R.I.P. in the News
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 Photo: MARIO RUIZ/Daily Herald Tom Carr of Wasatch Paranormal Investigators, center, reacts to an image on an infra-red camera monitoring the jail cell at the Hutchings Museum in Lehi late night Friday, May 30, 2008. WPI, Research Investigators of the Paranormal, and Paranormal Utah joined for a ghost hunt at the museum Friday. Sunday, 01 June 2008 Lehi is haunted - and thrilled about it Caleb Warnock - DAILY HERALD It's official: Lehi is haunted, and couldn't be more pleased. Three teams of paranormal investigators descended on Lehi's Hutchings Museum late Friday, spending the night searching for ghouls. The teams fanned out, poking into the museum's nooks and crannies with thousands of dollars of high-tech equipment, hoping to catch the voice of a ghost on tape or an image on film, or even just the electromagnetic signature of the disembodied. The museum may soon look to raise funds from the effort. "I would like to develop a ghost tour," said Valerie Mead, program director for the museum, which is city-funded. Such a tour could be given by volunteer paranormal investigators and could include the museum and historic homes and buildings within walking distance, she said. The tour would be a fundraiser for the museum. Mead said she is working on a formal proposal. "Lehi is the sixth-oldest city in Utah and has a lot of stories and has had all sorts of murders and intrigues for years," she said. Is the museum haunted? "I personally think there are good ghosts here," she said. "I've never been scared to be alone here." Not only is the museum haunted, the ghosts can be rather, er, physical, said Michelle Lowe of Key2rip.com, one of the teams that spent the night investigating: "It was interesting," she said. "We didn't expect much to happen, but we had a couple of experiences." Investigators several times heard what sounded to be "additional footsteps, like people were being followed through the basement," she said. One of the investigators was grabbed on the leg by a ghost, she said. "They were trying to debunk [the sound of extra footsteps] when it happened," she said. "It happened right down in the basement." In addition, "a shadow might have been caught on video, but we are still looking to see if it was a [camera] flash or something," she said. "They did get some voices caught on tape. It sounded like a man just kind of chattering, but they couldn't make it out clear enough to hear what they were saying. They are going to try and amplify it on the computer." The investigation, which lasted until 2 a.m., was an opportunity for ghosts to seek their 15 minutes of fame. The entire procedure was broadcast live via radio Webcast. Those interested in hearing a recording of the show can log onto www.blogtalkradio.com/residualhauntings. The team does a live investigation Webcast each week, and thousands log on to listen. Perhaps the best part of the entire night's procedure was Shadow, a live, 7-year-old great horned owl who sat in the museum lobby, hooting at regular intervals. Shadow, who is a demonstration bird often used for educational shows at the museum and other venues, is owned by Ben Woodruff of Skymasters Wildlife Foundation. "She's here for ambiance," Woodruff said with a smile. An owl is apropos because "in many cultures owls are associated with spirits or the spirit world," he said. "When you watch them, sometimes it seems like they are seeing things we are not seeing." For those who might scoff at ghost hunters who spend hours and thousands of dollars on their hobby without pay, "Thomas Edison was way into it," said Amber Mandic of Key2rip.com. "There is no 911 for ghosts and hauntings, and some people need help and don't know what to do," said Mandic. "Some people even sell their homes to get away from it." Paranormal investigators can discover the cause and give advice for getting a haunt to leave, she said. And sometimes, what looks to be a paranormal problem is actually something much simpler. On one occasion, what a homeowner was convinced was a ghost turned out to be a raccoon in the attic, said Mandic and Lowe. One another occasion, the culprit of strange noises was a bat. Sometimes, when investigators find ghosts, the homeowners are pleased, having just wanted confirmation all along that they "are not crazy," investigators said. And sometimes, homeowners want the ghosts to hit the road, the solution to which could be as simple as redecorating -- painting a haunted room pink and putting up Disney-themed decor can get rid of a surly male ghost, for instance. To view ghost photos, voice recordings and other ghost-investigation results, visit residualhauntings.info. |
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A&E | Haunting Party: Paranormal investigators compare notes in Ogden
By Christy Karras Posted 08/14/2008 Paranormal investigators from across northern Utah are joining forces in Ogden this weekend, hosting a first-ever convention to exchange information, share resources—and get together for dinner, a beer and some ghost hunting. The vibe at the Mid West Paranormal Conference promises to be like that of any gathering of misunderstood hobbyists who are as enthusiastic about the social aspect of their avocations as they are about the activity itself. Big gatherings are unusual for Utah’s ghost hunters, who typically work in small, separate groups. But they hope this one will allow them to help each other in a pursuit that involves a lot of work and little recognition. They also want to get the word out about exactly what their work entails. “Five years ago, you didn’t tell people what you did. You didn’t tell people you were a ghost investigator. Now, it’s OK to say so,” says Tom Carr, founder of Wasatch Paranormal Investigators and host (with fellow investigator Russ Larsen) of a weekly audio blog called Residual Hauntings Live. Carr and other investigators say the timing of the convention is partly because there’s been an unexplained uptick in paranormal activity during the past year or so. They’re not sure why, and they admit it could just be a result of more technology giving them more ways to capture inexplicable sights and sounds. 
