormal investigation.
WE host a conference every year that brings interesting people to speak about the paranormal.
WE have been ASKED to write for newspapers and magazines. Real ones. That get distributed to people all across the STATE that pay for them.
WE work with Main Street programs to help them create their own tours and historical preservation projects.
WE have all done public speaking all over the place because what we have to say is respected by people that get it and think it should be shared.
On top of that, we all have successful careers and wonderful families.
So, tell me, what have YOU done besides calling us fat and mean as you sit and sift through your big orb collection and shitty EVP?
The next time someone gets a hankering to say we don’t do anything but talk shit, please direct them to this list and they can kiss my ass.
First – the fun – tonight on Ghost Divas Live we’ll be talking with The Urban Legends Detective. Kat Klockow has an Anthropology degree and enjoys studying that which science says does not exist. Currently she’s looking for your stories about Bloody Mary/Mary Worth for a “Mirror Witches” project she’s working on. We’re looking forward to visiting with Kat.
Secondly – the scam. A few months ago there were promotional ads and what not plastered everywhere for this event. One of our members immediately began questioning it because it seemed strange that a “hospice” type entity would be teaming up with ghost hunters to grant dying people their last wishes. To us, it seemed more like vultures waiting for the squirrel to die so they could swoop in on it. It just seemed tacky, to say the least. Then she noticed that not only were the two groups teaming up, but the “hospice” group already had ties to a paranormal team themselves. It also turned out that there was something fishy about the “non-profit” part of it all. This simply was not the way a normal non-profit organization operated. So we called BS on it, much to the chagrin of many people, including some of the speakers. Brian Byers of Ghostology made a point to announce he would no longer be associating with Tonya Hacker because she was “mean” for questioning this event.
As it turns out, we were not wrong about the event or the planners. Steven LaChance was one of the scheduled speakers and at first, he, too, was angry with us for speaking out against it. However, over time, it became clear to him something shady was going on. He’s appearing on Ghost Divas Live tonight to talk about what happened and what he knows.
We will likely also spend some time making fun of the fact that Tiffany Johnson is giving cold readings for $6 on Ghostology. I can’t even fathom how much money Jim Jones would be raking in if he were alive.
This is a presentation I wrote to teach about historical research. Hopefully it’s helpful. – Tammy
When I first started investigating, I was dead set (no pun intended) on gathering “scientific evidence” that ghosts exist. I had gadgets and I had a tool belt to carry my gadgets in. All those gadgets do is make you appear to be technologically hip – until your EMF meter goes off and the homeowner asks you why and you say, “Um… I’m not sure.” Cover blown – your hip status just went down the toilet, folks.
There are simply too many factors that come into play when you get gadgets involved. Unless you are a photographer by trade, you likely don’t know all the intricacies of your camera and all the ins and outs of photography. You can’t truly 100% say that weird blob is anomalous. You can say you “think” it’s anomalous, but really, in the grand scheme of things, do you honestly “think” anyone gives a rat’s ass what you “think”? Not really. They have you there because they want to know what you know, not what you “think.”
Now that I’ve been doing this for a few years, I’ve learned a lot and I’ve changed my focus quite a bit. I have changed my focus to the history behind the hauntings rather than the science of the hauntings. Why is history so important to an investigation? Because no matter what kind of temperature readings, EMF spikes, or moon phases you have in your favor, you ain’t got jack without the history. The history is the basis of anything and everything going on, if in fact, there really is something going on. If you have exhausted every scientific experiment you can think of and checked all the plumbing and there simply is nothing coming up but these people are still giving you accounts of things that have happened to them, then you owe it to them to find out why. That’s why they called you.
If you can find out the history of a location, you will likely find out why it’s haunted. If you can’t find out exactly why, you may at least be able to verify that it is.
My mother lived in a house in Enid, Oklahoma when I was a baby and things happened to her all the time. She would come home and the recliner would be turned facing the wall. Knick-knacks would be moved from where she put them, the lights would come on, the cabinet doors would open – you know, classic haunted house stuff. One night she was awakened to find herself half way off of her bed, as if she had been dragged off of it. All the lights in the house were on and all the cabinet doors and drawers were open. Buffy, our fearless St. Bernard, was cowering under the dining room table whimpering like a baby. She took me from my crib and got the heck outta Dodge and moved out the next day.
