My name is Ray Savino, I am the founder of RTL Paranormal, located in the Hampton Roads, Va area.
Methodology:
I can’t say I have one, per say. I learn from all the great investigators out there, ask lots of questions, and then incorporate their methods
into my own. Then I take those methods, and take it a step further. Always try something new and foriegn, regardless of how ridiculous it may sound. You never know, it
might just generate an interaction with a spirit.
Favorite Haunts:
The Boxwood Inn (some awesome evps), Pinkadilly Tea (video of shadow I believe to be paranormal).
Personal Experience:
Fort Boykin: I truly believe a religous woman, took my body. I was trying to figure out why our ghost box would freeze on an very old, country religious music (guess the bible and crosses above the doors weren’t obvious, lol), and something went through me that was tranquil, loving…….almost grandmotherly. Like how you felt when when you went to see Grandma. I felt odd, for about 3-4 hours after our investigation.
Applewood B&B: Very 1st time we were in there, we went downstairs to basement. We took took 2 steps and we all heard “Get out.”
Why the Group Formed:
Well before RTL, me and and 2, others were in another group, that was lazy and not going anywhere. So we banded together and formed RTL. We want to help find answers to clients questions.
What’s Next:
Well RTL was just mentioned in Pamela K. Kinney’s new book about haunted Virginia, which is awesome. We also have a sister group formed by a great friend and paranormal investigators out there (Sue Ohlinger) in South Jersey. The next step is rise above the others with hard work, dedication, knowledge and understanding of the field. I want it so whenever a paranormalists thinks about the haunts of Virginia, all they hear is “Yeah, RTL’s been here.”
Am I a skeptic or a believer:
I am a skepti-liever….lol.
Random fact about me:
I have probably one of the most warped sense of humor on the planet….lol.
Rebecca Lynch, founder/lead of Southeastern Paranormal Investigation and Research Team of Pennsylvania (SPIRT of PA)
Explain your Methodology?
Our group operates under the methodology that all options and opinions should be explored in the effort to get the best results for our clients. This includes the scientific aspects of our field like EMF and physical recording, the psychic aspects like “feelings” and “impressions” and the “non-paranormal” aspects of a case like construction and psychology. It is our belief that only in combining all of these aspects that you will come to the best conclusion for your client.
Favorite Haunts?
Every person on our team will have a different answer to this question… I think personally mine would have to be any place where we get evidence which matches provable fact – a name, an event, etc. I also love historic sites, just because my inner history nerd loves being in places where so much happened and there is so much history!
Personal Experiences?
Again, every person will have different answers… personally, my favorites have always been the most personally impact-full – when I got a black eye in the casemates of Fort Mifflin, when I got pushed down the stairs at a private residence in Monroeville, and when we recorded an EVP calling my name.
Why was the group was formed?
Group was formed over 10 years ago as a student organization at the University of Pittsburgh as a way to explore many of the experiences of our students. It has been maintained as a group of like-minded people who are looking for answers to the paranormal and who are looking to help our clients find piece of mind in their homes.
What’s Next?
We’ve got a lot lined up. We are working an amazing event to benefit Fort Mifflin on October 8 and then an event in November to benefit the Red Mill Museum. In between we have several great cases lined up. We’re always looking for new investigators to help us out on these cases as well. This summer I began co-hosting The Shadows radio on Para-X and that is taking up a lot of my time!! Come check us out on Wed nights at 7pm (www.theshadowsradio.com)!
Strongest Evidence with link to it?
Some of our favorite pieces of audio evidence are found here: http://www.spirtofpa.com/evidence/. Our favorite piece of video evidence involves a rock being thrown at investigators – unfortunately due to the privacy clause of private residences, we’re unable to post it online.
What’s your most asked Question by people?
“Are ghosts real?” or “Have you met a ghost?” – and our answer is always the same… not really. We have evidence of something but until we get a ghost
Do you think that paranormal shows gives groups like you a bad reputation?
That’s a dangerous question… I think the shows have great entertainment value and for people who don’t know much about the paranormal they are a great entry point for learning the very basics. They’ve helped spark an interest in the paranormal in the public that I haven’t seen in a while. And for that, they are a good thing. But on the flip side, they also cause drama in the field and there is always the hollywood part of it – the clients then expect us to be like the Ghost Hunters or Ghost Adventures or whatever and they’re disappointed when our evidence is not as startling or our investigations aren’t as thrilling. There are so many “non-television” worthy aspects of this field they get breezed over on those shows and they are extremely important. For that, they are not the best thing for serious investigators. But they are fun to watch sometimes – and the places they get into are awesome.
Tell us a strange but true fact bout you?
back in 2008, the Spirit of Philadelphia cruise ship put up a billboard in Philly but got their web address wrong. We had so many hits at www.spiritofpa.com (rather than of philadelphia) that our web server crashed!!
Why did you get into paranormal?