During the months leading up to the convention, various groups have organized joint investigations. About 20 people from three groups recently gathered at This Is the Place Heritage Park, deploying sophisticated equipment and experienced volunteers among the site’s old buildings.
As on any research night—there’s usually too much noise and interference from the living during the day—a handful of investigators lugged wireless microphones, infared cameras and high-tech tape recorders to rooms throughout the area. As is typical, they had already researched the place’s history. After setting up equipment, they walked into rooms, cameras in hand, and politely introduced themselves, asking questions like, “Do you know you’re dead?” This is what they always do. Then, they wait. Usually, nothing happens—at least nothing anyone can see or hear. They snap hundreds of photos, piercing the darkness with flashes. “When you kill your rods and cones, you know you’re a ghost hunter,” jokes Michelle Lowe, an investigator with Research Investigations of the Paranormal (RIP, for short). Images and sounds often come later, after the researchers spend hours poring over the tapes and photos. The investigators say all the equipment—which for a hard-core investigator can add up to $20,000 or more—is as much to disprove possible sightings as to prove them. “We try to keep everything scientific, but we also have to keep an open mind,” Lowe said. No one knows, of course, what exactly these pieces of evidence represent. The most common feeling among ghost hunters is that “ghosts” are regular people who didn’t quite pass from life into wherever we go after we die, or sometimes spirits that never were mortal. In general, they say, these entities are no scarier in limbo than when they were alive. “We do this all the time, and only once in a great while will we get something really negative, that would try to cause us harm,” Carr said. This Is the Place turned out not to be among the most haunted places in Utah—at least not that weekend. Other spots are notorious, such as the old military buildings at Wendover’s airport, where investigators say they got 125 EVPs (electronic voice phenomena) in one night. Lowe says her scariest experience was in the west desert ghost town of Merkur, where she saw a woman’s face in her camera, then felt a physical force pulling her. “I hadn’t been creeped out like that for years. And then, a flash—and there was nothing there,” she said. People usually get into investigating after their own brushes with the supernatural. They don’t typically charge for their services, which makes it an expensive and time-consuming hobby they do on top of their day jobs. And Utah’s conservative dominant culture is no impediment. Quite the opposite: Many ghost hunters say their beliefs about spirits mesh nicely with Mormon doctrine about where we come from and where we’re going after we die. The investigators chose Ogden’s Union Station for their convention partly because it’s thought to be haunted. They’ll get some investigating in between speakers and seminars. Public buildings make good group outings, but investigators spend much of their time checking out private houses after residents get tired of unwanted spirits. It’s part of their quest to find evidence of the supernatural. They also do investigations, they say, to help people cope. “Sometimes we worry about mental problems with these people,” Lowe says. “Most of the time, they just want validation that they’re not crazy, that there really is something going on.” Usually, they coach people on how to make peace with their paranormal housemates. Rarely is it possible, or even desirable, to get rid of the spirits altogether. “If you start throwing holy water at a Buddhist ghost, it’s not going to help,” Lowe says. MID WEST PARANORMAL CONFERENCE Union Station, 2501 Wall Ave. Ogden Saturday, Aug. 16 from 9 a.m.–9 p.m. MidwestParaCon.com |
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02/06/08 Residual Hauntings Live Michelle and Debra are interviewed by Tom Carr and Russ Larson for their weekly exploration of the paranormal. They broadcast live on Wednesday evenings . |
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11/02/07 Good Day Utah Fox 13 News Michelle Lowe, Lead Investigator with R.I.P., will be in studio to talk about some of their paranormal findings.  |
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10/15/07 KSL Classifieds Description: Local Ghost Hunting and Paranormal group key2rip.com will be at Salt Lake City Library October 20th from 10:30am – 12noon in Conf. Room 4. They will be discussing evidence and showing photos of local Utah Haunted locations. This is a free event and the public is welcome to come share there stories and meet the crew of RIP. Also if you are interested in learning how to become a paranormal investigator, this is your chance to see if you have what it takes to join up with RIP. Time: 10:30 AMDate: Oct 20 Location: Salt Lake City Library Category: Trade & Hobby Shows Address: 210 E 400 S 84111 |
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11/02/06 The Pony Express Charlynn Anderson Two groups of ghost hunters investigated Camp Floyd State Park this year and came away with some unexplained phenomena, but no photographs of apparitions or recordings of ghostly voices according to James Boley, co-founder of Utah's Unexplained.
