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Ghost hunters investigate local haunts
  
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Spring Observer
By KEVIN KOLOIAN
For the Spring-based group Bayou City Paranormal, ghost stories are not just reserved for Halloween.
Just about every weekend its members are chasing down leads of hauntings, occasionally finding the unexplainable.
Bayou City Paranormal gets investigation ideas randomly from people who notice its members around town wearing the group’s shirts as well as following up on word-of-mouth leads.
“We research and investigate not only to satisfy our own curiosities and to contribute to the emerging field of paranormal science, but to help individuals cope with experiences that confound or even frighten them,” Colunga said.
The group’s most significant findings were at a house at The Village of Cochran’s Crossing in the The Woodlands, said founder Joe Colunga. The original homeowner was allegedly into the occult, leading the group to believe that the location was ripe for a haunting.
“There have been reports of strange things happening by the people living in the house,” Colunga said. “We haven’t seen anything, but we captured audio of what seems to be a nonhuman entity. There were growls and heavy thumping, making us believe that a demon was there.”
Formed a year ago, Bayou City Paranormal has 20 members, a number that the group would like to stay at to remain efficient.
“We want to focus on developing our skills and investigations,” Colunga said. “It takes about 10 people for each investigation.”
There are three members in the technical department who handle all of the audio and video equipment, there’s a historian who does all of the research, and Colunga and another member serve as case managers.
“Most of the people in the group had experiences with the paranormal before. My house was haunted by a ghost until I had a psychic medium help me get rid of him,” Colunga said.
The group usually does one private investigation every month and a field event, where it pursues nonresidential tips, nearly every Saturday, lasting from about 11 p.m. to 3 or 4 a.m.
The investigations are free, with the intention of helping people feel safe in their homes by disproving the presence of spirits.
“We have been called upon to investigate activity in residences and businesses to attempt to capture a sample of phenomena, to reassure a client that they’re not ‘crazy’ or ‘imagining things’ and even to clear" their environment of unwanted activity,” Colunga said.
Sometimes an investigation may require a couple overnight visits and sometimes just a matter of hours.
“Some people grow up believing in ghosts and some people don’t,” Colunga said. “When we investigate, our job is to debunk whatever we find. It’s a challenge to find credible evidence of the paranormal. Usually, right away, we can debunk most things.”
WEB LINK
www.bayoucityparanormal.com
Just about every weekend its members are chasing down leads of hauntings, occasionally finding the unexplainable.
Bayou City Paranormal gets investigation ideas randomly from people who notice its members around town wearing the group’s shirts as well as following up on word-of-mouth leads.
“We research and investigate not only to satisfy our own curiosities and to contribute to the emerging field of paranormal science, but to help individuals cope with experiences that confound or even frighten them,” Colunga said.
The group’s most significant findings were at a house at The Village of Cochran’s Crossing in the The Woodlands, said founder Joe Colunga. The original homeowner was allegedly into the occult, leading the group to believe that the location was ripe for a haunting.
“There have been reports of strange things happening by the people living in the house,” Colunga said. “We haven’t seen anything, but we captured audio of what seems to be a nonhuman entity. There were growls and heavy thumping, making us believe that a demon was there.”
Formed a year ago, Bayou City Paranormal has 20 members, a number that the group would like to stay at to remain efficient.
“We want to focus on developing our skills and investigations,” Colunga said. “It takes about 10 people for each investigation.”
There are three members in the technical department who handle all of the audio and video equipment, there’s a historian who does all of the research, and Colunga and another member serve as case managers.
“Most of the people in the group had experiences with the paranormal before. My house was haunted by a ghost until I had a psychic medium help me get rid of him,” Colunga said.
The group usually does one private investigation every month and a field event, where it pursues nonresidential tips, nearly every Saturday, lasting from about 11 p.m. to 3 or 4 a.m.
The investigations are free, with the intention of helping people feel safe in their homes by disproving the presence of spirits.
“We have been called upon to investigate activity in residences and businesses to attempt to capture a sample of phenomena, to reassure a client that they’re not ‘crazy’ or ‘imagining things’ and even to clear" their environment of unwanted activity,” Colunga said.