About 20 years later, she was working at the employment office when a gentleman came to her desk with his paperwork. As she was going through his papers, she saw the address. It was the same address as the house I was just telling you about. She says, “Oh, I used to live in that house about 20 years ago,” and the guy says, “Really… anything weird ever happen to you there?” So they exchange stories and it turns out this guy is having things happen, too.
Well, I always thought this was a great creepy story so one night I’m relaying it to a few friends. I say the address and one of my friends starts completely freaking out. After he settles down he proceeds to tell me, “We always deliver medicine to the old lady that lives there and she is always going on about how the devil lives in her house and we always just thought she was crazy!”
So, you see, there are three stories from three totally unrelated people over the span of several years, of things happening to them in this same house. Do we know why the house is haunted? No. But with three stories like that, I think we can safely say that it is haunted.
This example is why it is so very important to know the history of the location you are investigating. Corroborating stories are more validation to me than an orb in a picture or a crazy EMF reading any day.
So this brings us to “How do I find out the history?” Well, that’s not nearly as easy as waltzing through a place with a bunch of gear that squawks and beeps and flashes, but in the end will be much more impressive, not to mention fulfilling for you as an investigator. People are impressed with intelligence and if you can show that you have done your homework, you will likely gain more credibility for that than for having more crap on your tool belt than someone else.
If you are a credible investigator at all, you will have a very lengthy and in depth questionnaire you’ll use to interview your clients with. Once you have talked with them ad nauseam and you have determined that their troubles are not the cat knocking things over, the pipes rumbling, or the medication they’re taking, then you can begin your quest.
Remember when you were a kid and you thought it would be cool to be like Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys or even Sherlock Holmes? Well, here’s your chance because being a Paranormal Investigator is much like being a private investigator. You have to be very observant of everything in the location and even the actions of the owners. You will have to be able to purvey the scene, interview witnesses, dig for clues, and follow those clues until you find the answer, just like a detective. I would say luckily, you don’t have to have a PI license to do this, but you know, sometimes I think you should because that would cut down on a lot of idiots out there yelling “Ghost” every time they get an orb, but I digress…
The first thing you need to do on your hunt to uncover the past is take good notes. Look for anything that denotes a particular era – pictures, certificates, scrapbooks, photo albums, etc. See if they have any pictures of the location as it looked originally. Sometimes buildings and homes change considerably over the years and these changes might prove to be pertinent to your investigation on down the road. Ask the owner what history they know, if any. Ask them if they have the abstract of the location. The abstract will have all the deeds and mortgages and documents pertaining to the property in it and you can find out a lot from an abstract, such as any changes or additions to the property over the years and people involved in buying or selling it.
Ask the occupants what they know about their neighbors. Find out if any of them have been there for a while. They may not know much about the neighbors and the neighbors might not seem to know a lot either, but Mrs. Cravitz across the street might be able to recall some minute thing that may not seem to matter, but might be a big clue later on. Take good notes! Note anything you find out from the neighbors!
Now, being in the legal field for the last several years, I have learned how to find a lot of things out that people don’t really know about or think about. There are several online search engines that you can subscribe to and would probably be a wise investment if you plan to do a lot of research. There’s also a social security death index online that can be helpful. But for the real nitty gritty research, you’re going to have to get off your butt and actually do some legwork.
Your local courthouse can be a plethora of information. If you can’t get your hands on the abstract, go to the deeds office and look up the address and you can find every deed that has ever been done on that property. Deeds reflect who owns the land and you should be able to tell from the different deeds whether improvements such as houses, etc. have been made on the land. Also note that the deed will just tell you who owned or owns a piece of property – it won’t tell you if someone else rented it. But you can find that out, too. You can also find out who pays the taxes on the property by contacting the Assessor’s office. This information should all be public record. You can find out a lot about a piece of property from the Assessor’s office and I have never had an experience where they weren’t happy to answer any of my questions. All of this is free – the only thing that will cost you is copies. Everything that is in the abstract should be available at the deeds office; it just won’t be all in one handy book like an abstract.
