January 2001 (Recheck April 2, 2002 & December 9, 2006)
St. Petersburg, Florida
Home owner information:
April 3, 2002: Vina (resident in home investigated), post ghost hunt: At approximately 10:24 this morning, the pugs started to whine. I thought it might be because they were on the deck as I worked in the house, and they were bored. I got up to give them some bread (distraction). As I went out into the living room, I saw this floating wisp of smoke….very similar to incense. I looked around, because it’s 10:30, I have been home alone since 7:30 this morning, I do not burn incense often, and never in this part of the house, I had not burned any in the house for months. I looked around, and there was NO incense burning. The front window was open, but nothing was smoking, and the window let in a nice breeze. This patch was about two inches wide, and floated IN PLACE for a moment, despite the breeze. I looked away to find the incense, and check the window, and it was gone. I got a chill (could just be me, though), and said, “If this is “you”, (any potential entity) then where were you last night? I only got some light orb images! But, that’s OK.” I smiled and went out to give the pugs their bread, came back, no smoke. The chair was reflecting some light, but I am certain this was a 3-D patch of smoke about 5 feet above the table, slightly in front of it (towards the TV!) Time: 10:24 (made note, still haven’t walked, and need to do so before I eat!)
I called SPIRITS and the contact told me that she had just had a similar experience with her cat, Angel (SP?), and she was writing it down just as I called. (About 10:30 by my clock, 10:27 by hers). The SPIRITS member had noted her cat, who was sitting behind her on the chair, looked back and forth from window to wall. She called to her cat “What do you see? What is going on?” but Angel did not look up at the voice. She did look at her for the third question (How many are coming in?) The cat looked a couple more times, then stopped. No incident since then.
History of the home and activity:
House built in 1945, several families have lived in it, including a succession of adult children and parents. 2 bedroom 1 bath house that underwent construction in several different phases. In one, the deck was enclosed into a dining room. In another, a third large bedroom was added. The current family had much of the house remodeled, especially in the third bedroom, upon moving in 10 years ago this April. In 1975, the son of one of the house’s former owners committed suicide by shooting himself in the garage. He shot himself with the door open, an act witnessed by several neighbors. The garage, allegedly, was used for an illegal casino for a time by later home owners.
Reports of activity include: Unusual dreams by Vina, accompanied by movement of blinds in one window (same window each time). Vina was uncomfortable in her mother’s bathroom, particularly taking a bath, for the first few years of living in the home. She does not feel she is closterphobic, and could not account for the sensation of feeling smothered. Images seen out of the corner of her eye, particularly of “white ladies” crossing in the area of her bedroom closet and bathroom. The sensation of being “nagged” if working late in the house on a computer by a “hag” entity. When she first moved in, Vina dreamed an entity that looked like her mother (though pastel in color, and without a face) stood at the foot of her bed and watched her three times over the first 9 months, then said “goodbye” and left. The entity has not been seen since. She has heard someone say “hello” to her, heard what she thought was her mother calling her, though her mother had not. She has had a series of dreams about ghosts in the house. Her grandmother, upon dying, came to her in the form of an aroma and a sense of calmness to say “goodbye.” However, photographs do not pick up any unusual images, and the SPIRITS prior investigation found little activity. Two people outside of her family, however, also reported seeing smokey figures in her home.
Vina lives in a back bedroom/bathroom; her mother stays primarily in the other end of the home.
Investigation Notes:
EMF found in Vina’s mother’s bedroom. Orb images appeared. However, much of the EMF was attributed to two electric panels on either side of the walls of the bedroom. The panels seemed to create an EMF current between the two of them and were in nearly a direct line to one another.
Strange atmosphere in garage, with small to no EMF. Orb images appeared in the garage.
Rainbow images in apartment, and slight EMF was detected, though lights and electrical appliances had been turned off.
Signs of construction in the area next to the kitchen. Vina and her mother had never seen this before, and did not know what had been there. Whatever it was was prior to their moving in.
The day after the hunt, Vina reported seeing a puff of smoke in the living room (as she got up to investigate why her pugs, on the deck, were whining). The smoke did not come from any source that Vina could find, and hovered in the air, about 5 feet over the coffee table, for 3-5 seconds. Vina scanned the room to see if she could determine what might have created the smoke, but when she looked back at the puff it had vanished. She spoke out loud, asking the potential entity where it had been the night before during the ghost hunt.
The following day, while sitting and working in the study, she thought she heard a voice whisper that this was “her room”….as in, the entity’s former bedroom.