Sometimes an investigation may require a couple overnight visits and sometimes just a matter of hours.
“Some people grow up believing in ghosts and some people don’t,” Colunga said. “When we investigate, our job is to debunk whatever we find. It’s a challenge to find credible evidence of the paranormal. Usually, right away, we can debunk most things.”
WEB LINK
www.bayoucityparanormal.com
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Reader Comments
blackmagister wrote on Jul 10, 2009 9:20 PM:
" "...so somebody blows their nose and you want me to get a sample of it??!" "
fmoore wrote on Jul 12, 2009 11:48 PM:
" There aint no ghosts!!! And someone tell me why they always go looking for them at night??? If there is a ghost...does he/she sleep all day and wake up and clunk around only at night??? How stupid! "
mrsckeptic wrote on Jul 13, 2009 3:30 PM:
" For times gone by, us a species have been taking everything at face value. When we first climbed down from the trees or came out of caves or for some, walked out of a garden there’s always been question and feelings at the end of our lives. (What’s next? Is this it? I’m afraid.) Out of this fear of the unknown religion was born to cope with these questions and give us some comfort. Every civilization through history has a creation and a life after death scenario. These beliefs make you feel good. They give that warm and cozy feeling in the end. But for some there are still questions that need to be answered.
Religion can only go so far then it starts to rely on the person’s faith to fill in the gaps. Call these people what you will, but they are all seeking answers to question that religion can’t provide.
Many people and groups across the world are trying to discover the truth. To find the answers for themselves by exploring with whatever means they can. You can’t base your belief in the study of the paranormal by what you see at the movies or television or that Netflix CD that just came in the mail.
Remember, Indians never road around a circle of wagons being shot at by settlers in the old west. For some this statement is news to them. That’s the media putting that image out there. It’s easy to call something you do not understand stupid or silly than actually doing the research for you self. From what I’ve read paranormal events can happen day or night. Once again the media has put a image out there.
I’m glad that this paper decided to print this story and give us some insight into what is going on in our community other then the same old crime scene, fire, robbery and economy stories. That’s all I have to say for now. I will climb back under my ford and replace this transmission. Al this has been my humble personnel opinion. "
Religion can only go so far then it starts to rely on the person’s faith to fill in the gaps. Call these people what you will, but they are all seeking answers to question that religion can’t provide.
Many people and groups across the world are trying to discover the truth. To find the answers for themselves by exploring with whatever means they can. You can’t base your belief in the study of the paranormal by what you see at the movies or television or that Netflix CD that just came in the mail.
Remember, Indians never road around a circle of wagons being shot at by settlers in the old west. For some this statement is news to them. That’s the media putting that image out there. It’s easy to call something you do not understand stupid or silly than actually doing the research for you self. From what I’ve read paranormal events can happen day or night. Once again the media has put a image out there.
I’m glad that this paper decided to print this story and give us some insight into what is going on in our community other then the same old crime scene, fire, robbery and economy stories. That’s all I have to say for now. I will climb back under my ford and replace this transmission. Al this has been my humble personnel opinion. "
northhoustongirl wrote on Jul 13, 2009 3:49 PM:
" So, if you don't understand something it is silly or stupid? Wouldn't it be better to read with interest and an open mind?
Paranormal investigators don't always investigate at night as all activity doesn't happen at night. But, in the middle of the day it can be noisily distracting. So, night time, when it is quiet, is sometimes a better time to document evidence.
Remember, they used to swear that the earth was flat, too. "
Paranormal investigators don't always investigate at night as all activity doesn't happen at night. But, in the middle of the day it can be noisily distracting. So, night time, when it is quiet, is sometimes a better time to document evidence.