Investigators with Utah's Unexplained and Research Investigations of the Paranormal presented their findings at a gathering in the park at Camp Floyd on Saturday. The clear, sunny autumn afternoon in the park provided a pleasant atmosphere far-removed from the spooky subject matter of the discussions. Debunking hoaxes and exaggerated claims while documenting genuine paranormal phenomena with evidence from scientific instruments is the focus of the groups' investigations, Boley said. "Our credibility is maintained by rigorously debunking our own evidence where we can," said Rich Oliver, an investigator for Utah's Unexplained. Boley told a humorous story explaining their own observation of a growling noise they encountered and recorded in an upper room of the Stagecoach Inn at Camp Floyd. The spooky growl came from an empty room and was loud and repetitive enough to get the investigators' attention. The investigators soon discovered that vibrations caused by people walking on uneven floorboards on the stairs made a table in the room shift with a dramatic groan. "You have to be prepared for the mundane," said Boley. The investigators photographed several anomalous orbs of light at Camp Floyd, but orbs are "90 percent explainable," said lead investigator Brian Bockelmann. He said that orbs could be light reflected from swarms of bugs, dust, or even a concentration of microwave energy. Since the evidence from investigations conducted at Camp Floyd in August and September was scant this year, the paranormal investigators spent most of their presentations on general explanations of what they do, the tools they use, and weird experiences from other locations.Deborah Lowe, an investigator with Research Investigations of the Paranormal (RIP) played some dramatic recordings of electronic voice phenomena or "e.v.p.'s" from other investigations. One ghostly whisper replied "so did I" when Lowe said "Hope you have a peaceful day." They also showed photographs of apparitions "The talking was boring, but the pictures were really cool," said Braxton Panek, a young Fairfield resident. The ghost hunters document investigations by filling out detailed questionnaires including the time of day they encountered an unexplained phenomenon, lunar cycles, sun flares, flight paths of aircraft in the area, people and animals present, weather conditions, and locations and conditions in and around buildings. They use sensitive equipment including electromagnetic frequency detectors, infrared "night vision" camera lenses, supersensitive tape recorders, and infrared non-contact thermometers to document energy activity. Then they sort through the evidence for an explanation for anything out of the ordinary. |
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10/31/06 Deseret Morning News Alison Snyder FAIRFIELD — The ghost hunters gather between two twisted black willow trees, standing ready to present evidence of beings they've seen, voices they've heard — things they know to be true. Michael Brandy, Deseret Morning NewsAspen Brinkerhoff plays around paranormal research displays Saturday at Camp Floyd Stagecoach Inn State Park. Camp Floyd — the site of the abandoned and buried Johnston's army post and an old, creaky Stagecoach Inn — echoes the memories of lonely soldiers and travelers from times past. It's a ghost hunter's paradise. And as the golden leaves fall from the ancient willow trees, these ghost hunters tell tales of a connection to a world beyond death. Members of the group RIP, short for Research Investigations of the Paranormal, came to Camp Floyd to find out if it was really haunted. They tried the old schoolhouse first and caught an orb, what looks like a ball of light, on film. In the old cemetery they caught an EVP, or an electric voice phenomenon, on tape. In their opinion, Camp Floyd is definitely haunted. They presented their findings, as well as more otherworldly experiences, on Saturday at Camp Floyd. "We are surprised at what we catch at the times we don't expect it," said Deborah Lowe, co-founder of RIP. "We catch things in the comings and goings and the trippings and dropping equipment, things like that." What may seem to some people like air simply flowing past the microphone is communication from the next stage of life to these ghost hunters. They hear voices in the recordings — from a little girl saying "we believe the things we hope" to a ghastly re-creation of a nightmare from a horror