Additional Research: Interviewing the Neighbors —
04/06/02 Interview with Dawn, the woman who lives in the house across the alley directly behind Vina’s home. The woman has lived here since the late 60’s.
House info: The man who died on property was tall and thin. He had dark brown hair when younger, but it did turn gray. He did shoot himself. He was very angry and in an anagonistic relationship with his mother. He opened the garage door (outside) before killing himself. Dawn said she saw him in the garage, heard the shot. He “crumpled like a garbage bag”….was wearing green, she remembered.
Overall, he and the mother were described as being like siblings, and he HATED being her caretaker.
His mother was frail, thin, blonde, and looked like all the color had been washed out of her. (“Very thin, almost transparent”).
Note: The “hag” image described in interview also was a pale white woman, with bony hands, long thing hair, thin features, and stooped.
In the corner of the narthex by the kitchen were indications that something had been removed from the ceiling and wall. It was a curio cabinet. She displayed her glassswares in it.
Note: Interesting that the family currently displayes an antique glasswear cabinet, filled with depression glass, there now.)
Dawn remembered that the son was a night person, whereas the mother was not. According to Dawn, “You hardly ever saw her (mom) at night.” It was also something the two bickered about.
Note: Interview statements include Vina feeling nagged at night by the hag for “staying up to late….” This particularly happened around 11 pm to 1 am. The sensations are akin to simply being glared at to having someone “hover” over her in impatience.
Vina and her mother also disagree about nights and mornings. Vina is a night person, Mom is a morning person.
The son died 1/3 to 1/4 towards the front (outside door) of the garage, not in the back as indicated.
Between owners, the house as leased. After the suicide, a family rented it… two sons, stepfather, mom. Stepfather was not very nice…pretty hard on the sons. Not abusive, but often put one stepson down as a “dreamer.” Dawn used to play with him and recalled that he liked dragons and magic.
She also knew the kids liked to play in the attic of the apartment (remember, there
was a loft up there, removed under the current owners, so the attic was easily accessible from the loft). The younger son loved to play in that attic and spent a lot of time there.
Evidentially, this boy also told Dawn that had seen a RED BALL OF LIGHT in the garage. His stepfather didn’t believe the boy, but Dawn did.
The stepfather moved the family out of here, much to the boy’s dismay. He died shortly
after moving. Dawn remembers being told about his death because they were so close in age (I’d estimate early teens), and she was upset someone so young should die.
Is he the male presence in the attic? Is he responsible for the “rainbow” images?
Additional research, 4/28/02
Interviewed neighbor, Adele. She moved into the area in 1973 with her mother. She remembered the lady who lived here. She recalls that the woman was slightly stooped over, perhaps with osteoperosis.
(Note: “Hag” image often reported as being stooped over by Vina).
Her mother was walking in the alley and saw the body of the son in the garage. She did not hear the gun, and did not realize he had killed himself. She thought he was drunk and passed out.
The man was very snide and offered comments to anyone walking in the alley. (Adele’s examples: What are you doing here? Trying to sneak up on me?) He was very unhappy. Adele remembered he was possibly being sued by an ex-wife. She thought he had been married twice, and that the second wife was a “gold digger” who married him for the money. She thought that she remembered the wife was also not allowing him to visit a child….
Adele described his mother as a “terrible nag” who harped on her son all of the time.
Adele remembered that the event took place in the mid-70’s but could not specify a year.
Recheck reports
Recheck notes:
04-02-02 6:30 P.M.
OBSERVATIONS:
We did not observe any unusual odors. No unusual markings on walls, ceilings or floors during the walk through.
Mother’s Bedroom
This area had high EMF readings and EMF spikes however, it was discovered that the spikes were caused because there are electrical panel on both the north & the south exterior walls of this room. There was still a feeling of a presence in this room and one digital shows a splattering of small orbs on the north wall and baseboard. There was also a digital picture that showed a large and small orb on the same wall.
Hall & Bathroom
We both sensed an energy at the door of the bathroom and into the bath area.
ATTIC
Lee opened the attic access and felt there was a shy entity there – hiding behind the chimney and peering out. He saw a wisp of smoke like incense burning. When Lee opened the attic access there was a spike in the EMF reading 2-3.5. There was another spike and drop when the access was closed. There are two digital pictures of orbs in the attic area.
Kitchen
We received several spikes in the kitchen and adjacent room but were able to explain these spikes. The spikes were due to electrical wiring.