Another thing you might ask for while at the deeds office is to look at the plat of the location. A plat is a plan, map or chart of a city, town or section, usually on land that has been subdivided, indicating boundaries and borders of individual properties. Each lot is identified by number and letter. Lot dimensions are noted. It may also include features such as building locations, water pipes, sewer lines, vegetation, topography, etc. This can show you what was originally in that location and the layout of the property surrounding it. You might also be able to check with the local code or zoning office and see if they have any permits for building improvements or renovations on the property you are investigating – these might have names on them you need or even might tell you about a stairwell or attic that’s been walled up.
To find out who has actually lived in the house you can access the city’s City Directory. Most cities have these and they are normally available at the library or the city offices. Some people call them a Criss-Cross directory also because you can look things up by address, name, or phone number and they’re all cross-referenced. These are great tools in locating people, past or present. They come out once a year and you should be able to get a hold of them fairly easily.
The city utility office is another place you can check for past residents. They are usually very accommodating if you tell them you are doing historical research on the house. I don’t think I’ve ever been told they couldn’t give me that information.
Once you have a good list of names of previous residents, then you can start trying to contact them. I have found that a letter is much less scary for someone to receive than a phone call out of the blue, by a complete stranger, asking them about ghosts. A letter will give them time to process what you are actually saying to them and to do some research on you to determine whether you’re sincere and credible, or a total loon. If they decide you’re a loon, you’re pretty much out of luck and they will probably throw away your letter or save it and show it to their friends saying, “Look what I got in the mail from this loon!” and you’ll never hear a word from them. Or they might be afraid of appearing like the loon and not say anything at all. Or you could get really lucky and they will call you with their stories.
If you don’t hear anything from the previous residents, don’t get discouraged. Go to the graveyard. Not literally, but start digging through the obituaries. Most libraries have a database of some kind of all the obituaries. You can probably access them on microfilm. Genealogy groups are also a good resource and most communities have them and they are always willing to help people, given you don’t blurt out what you’re doing, or they may think you’re loony. Cemetery associations also should have records of every person buried in the cemeteries and they may be another place to check with.
If someone died of unnatural causes, there will likely be a newspaper article on it and if you search the dates surrounding the death, you might come up with a story or two about the occurrence.
If the person died from a crime, there will be a police report, which you should be able to obtain relatively easily from your local police department. Now with everything being available online, many court districts have court documents available online. You would need to find out their location on the net and then you can search by name to see if anyone has any documents filed in the court system. If you have the name of a murderer, you can probably get copies of things like a probable cause affidavit, which basically outlines the crime committed and you will get a lot of details from that. We were working on a home where a heinous murder took place and we were able to obtain a copy of the probable cause affidavit and the information sheet the state filed and we culled several details from those basic documents. We found out where the bodies were discovered, who all the witnesses were, all kinds of things that related directly to the haunting. We were also able to go online to the Department of Corrections and look up the killer – which doesn’t necessarily pertain to the haunting directly, but it was interesting and a name might be relevant to the haunting in the long run.
It would also probably behoove you to become chummy with the local police department. With this particular house I mentioned, we were able to get a walk through with the detective that worked the scene when it happened. He was able to give us a lot of background and the facts of the case, which was pretty exciting because we had all grown up hearing about this murder and over the years the stories grow and change and you never know the truth, so it was cool that he was able to give us the true story and details that we wouldn’t have otherwise known. Of course, if the crime was a long time ago, this might not be something that’s possible, but if it is, take advantage of it.
Some counties and towns have their own history books. My county has a huge two volume set that was put together by the local historical society in the 80’s and it was done by gathering stories and histories from families throughout the county. I use these in my research of local ghost towns and they are one of my most prized and priceless resources, so check with your local historical society or museum and see if they have such a creature, because if they do, you will feel like you have totally hit the jackpot once you start going through it and realizing how much information is in those kinds of books.