Remember, they used to swear that the earth was flat, too. "
The Architect wrote on Jul 13, 2009 4:05 PM:
" Having an open mind is a good thing. Having an open mind in which you let people dump whatever nonsense into is not a good thing. Until there is evidence (and by evidence, I mean real evidence) for ghosts, bigfoot, ufos, god, unicorns, etc..., people should not believe. The people who said the earth was flat did not have any evidence, so I would not have believed them. If there were real ghosts out there, I think they would communicate with sounds other than flashes of light across a room, spooky footsteps, creaking boards, etc... The problem is people who believe every little story or myth they hear, and think that they are true, without any evidence given. Also, having faith is a bad thing. Faith is believing in something without evidence. Since when is that a good quality? "
mrsckeptic wrote on Jul 13, 2009 4:15 PM:
" So The Architect why don't you seek some evidence. I do not see anyone dumping anything in anyone’s mind here. The story was about a group of people seeking evidence. I think you missed the debunking part of the story. "
The Architect wrote on Jul 13, 2009 5:19 PM:
" mrsckeptic, I was responding to northhoustongirl's comment about having an open mind. I did respond to the original story, scroll to the top of the list of reader comments.
Also, I did not miss the point of the story. How can you investigate something in which there is no evidence for it at all? How does an electromagnetic field detector help to find ghosts? What do you use to find ghosts? Why would you start with an electromagnetic field detector? Why not use a metal detector, vacuum cleaner or a dream-catcher?
They said they captured audio evidence of a demon, but that is just hearsay. Anyone could record a sound and claim anything they want. You should ask yourself the question, "Is it more likely that they recorded the sounds of an actual demon -or- did they hear noises and attribute them to a demon?" I am going with one of the following answers: hearing noises and attributing them -or- they just made the stuff up. I base my decision on my experience in the real world and common sense. Which answer are you going with? "
Also, I did not miss the point of the story. How can you investigate something in which there is no evidence for it at all? How does an electromagnetic field detector help to find ghosts? What do you use to find ghosts? Why would you start with an electromagnetic field detector? Why not use a metal detector, vacuum cleaner or a dream-catcher?
They said they captured audio evidence of a demon, but that is just hearsay. Anyone could record a sound and claim anything they want. You should ask yourself the question, "Is it more likely that they recorded the sounds of an actual demon -or- did they hear noises and attribute them to a demon?" I am going with one of the following answers: hearing noises and attributing them -or- they just made the stuff up. I base my decision on my experience in the real world and common sense. Which answer are you going with? "
mrsckeptic wrote on Jul 13, 2009 6:33 PM:
" The Architect by assuming that they “just made the stuff up” without hearing the evidence is ludicrous. Did you hear the evidence? To have an open mind is to listen to all sides of the information then postulate a conclusion. Hope you haven’t served as a juror.
“How can you investigate something in which there is no evidence for it at all” why in the early centuries did they begin to wonder if the earth was round or the dots in the sky where other suns. Why did we start using x-rays as a medical diagnosis tool? There was no evidence for ether.
“Why would you start with an electromagnetic field detector?” I say why not base your start on something that can detect energy. This device is just one of hundreds of instruments in use. I guess if the consensus out there was that sprits, specters, phantoms or ghost where made of dirt or metal then a vacuum cleaner or metal detector would be a fine choice. For now energy is the mainstream idea.
Please do not take my replies the wrong way. I’m not trying to persuade you in any way nor change your belief system. But by your replies it seems to me and this is my opinion, that you are a closed minded. You cannot accept any new or possible new information because it does not meet your terms of the norm.
I put this to you now. There is no evidence that you will die sometime in the future. You see others die but where is the evidence that you will. Common since does not apply here just evidence. Will you live forever?
I believe we have beat this issue long enough. If the human race never accepted new ideas or postulated on things that could be, then we would never have had any advancements at all. We would be stagnant in our evolution and nothing more than simple minded automatons going about looking for our next meal. "
“How can you investigate something in which there is no evidence for it at all” why in the early centuries did they begin to wonder if the earth was round or the dots in the sky where other suns. Why did we start using x-rays as a medical diagnosis tool? There was no evidence for ether.