I had a very early interest in the paranormal. I was an avid reader as a child and most of the books I loved were ghost stories. There was one ghost book in my Catholic School library and I took it out so often in grade school that the librarian actually gave it to me as a gift! Then as I got older I began looking deeper into paranormal investigation. Around 15, I jumped my first fence into a graveyard and into the old train tunnels back home. Its become a passion since then to find proof of what we’re dealing with.
Dream Case/Investigation?
This list is a mile long…I’d love to hit a lot of the famous sites on the West Coast and abroad…I want to travel!!
Name some Random Facts about you?
I have my “Obi Wan Kenobi” theory and will not truly be convinced in ghosts until that is proven! What I ask on every investigation is for a spirit who is communicating to give us an EVP saying “Obi Wan Kenobi” so I know they can hear me, they are responding to me, and its all not just coincidence. (I mean, come on, what ghost would accidentally quote Star Wars!?)
Are you a skeptic or a believer?
I am a mix of both. I want to believe in ghosts and I think there is *something* else out there. But I am also very skeptic of a lot of claims of the paranormal and I haven’t really been convinced by a lot of evidence that I’ve seen or heard (or even collected).
My name is Traci Law. Aside from the paranormal, I am a wildlife and travel photographer, actor and have been known to work on an archaeological excavation or two, currently at Valley Forge.
Explain your Methodology?
I probably come from a slightly different belief system than most. I do not believe the spirits of the dead are among us. I believe what we encounter as paranormal is either residual energy (which has been proven as scientific fact), angels or demons. Those that interact with us are among the last two. As most investigators know, a good bit of the paranormal are personal experiences so I also rely on that much more than ‘tools of the trade’.
Favorite Haunts?
Wow, there are so many places to choose from! When I was leading public investigations at Ft. Delaware with Delaware Ghost Hunters, that place is active, there is no doubt about it. I had numerous experiences there. At the risk of sounding like a politician running for office, I honestly can’t choose just one or two – every site is unique and amazing.
Personal Experiences
I have had many personal experiences that would fill a book if I wrote them all down here but one that stands out involves Gettysburg. It was a few years back and I was in Gettysburg with my mom (who is a huge Civil War buff) for the day to do some photography. It got dark so of course we decided to head to Spangler’s Spring to wait for the ghost that supposedly hangs out there. We were parked and had the windows down. The small field next to the parking lot was what was next to me and I kept feeling like something was hovering out there…. something not nice at all. As usual, I tried to ignore it, wrote it off as my imagination and such. About twenty minutes later I finally asked my mom to turn the car on so I could be the window up. Her response? “You feel that too, don’t you?” Needless to say, we never saw the other ghost and got out of there pretty quick!
What’s Next?
Currently I’m working with sites as a photographer for events and just images they can use when applying for grants and such. I’m also working on a paranormal-related project that I’m close to revealing but not quite yet. How is that for suspense?
Strongest Evidence with link to it?
EVP’s. I have a lot of them, mostly from Fort Delaware though I have not put them up anywhere. There used to be audio from a video I got when with Delaware Ghost Hunters that was of a little girl clearly saying “friendly”. That was obtained when I left a video recorder running in an attic we had just left. It was about ten minutes into it so we were all long gone from the room by then. I’m not sure if that is still up on their website.
My name is Les O’Dell and I am the founder of Midnight Talkers Paranormal Group. We are located in the little town of Barrackville, Marion county West V. We are a group dedicated to finding answers to paranormal activity.
Explain your Methodology?
We go about looking to find answers to activity in a more scientific way by using electronic equipment to capture said activity. We don’t usually do any kind of provoking we try and do the more subdued question and answer method.
Favorite Haunts?
My favorite haunts are the one more know as ghost haunts. The one with the banging, voices, stuff moving and of course apparitions but we are not discouraged from investigating any type of activity.
Personal Experiences
My personal experiences happened mostly as a child. for example as a child I lived in an old farm house were I could see what I later learned to be shadow people walking around the walls and I could hear whispering. This scared the hell out of me! It also intrigued and caused me to pursue answers later on.
Why was the group was formed?
The group was formed to find answers to my personal question as well as to help others with their experiences.
What’s Next?
Whats next for our group is to continue to do the same thing we do now. We are not looking for fame and fortune. We would like to expand our group by a couple people and buy some more advanced equipment.
Strongest Evidence with link to it?
Our strongest pieces of evidence are some evp’s we have captured and a photo from a private residence. You can see them on our facebook page. Be sure to look at the photo called face in the window. www.facebook.com/pages/Midnight-Talkers-Paranormal-Group/151212758265117 8. We are asked the question what are evp’s alot.
Dream Case/Investigation?
I think for me my dream hunt would definitively have to be the St Augustine Light House.
Do you think that paranormal shows gives groups like you a bad reputation?
Although I watch them I do think sometimes the shows do give us a bad name with all the talk of fraud and faking. The only thing we bring forward to a client or things we post on our page is things that we cann’t explain.
Tell us a strange but true fact bout your group?
A strange thing about our group is the co-founder is my 14 year old son and goes on every investigation. He decided when he was 11, as a hobby he wanted to go ghost hunting. Hence the group was started a couple of years later.