movie howling, "avenge your murder — KILL!" Members of Utah's Unexplained, another paranormal research and assistance group, also came to Camp Floyd to seek out the haunted. April Page, one of the co-founders of the group, said that as she went through the old military commissary building and looked at a reproduction of a soldier's uniform, she made a note on her analog tape recorder that it was a very nice reproduction. When the group went back to listen to the tape, they could hear someone mimicking her in a coarse whisper: "REPRODUCTION." Both groups are quick to emphasize their findings are based on "We're a very scientifically based research organization," said James Boley, co-founder and photographer for Utah's Unexplained. "When we come, we're looking for scientific evidence, whether it be photographs, EVPs, video — something that can have undeniable proof of something being paranormal." He said the group also likes debunking even more than collecting evidence. The group had just entered a room on the creaky second floor in the Stagecoach Inn when Boley heard a growl from the corner of the room. As the group evaluated potential sources for the sound, they discovered a floorboard was causing a table to shake and it sounded exactly like a growl. "If you stare down a dark hallway long enough, you're going to end up seeing things," said Brian Bocklemann, case manager and lead investigator for the group. However, both groups say their ultimate goal is to help people conquer their fears, real or imagined. "We don't think people should go through this life scared and afraid, especially of things that really shouldn't have fears behind them," said Michelle Lowe, co-founder of RIP and Deborah Lowe's sister. "For the most part, there's nothing to fear." |
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10/06 Utah Valley Events Camp Floyd State Park and Museum, in conjunction with the Research Investigation of the Paranormal and UTAH'S UNEXPLAINED Paranormal Research & Assistance Group, have recently attempted to answer the question is Camp Floyd haunted? Both paranormal investigation groups visited the park last September, and conducted two investigations of paranormal activity at Camp Floyd. They will present their findings at a program Saturday, October 28 at Camp Floyd State Park beginning at 1 p.m. They gathered evidence using sound recordings, EMF meters, infrared, digital and film cameras. Visitors will have the opportunity of hearing recordings, see photographs and view other paranormal evidence gathered at this historic site. Established in 1858, Camp Floyd housed the largest concentration of U.S. troops then in the United State. The troops were sent to Utah to suppress a rumored Mormon rebellion, which never took place. The army was recalled back east in 1861 for the Civil War emergency. Donuts and apple cider will be provided after the program, along with a candy cannon for the kids. This event is free and open to the public. For more information on this event or Camp Floyd, contact the park at 801-768-8932 |
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10/19/06 Pony Express MUSEUM "HAUNTED" STUDY INCONCLUSIVE -- THE HUTCHINGS MUSEUM MAY OR MAY NOT BE HAUNTED ACCORDING TO THE RESEARCH INVESTIGATIONS OF THE PARANORMAL REPRESENTATIVES WHO PRESENTED THEIR PRELIMINARY FINDINGS AT THE LEHI MUSEUM MONDAY NIGHT. A nonprofit organization, RIP had been called into the museum on 55 N. Center St. a few days before the Haunted Museum event to search for the paranormal. Their presentation was kid friendly. "The basic thing we want people to remember is not to be afraid of ghosts," Michelle Lowe said. "We have one thing ghosts don't have. Do you know what that is?" "Bodies," shouted the children. |
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10/06 Lehi Ledger A Night at the Haunted Museum- October 16th. 5:30- 8:30. Free Admission. A Night out for the Family. Light refreshments will be served. 5:30 and again at 6:00- Halloween themed puppet show from the Max Out Puppet Troop. 7:00- 8:00pm- Pirate tales (Ben Woodruff and associated mates- around the fire – north of the museum. Make sure you bring chairs, blankets, coasts if needed. (live owls) 5:30 to 8:30- a variety of haunted tales told by creatively dressed BYU students. A new tale in each room. 6:30 and 7:00 pm – Discovery Room- learn about Ghost Hunting from real ghost hunters. Learn about what they found in the museum. |