Back Porch & Garage
This area was active with EMF and sensations. Both of us felt energy in the garage and actually felt there was pain & hurt at the back of the garage near the ceiling. The team sensitive was so overcome with bad feelings that he had to leave the area. There were digital pictures taken that showed orbs and string energy in the garage and on the door of the back porch.
Apartment
We both felt energy in this room, specifically towards the ceiling over the closet and in the attic area. The attic access was opened and Lee sensed energy from that area. Digital pictures in this area produced an orb, unexplained light over the bookcase and strange discoloration over the sink.
CAR
The car was a very curious area. One investigator felt a presence at the wheel and felt it was a young man with dark hair. There were no results from digital pictures and there were no EMF spikes.
RESIDENTS HISTORY:
Vina is very open to the paranormal and spirit realm. Her mother is not. Vina has had numerous experiences starting with the death of her grandmother.
IMPRESSION & CONCLUSION:
We did not sense any evil or dangerous situation during the investigation. However, we felt a very strong presence in the hall and attic access area. It is our opinion that there are several possibilities. We feel the entity in the attic is very young and shy and could possibly be the young child who died in the house. The garage is definitely full of anger and hate but to our surprise the man who committed suicide committed it in a different area of the garage then where we felt the preponderance of the anger. And the man used a gun but we had a feeling of a hanging. The car could quite possibly be the young artist who died in the accident – it seems to be a guiding helpful entity and seemed to be elated that we acknowledged his presence. It is also possible that the residence is on a “path” – especially seeing how there is a funeral home near by.
VIDEO & DIGITAL:
149 Digitals taken – 8 with orbs – 1 with fog – 1 string energy – 3 questionable
38 minutes of Video taken – no results
26th Avenue RECHECK: Article
Brandy Stark
Published in Bayside News
It is the nature of ghosts to be elusive. However, though challenging, it is this aspect that also makes paranormal entities so fascinating. What makes them manifest, and why?
That was the questions asked at the recent SPIRITS investigation, in which the team returned to a site explored nearly one year ago.
The area in question is the private residence of a mother, Gayle, and her daughter Vina. Gayle is open to the possibilities of the paranormal, but remains skeptical of any activity in her home. Vina, an artist, writer, and teacher, believes in the supernatural.
The SPIRITS found little activity in the prior investigation done in October 2001. The garage was the center of activity with minor EMF fluctuations and the sense of heaviness in the area.
It was Vina’s recent report of unusual activity that brought the SPIRITS back to recheck the house. In recent months, two separate individuals had reported seeing a smoky figure during visits to the home. Vina, herself, continually felt as if unseen eyes were watching her, particularly late at night.
“I noticed that during my nightly writing sessions that at 11:00 p.m. my eyes would involuntarily look at the doorway. Though I saw nothing physically, my mind’s eye saw thin, pale, stooped old woman. I sensed that she wanted me to go to bed; she didn’t like me working this late at night,” Vina explains.
With this new information, new equipment, and a few new team members, the SPIRITS returned in April to examine the house.
The area near the computer, in the exact location Vina sensed the spirit, had an attic entranceway above it. Upon entering the attic, the team sensitive immediately “saw” a smoky form recoil back, as if in surprise. Several photographs taken by different individuals also resulted in orb images in the attic.
The garage, again, proved to hold the group’s attention. The atmosphere inside the garage remains palpably different from the rest of the house, possibly because it was the site of a suicide committed in the mid-1970’s. No EMF was recorded and there were no temperature fluctuations. However, one photograph produced a light orb image in the northwest section of the garage, which subsequent research revealed was the area where the man killed himself.
Vina’s bedroom also produced surprising images. Though the power was turned off, low EMF levels persisted. The upper area of the room, above the walk-in closet, and near a second attic entranceway, produced rainbow-like auras that have appeared at other haunted locations.
Intensive interviews were conducted with neighbors who had lived near the home and had contact with prior owners. They verified that one prior homeowner was an older lady, often heard arguing with her son who often worked late at night. Her physical description matched Vina’s image: she was tall, thin, and very pale. One neighbor described her as being “so white that she looked washed out.”
The interviews revealed that at least one other set of residents reported activity in the garage. After the suicide a family of four, mother, stepfather, and two teenage sons rented the house. One neighbor, who was also a teenager at the time, played with the boys. She recalled talking with the younger son, who she described as “really into dragons and magic,” told her he saw a large red orb floating through the garage.
This same son later moved with his family out of the house. He was devastated by the move, as he was very fond of the home and loved to play in the attic area located in Vina’s room. A short time later, the boy died of unknown circumstances; a shocking revelation to the neighbors who knew him.
