Encounters of the eerie kind
Photos by DEVIN WEEKS/Press River City Ghost Squad member Candace Nelson listens for voices during a spirit box session in a shadowy basement Saturday night as squad leader Stacey Kelley, right, holds the light.
Tech lead Brandon Hall runs a cord through a home Saturday night as his River City Ghost Squad colleagues help set up during a paranormal investigation in Coeur d'Alene. (DEVIN WEEKS/Press)
From left, River City Ghost Squad members Hollie George, Brandon Hall and leader Stacey Kelley on Monday pose with a spectral pal in Kelley's shop, all decorated for Halloween. "Halloween is my absolute favorite," Kelley said with a big smile. She and her squad meet once a month to review paranormal cases and plan investigations. (DEVIN WEEKS/Press)
A temperature gun, an electromagnetic radiation detector, a Ghost Meter, a hand-held video camera and a compass are among the gadgets used by the River City Ghost Squad.
River City Ghost Squad leader Stacey Kelley caught these eerie orbs when she took a random photo in her living room. (Courtesy photo)
By DEVIN WEEKS
Staff Writer
Crisp orange leaves blanketed the sidewalk.
A dense gloom hung in the chilly autumn air.
The waning crescent in the sky gave off just a sliver of light as four darkly clad individuals met in front of a Coeur d'Alene home where things had been going bump in the night.
With Halloween on the horizon and the veil between worlds growing thin, conditions were ideal for catching a ghostly apparition.
River City Ghost Squad members unfurled wires, positioned cameras, checked batteries and set up monitors as they prepared to capture evidence in a residence where the tenant and his family have been experiencing unusual happenings.
"He said there were footsteps on the stairs last night," River City Ghost Squad leader Stacey Kelley said as the group set up for the Saturday night investigation.
Her colleague, empath Candace Nelson, got the chills as she went toward the basement stairs.
"There's a room downstairs the owner calls the 'murder room,' but we don’t know why yet,” Nelson said.
The small room in the basement was exceptionally creepy, with a cold, splotchy cement floor and an old wooden door that locks from the outside.
"As soon as I opened that door, I could instantly feel something," Nelson said. "All my spidey senses were tingling."
The crew used digital recorders to try to capture disembodied voices, also called "electronic voice phenomena," or EVPs. They used a spirit box to sweep radio waves for communication from the other side. They went lights out and invited any unseen guests who were present to come forward and be heard.
"There are four of us down here," case manager and tech manager Brandon Hall spoke into the dark, holding still as a statue with his recorder in his hand. "We want to let you know that you are OK to talk to us. We are very friendly. If you have anything to say, go ahead and tell me."
The unnerving thumps from the heating ducts were enough to make people jump. Other than that, it was a quiet night with some strange sensations but very few bumps.
That's quite fine for this Post Falls-based ghost squad, who work to help put people at ease rather than stir up trouble with any spirits that may be hanging around. While they have caught strange orbs and have had eerie encounters, most investigations are fairly routine.
“We want to go in and debunk and prove that it’s not ghosts,” said Kelley, who leads the squad with husband Steve. "If we find ghosts, great, because that’s what we live for. But we want to give people peace of mind that it’s not."
River City Ghost Squad officially formed about a year ago after rebranding from the former North Idaho Paranormal Society moniker. As a nonprofit, the squad conducts the same type of investigations seen on "Ghost Adventures" and similar shows. But unlike some paranormal groups on TV, this squad prefers the level-headed method used by TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society) members who launched the "Ghost Hunters" series in 2004.
"You don’t provoke," Kelley said. "You don’t run if you hear something. You don’t swear."
And you don't charge people for the service.
"I would never charge for this,” she said. "This is something that is my heart. Growing up, I had my own experiences and no one was there to help me. Luckily, we have these programs now that it’s not so taboo. When I had my experiences as a kid, it was taboo and you didn’t talk about it."
Investigations include interviews, on-site property inspections, research of the history and property, photography and video and audio recordings. The data is compiled and presented to clients in a professional manner.
Most of the squad members have had their own unexplained experiences, so they listen with an empathetic and objective mindset, no matter how strange the tale.
"I've had so many clients when I've talked to them during the interview and I go back (after an investigation) and they say, 'Oh thank God, I thought I was going crazy,'" Kelley said. "It's like, 'No, you're not.'"
Whether it's pesky pipes, scurrying squirrels, drafty rafters — or something else — they're prepared to help find answers.
"The thing I would like people to know, because where I was raised it was so taboo, is that it’s more accepted now and it’s OK,” Kelley said. “You're not going to be shunned, you're not going to be ridiculed. You’re not going to be made fun of.
“If you’re experiencing these things, reach out."
Make contact: rivercityghostsquad@yahoo.com