If, after you have exhausted all these ideas, you just can’t get one thing to make sense, then I would say to go ahead and document everything the client is telling you, conduct your technical investigation, and provide them with a copy of the report. Have them keep a journal of any further occurrences. Perhaps by documenting everything well, your information may be able to help the next person that lives there. Someone may remember something later on that will make sense to someone and they may call you back. Check back with them periodically to keep track of whatever’s happening there.
As I mentioned earlier, being armed with knowledge is much more impressive than being armed with a bunch of gadgets and you should be well armed now that you know how to conduct a proper historical investigation. It may sound like a lot of work, but you’ll be glad in the long run that you did it and your clients will have a lot more respect for you knowing you worked hard to truly research their problem. I’ve met people that have written books and books on the history of haunted places and have made a great living based on their knowledge of history of haunted places, but I have yet to meet one successful author or investigator that’s successful because he had the biggest tool belt and the most expensive meters.
The paranormal has become quite a hot topic over the past few years and a lot of that is due to television. There are mixed feelings about the effect of television on the paranormal field. On one hand, it has made it much more mainstream and acceptable. People are much more open to talking about their ghostly encounters these days and tourism is booming when it comes to locations with haunted history.
On the other hand, it has everyone thinking they can run out and buy some gear and hunt ghosts. What happens then is that people become reckless, often times scaring the bejesus out of innocent property owners by telling them they have a house full of demons when in truth they have crappy plumbing. People see all these “as seen on TV” gizmos and think they have all the answers to the afterlife.
If you watch much paranormal television, you will see several different gadgets, thingamajiggys, and do-dads used to “detect ghosts”. Some of the gadgets go so far as to actually print “The Ghost Meter” on them.
There’s the EMF Meter, the KII Meter, the Tri-Field Meter, the digital voice recorder, the Ovilus, the thermal imaging camera and so on and so on…
The truth of the matter is none of these electronic goodies detect ghosts. These gadgets detect changes in the atmosphere. It is theorized that when a ghost is present, there are changes in the atmosphere, however, the existence of ghosts has yet to be proven, so this is all really conjecture and somewhat educated – and more often than not, uneducated – guess work.
People that want to start up their own paranormal investigation teams often say they will do it once they can afford all the equipment. I’m here to tell you, the only equipment you need is a camera, digital or 35 mm, a video recorder, a tape recorder, a flashlight, a notebook, and the most important and least expensive piece – good old common sense.
A lot of paranormal enthusiasts get irritated at groups that always seem to be “debunking” hauntings. It’s just not nearly as fun as having a bona fide haunted house. Debunking is not a negative thing. It’s the responsible thing to do. For example, if you are examining a haunting and the occupant is complaining of sleeplessness or “seeing things” and you notice their bedroom is full of electronics such as televisions, DVD players, CD players, alarm clocks, lamps, etc., it could very simply be that they have too many electronics in their bedroom and not ghosts at all. High levels of EMF have been found to cause hallucinations among other physical ailments. Of course, if you go into that room with your Ghost Meter, it’s going to go crazy. The occupant’s issues will likely cease upon removing all the EMF from the area where they sleep.
My partner had a similar case where the occupants were complaining of the baby not being able to sleep and other odd things taking place around their house. She noticed that all of the switch plates were metal. She had them rearrange the baby’s room and told them they needed to contact an electrician. It turned out their house was not grounded and there were all sorts of EMF being emitted into the rooms. Once the electrical issues were fixed, there were no more “ghosts”.
Now, yes, I did say a camera was an item you want to have in your ghost hunting arsenal. But you need to know how to use it properly. There are a lot of paranormal folks that will swear those orbs they get in their photos are ghosts. Well, they obviously didn’t get the memo. It has been scientifically proven that most orbs captured on digital cameras are caused by dust, reflections, bugs, moisture, smoke, etc. If you don’t believe me, run your finger over a door ledge and snap a picture – you will get a ton or orbs. Coincidentally, there’s an awful lot of dust being stirred up in some of the abandoned locations and cemeteries. It’s also interesting to point out that before digital cameras came along there weren’t nearly as many orb pictures as there are these days. I am not an expert photographer by any means, but when one person wrote to Canon to inquire about orbs, this is what they were told:
“We have checked your camera and are happy that the camera meets all design specification. The problem you have been experiencing is due to a phenomenon not associated with the camera.
