R.I.P. in the News

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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Michelle Lowe, Lead Investigator with R.I.P., will be in studio to talk about some of their paranormal findings.

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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.

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.

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.

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."

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.

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.

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.