Читать книгу Ghosthunting Michigan - Helen Pattskyn - Страница 13

Spotlight On: The Motor City Ghost Hunters

Last September I visited the Whitefish Point Lighthouse and Shipwreck Museum. Just as I was pulling in, the Motor City Ghost Hunters were pulling out. But before they could hit the road for the long trek back home, Beth, the housekeeper for the Crew Quarters at Whitefish Point, introduced us. I couldn’t have met with a nicer or more knowledgeable group of people.

As I was wrapping up the last details of this book, I got back in touch with John, who is both the team’s leader and founder, to thank him again for taking the time to talk with me that day back in September and to ask permission to use some of the information from their website to put together a “Team Profile” for my book. He graciously gave me the go-ahead and filled me in on some of the things they’ve been up to since the last time we spoke.

Probably the most exciting news is that when the Ghost Hunters were going over their footage from Whitefish Point, they realized they’d caught what looks like an apparition on tape. Fox News ran the clip; it can also be seen on both the Ghost Hunters’ website and on YouTube. John told me the footage has been turned over to SyFy’s Fact or Faked for further investigation—but he was there that night and assured me that there was nothing “fake” about it. Not that I thought there might be. The Ghost Hunters may be believers in the paranormal, but they will always look for logical explanations first.

John said he and his teammates have been on investigations pretty much every weekend since September and have a lot more planned for the coming year, including visits to the Mansfield State Prison, Yankee Air Museum, and, of course, their annual visit to Whitefish Point. Also included in their busy schedule are a number of educational talks at local libraries, as well as a special event just for children who are interested in learning more about the paranormal.

John told me that he and his team always put children first, and any request for an investigation where kids are involved will always get top priority. “It’s about letting people know they don’t have to be afraid, especially in their own home or business,” he said. The sentiment is echoed by every other member of the team. That desire to ease people’s fears is what drives these folks to give up their weekends and free time, because none of them are paid for what they do—yet they give up countless hours and spend no small amount of money on equipment. Having talked to them at length the day we met and speaking to John again on the phone, it was easy to see why the Motor City Ghost Hunters are so well respected.

John is a licensed mechanical contractor with certification in microbial pest management. In other words, he’s pretty good at figuring out if what seems to be a ghostly phenomenon is “real” or if it can easily be explained away as something related to the structure of a building. Like many of his teammates, he has been interested in the paranormal for most of his life.

One of the other members I met at Whitefish Point was Chass. Like John, she’s married with children and has experienced a number of things in her life that couldn’t be easily or scientifically explained. Chass joined the team after the Motor City Ghost Hunters conducted an investigation in her home.

I also met lead investigator and case manager Kellie, who describes herself as both a “true believer” and a bit of a skeptic. Her educational background is in social science.

Of course, with more than two dozen team members, it would be impossible to mention them all, or even the half dozen or so I was fortunate to meet at Whitefish Point. What I can say is that I look forward to seeing them again; I’ve been invited to join them on an investigation and have every intention of accepting that invitation as soon as time allows.