When a picture is taken and reviewed afterwards, circular spots may be noticed on the picture. The problem does not occur with every picture. Additionally, the spots are randomly positioned throughout the picture. Highest concentration is in areas closest to the flash unit when the picture was made.
The cause of the problem is common to a lot of digital cameras with small CCDs, not just the Canon digital cameras. Such digital cameras have a greater depth of field compared to 35mm cameras, due to their smaller focal distance. This in even higher degree when the camera is set to wide angle.
Because of the above, small dust particles, droplets of water, etc., drifting in the air close to the camera and not within depth of field for normal 35mm cameras, are within depth of field for digital cameras. Under normal circumstances this is not too big a problem, as these are very small.
When flash is used, its light illuminates these dust particles or water droplets, and these therefore show up and are extremely obvious on pictures taken. The problem is worsened, because the flash unit is positioned close to the lens barrel.
Due to the setup and operation of digital cameras using small CCDs (charge coupled device), there is nothing that can be done about this phenomenon. You can take some measures though, to prevent this problem from occurring as much as is possible.
Switch off flash in environments where there are likely to be small dust particles or water droplets in the air. To compensate for this lack of flash, you can increase the ISO value on your digital camera if this feature is available on your camera.
Use an external slave flash unit further away from the camera and partially cover the camera’s flash. These units are not available from Canon, but there are third party companies producing such units. Make sure a slave flash unit is chosen which can also be set to synchronize with the second flash as used by Powershot cameras. With Powershot cameras, the first flash is used to measure, the second is the actual flash.”
(Copyright Canon – no attempt to infringe copyright)
This is not to say that nothing supernatural ever gets captured on a digital camera. This is also not to say that orbs are never anomalous. There are strange things sometimes captured on cameras, but the sensible thing to do is to have them analyzed and not just assume it’s ghostly.
One of the new toys in the paranormal world is a gizmo called the Ovilus. It’s also referred to as digital dowsing. It’s a device that creates phonetic speech from the environment. It is pre-programmed with a set of 512 words that sometimes coincidentally make sense in certain places. Each word is assigned a number and when the EMF changes, the words are spoken. It’s very random. Since EMF is not ghosts, I think it’s pretty safe to say the words generated from this device aren’t coming from ghosts either. Is it interesting and entertaining? Sure. Is it ghosts talking to you? Not likely.
I am pointing these things out because it’s all too easy to get caught up in all the hype of technology and throw common sense out the window. People think they’re being “scientific” with these gadgets but without an incredibly good working knowledge of the technology behind them, they are in reality being reckless and ignorant.
All of these items can enhance an investigation if the operators are educated about them and understand the margin for error and realize that they are not in fact detecting ghosts with them. It’s not necessary to break the bank getting these things, though, if you’re seriously looking into investigating.
I contend that a good amount of common sense and a library card are the best pieces of “equipment” you can have – and they’re both free. – Tammy
Imagine yourself as a child. Your mother has asked you to fetch something from the cellar. You don’t like the cellar. Your mother thinks it’s nonsense and your brother will make fun of you (even though you know he hates it, too!) so you grudgingly head that way. You pick up the flashlight and turn the knob to the door that opens into the musty darkness. The cool air greets you but you’d rather suffer the heat than go down there. Your weak flashlight beam finds the wooden steps and you begin the long descent into the black, praying something doesn’t reach between the open steps and grab you by the ankles, dragging you into the cellar and feasting on your flesh. You hurry down the rickety steps as quickly as you safely can, fetch the jar of green beans and take the steps two at a time until you reach the top where you slam the door, leaning against it, thankful you made it out alive, your heart beating wildly…
Or perhaps you’re lying in your bed. The moonlight shines through the window just enough for your desk and toys to be nothing more than dark shapes. You notice your closet door is open. It’s just a teeny bit, but still… That china doll you hate but feel obligated to keep because it was a gift from your Great Aunt Ethel is in there. You know once you start to drift off to sleep it will come to life and attack you. You just know it. But now you’re too scared to get up and close the door because everyone knows you can’t put your feet down after dark – who knows what’s under the bed? So you lie there, too scared to get up and too scared to go to sleep. Finally, you get up the nerve so you bound as far from the bed as possible, run to the closet, slam it shut, and jump back onto the bed, keeping a safe distance from anything that might be able to reach you from underneath it, your heart beating wildly…
I recently came across the photographic works of Joshua Hoffine. He sets up his shoots just like a movie set complete with makeup, costumes, and realistic scenery and props. The children in the photos are his and while several people have questioned that particular judgment, the kids love doing it. They realize it’s all pretend. However, the emotions these photos elicit are quite real. He covers it all from the monster under the bed to the thing under the cellar stairs.
