This is one of our very first cases in a private home, many years ago. The original person that we did the investigation for had two career changes and has since moved out of state. It’s amazing to look back and see the case. The filing system was still new and I did not keep a date on this. — Ed.
Paranormal investigation can be a tricky thing. Results often vary from the positive signs of manifestation to the flat line readings of a “null” hunt. However, not all investigations are quite so cut and dry. Several fall into a middle category, showing signs of unusual energies but none of the other hallmarks of ghostly intrusion.
Late in 2000, one of the first SPIRITS investigations brought the team to the home of two sisters residing on the edge of downtown St. Petersburg. They lived in an apartment constructed out of a renovated old house, an eclectic mix of old style masonry merged with modern construction. Walking to their area, the small team noticed the cherubim statuary around the house had been decapitated; it was truly an eerie sight.
Inside the apartment, the sisters proved to be good hostesses. However, there was a tangible shift in the atmosphere, immediately sensed by all three investigators. The place seemed heavy and dark, despite the presence of a big bounding blonde dog and colorful Christmas lights hung on the door.
EMF was recorded, but could easily be explained as a large circuitry box was stationed outside. Temperature fluctuations were at a minimal. Photographs showed only trace amounts of haunting activity, mostly auras and possible odd shadows. EVP attempts caught the ticking of the clock, and no other sounds.
Yet, during the interview, the women described symptoms classically associated with ghosts: a shadowy presence, abnormal and antisocial behavior by the otherwise friendly dog, and strange noises that couldn’t be explained. During the interview, one teammate even sensed the presence of energy in an area where, revealed later that night, the ladies explained they captured odd images in photographs.
For the SPIRITS, nothing manifested on the first or second visit, but the sensations associated with the place were too hard to dismiss. Several believed it was the tension created by the sisters, both young, as they struggled day to day with jobs, school, and relationships that attracted the entities. It fell into the “maybe” category. Before any further research was done, the sisters moved their separate ways out of the apartment.
In the spring of 2002, a larger SPIRITS team set in for a new investigation. Three apartments in a single building on Horatio Street reported strange happenings. The first attempt was scrapped as one distraught SPIRITS member’s car alternator died on the way to Tampa. The individuals who did arrive that night decided to reschedule the investigation for later. Nothing was discussed of the potential activities, though a couple of people correctly sensed areas of reported haunting activities.
The return visit allowed everyone access to all three apartments. One hosted the spirit of the woman’s deceased grandmother, who had formerly acted as the building manager. At night, she would wake to the sounds of shuffling feet or the grandmother’s call for help when, in life, she fell in the kitchen, breaking a hip. Another had utensils disappear and reappear, cold breezes, and smelled perfume. From time to time an abnormally dark area manifested late at night. The third had the simple sensation of a presence sitting down on her bed as she rested.
The building, itself, consisted of tenants who had lived there for a number of years, but this record mingled with a high number of tenant deaths. A couple died in traffic fatalities, one died from choking. Those who remained knew each other well; few moved out, and those who did eventually returned.
Again, unusual amounts of EMF were picked up through the building, but EVP sessions were negative. Temperatures did not fluctuate, and only one orb image appeared. Some who considered themselves normally sensitive felt very little during the investigation, other than an occasional sense of an entity that quickly faded again. Only one orb image appeared out of all the photographs and video taken, though it was captured in an area of some haunted activtiy. What could be said for the investigation and what about the sensations from the first visit? Until the SPIRITS do a secondary visit, this falls into an intermediate category.
It is always interesting to investigate beings that fall “somewhere in the middle” of life and death. Yet, inquiries become more complicated when entities act in ways that elude understanding. However, this does pique curiosity and keeps paranormal explorers intrigued. It also allows for continued definition of the afterlife, the possibility of its existence, and brings life to the age-old question “What really happens to us when we die?” One day, it’s an answer we’ll all come to know. (734)(The motorcycle at the far right
is the one the home owner’s son
saw move on its own).