The SPIRITS believe there are possibly three ghosts in the home. The one in the main house is the old woman, who still shuns the night. The second, found in the garage, may be the residue energy of the man who shot himself in the garage. Vina’s room might hold the spirit of a playful boy who returned to the home he loved after death.
Now that the spirits have been caught on film, at least one seems a little less shy. The morning after the investigation, Vina reported some very strange activity. Once again working in the house, she heard her dogs whining. She got up to find out what was wrong. As she left the computer area and crossed through the living room, a small puff of smoke, suspended five feet in the air next to the coffee table, caught her eye.
The windows were closed; Vina was home alone. It did not move with the air currents created by the fan. Where, then, did the smoke come from?
“I stared at it for several seconds, then looked around the room to see if I could find what it might be coming from. I saw the windows were closed, before looking at the area with the smoke again. It was gone. In ten years of living here, this was the first time I have directly seen anything possibly paranormal in this house,” Vina said.
“I’ve not given up working at nights, now, but I do try to accommodate the old lady by leaving before midnight,” she adds.
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One idea that circulates in the paranormal enthusiast’s world is the notion that ghosts may appear more during holiday seasons than at any other time. There are countless stories of families gathering shortly after a love one has departed the mortal plane only to have an unusual image show up in photographs. Reports also circulate of catching the smell of perfume or cologne worn by the deceased, or of the simple manifestation of presence in the home. So, do the holidays make a difference with ghostly manifestation?
One member of the SPIRITS of St. Petersburg offered her home for an investigation and holiday party in December 2006. The home had been investigated by the team in the past. Reported phenomena included the sensation of being watched, strange behavior of animals, a mist apparition that manifested, and sensitives who picked up on the entity’s presence. The home did have one recorded suicide from the 1970s, and long-time neighbors confirmed witnessing the death. The home, however, appeared to attract at least two deceased relatives in the form of “crisis apparitions” — entities that manifest in order to pass on important information to the living before crossing over permenantly. The resident ghost may have been a prior homeowner who did not die at the site and whose presence there remains a mystery.
As a resident within the home, the SPIRITS member did not actively investigate the property. It is often recommended that paranormal investigators NOT review their homes for two reasons: 1) Providing too much attention to the entity, thus empowering it to more extreme behaviors and 2) Creating a condition of “psyching out” the investigator so that events within the home are automatically attributed to the supernatural. An investigator who is also a homeowner should bring in a team to investigate the home in order to maintain more objectivity into the phenomena and to, perhaps, maintain the home as a “safe location” for a paranormalist post investigation. Too much attention might, according to some ideologies, attract “drop in” entities into a home, thus negating it as a resting place for the investigator and perhaps introducing a dangerous supernatural entity into the household.
The party/investigation did not allow for any alcoholic drinking, as the investigator is a strict non-drinker and SPIRITS rules prohibit this behavior at a SPIRITS function. There were,, however, sugary treats, gifts, and an air of light heartedness that did match with the holidays. It was also the last offcial SPIRITS gathering for 2006.
The results are fairly interesting. Perhaps the ghost in the house felt like joining in. A presence was felt by some, pets within the home acted stranger than normal, and many orb shots were captured. While still not a big proponent of the orb, at least one shot captured a “flat bottomed orb” produced by this particular camera (all orbs appeared as “flat bottomed” for reasons unknown) in an area where investigators requested that it “stand.” “Double” and “moving” orbs were also captured on camera. One luminescent orb was captured floating over the photograph of a deceased relative (see pictures below).
The SPIRITS has continued to try to find haunted locations within which to hold a “spirited” gathering as we close out the year. In 2008, this expanded to the “SPIRITS of the Season” — a fundraising event for several St. Petersburg area charities. We wish to share our experiences with others while maintaining respect for the deceased and aiding the living in need.
We shall continue to experiment with holiday events to see if, indeed, ghosts recognize a time when family most misses them to manifest. It is a fun experiment to try, bringing out the better aspects of humanity to express love and friendship — even beyond the grave.
Investigation notes:
After the cat began to meow in an odd manner while standing at the back door, Debbie and I went out onto the deck. I asked if anyone was present to stand by the Caesar statue. The first image showed nothing. I asked again, this time pointing to the statue. This image showed up. The final shot in the series (not pictured) has a small orb over the fish tank.
–Ed’s note: Orbs are not proof. (2017). Still, the account is accurate. See image below.