His pictures made me think about fear and what scares people. What scared you as a kid? Something under the bed? A long, dark hallway? Being abandoned? Spiders? Clowns? The ever so slightly opened closet at night? The dark in general? Ghosties?
I asked this question to several people and the responses were colorful and varied. The fears mentioned most often were under the bed, the closet door being open, clowns, spiders, and intruders. There were also completely random ones like moths, birds, needles, aliens, and bridges. A lot of people are scared of dolls or ventriloquist dummies, too. In truth, most of us are still a little scared of these things even as adults. We probably don’t realize it, but when we think back to times gone by we still shudder at the thought of many of these things and can easily recall the terror they caused us as kids.
As a paranormal investigator, I spend a lot of time in what would be considered scary places. Most of them are dark with spiders, snakes, birds, bats, and other creepy crawlies. Most of them are the scenes of some type of tragedy, deep sorrow, or death, with the likelihood of ghosts. We spend the night in places most people wouldn’t venture into in the daylight. So what causes some people to get an adrenaline rush from being scared and others to quake in their boots? Some people would just as soon never see a scary movie, never had any fears growing up, and would never, ever go on a paranormal investigation to a supposedly haunted place yet some people yearn to be terrified. Carolyn Palmer, a psychology professor at Vassar College, said that some situations tie into our need to master threatening situations because anytime we master something, we get a thrill from that sense of control and the closer we get to not being in control, the greater the thrill.
Now, most paranormal investigators will tell you they investigate to find the “truth” or to prove that ghosts exist. If you ask just about any investigator what got them interested in investigating the paranormal, most of them will tell you it’s because of an experience they had and they want to know “why.” This is very noble, but in reality, I believe a lot of us do it for the sheer thrill of being in a spooky situation. Some people are simply fascinated with scary things and the thrill we get from experiencing them. Would I love to prove the existence of ghosts? Certainly. But until then, I will just enjoy hanging out with the spiders in the dark spooky hospitals and prisons. So there you have it – the reason I like to investigate the paranormal is simply because I love being scared. I’m a sucker for spooky places and scary movies. I love the thrill of a good spook house. I scream and clap my hands with delight at the same time. Crazy? Maybe a little. Stephen King explains the need to be scared as a sane way of expressing the insanity we all have – he likens it to feeding the inner “gators” – as long as we keep them fed, they don’t come to the surface.
I related to several of the same fears everyone else listed. One that a couple of people talked about that was also depicted in one of Hoffine’s pictures was nuclear war, or the end of the world. When I was young, the movie “The Day After” came out and nuclear war was a popular subject. I was terrified of dying that way and I was terrified of what it would be like if I didn’t die. The above scene with the closet door and china doll – not made up! I had a doll that scared me to death, but I couldn’t get rid of it. I think part of me was scared it would come back. I would lie there and fret until I finally got the nerve to close the closet door. Take a look at Hoffine’s pictures and let me know what scared you – or still does. Granted, as we grow up our real fears change a bit – things like not being able to pay the bills or losing a child, but I think you will be surprised when you think about it that some of those childhood fears are still lurking there, just under the bed…
First – the fun – tonight on Ghost Divas Live we’ll be talking with 