“Why would you start with an electromagnetic field detector?” I say why not base your start on something that can detect energy. This device is just one of hundreds of instruments in use. I guess if the consensus out there was that sprits, specters, phantoms or ghost where made of dirt or metal then a vacuum cleaner or metal detector would be a fine choice. For now energy is the mainstream idea.
Please do not take my replies the wrong way. I’m not trying to persuade you in any way nor change your belief system. But by your replies it seems to me and this is my opinion, that you are a closed minded. You cannot accept any new or possible new information because it does not meet your terms of the norm.
I put this to you now. There is no evidence that you will die sometime in the future. You see others die but where is the evidence that you will. Common since does not apply here just evidence. Will you live forever?
I believe we have beat this issue long enough. If the human race never accepted new ideas or postulated on things that could be, then we would never have had any advancements at all. We would be stagnant in our evolution and nothing more than simple minded automatons going about looking for our next meal. "
The Architect wrote on Jul 14, 2009 9:08 AM:
" Mrsckeptic, that is a nonsense response! People (smart people) wondered about the dots in the sky, because they could see the moon and the sun, and it makes sense to come to the conclusion that the distant dots could be other moons or suns. People (smart people) thought that the earth could be round because they could see something on the horizon, and when they sailed to it, they noticed that the ocean kept going farther out, and that the horizon was bent on the sides and not straight. It makes sense.
Mrsckeptic, to answer your childish question: I know I will die someday, because everyone dies someday. Look around and use your brain and your critical thinking skills.
Mrsckeptic, I am both open minded and intelligent. Bring me real evidence of a ghost, and I could believe in them. To prove that something like ghosts exists, it would take real scientific research, and that is not what is going on here. To hear a sound and assume it is a demon, that is absurd. What points to it being a demon, besides someones opinion? Do you think they are doing real research? "
Mrsckeptic, to answer your childish question: I know I will die someday, because everyone dies someday. Look around and use your brain and your critical thinking skills.
Mrsckeptic, I am both open minded and intelligent. Bring me real evidence of a ghost, and I could believe in them. To prove that something like ghosts exists, it would take real scientific research, and that is not what is going on here. To hear a sound and assume it is a demon, that is absurd. What points to it being a demon, besides someones opinion? Do you think they are doing real research? "
freetospeak wrote on Jul 14, 2009 10:06 AM:
" Thank God!!!!! our forefathers have enough foresight to see people like " THE ARCHITECT", MRSKEPTIC AND THE SNOT DUDE; who have decided that if the written word doesn't match their ideas of news, thoughts, or beliefs, then it should not be published.
You guys have as much right to publish your writings as anyone else in this country, regardless of insecure they are, how self serving they sound and how well they reveal the lack of intelligence, wisdom, and tolerance.
Just a few words to those of you who fit the above desriptions; IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE SUBJECT, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO NOT READ IT. "
You guys have as much right to publish your writings as anyone else in this country, regardless of insecure they are, how self serving they sound and how well they reveal the lack of intelligence, wisdom, and tolerance.
Just a few words to those of you who fit the above desriptions; IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE SUBJECT, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO NOT READ IT. "
The Architect wrote on Jul 14, 2009 11:35 AM:
" Freetospeak, I agree with the founding fathers ideas on freedom of speech. I am simply using my freedom of speech, which includes freedom to comment. How could you interpret my comments as unintelligent, unwise or intolerant (intolerance means that we will not put up with them, and want to stop them by any means necessary - I tolerate them, I just don't agree)? One more point, I like the subject - its a fun topic. Just don't confuse liking something with believing something. "
Scooby_Doo wrote on Jul 20, 2009 9:37 AM:
" I tell roo Architect, ghosts are rear! The Mystery Machine broke down on the way to see the Harlem Grobetrotters and we saw a REAL ghost at Old Potter's Farm and it was SCARY!! But then we later found out it was just a white sheet draped over a wooden cross on some wheels accompanied by a Halloween's Scariest Sounds IV on CD ($9.95 at Sam Goodys). That evir land devereper would have totarry gotten away with it had it not been for me and my friends. So I guess ghosts are not rear. "
The Architect wrote on Jul 10, 2009 1:40 PM: