Ogden's Haunted Motel Investigated
April 6th, 2009
Utah "Paranormal" Stories: A skeptic's haunting night with The Paranormal Investigations Team of Utah
by Jacob Hodgen
"O day and night, but this is wondrous strange!"
"And therefore as a stranger give it welcome.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
Hamlet Act 1, scene 5
A woman places a small, pink flashlight in the center of a mattress and a black one on the carpet in an Ogden motel. She takes a step back and sits on the floor. The caps of both are screwed on just barely tight enough so the bulb remains off.
"Do you want us to keep asking you questions?" she asks to what she hopes is an unseen ear.
No response.
"Now I want you to turn on the pink flashlight first and then the black one."
To my amazement, the pink bulb flashes to life and its bright beam illuminates the darkened room. It remains on for about five seconds before dimming and going out. That was odd, I think to myself.
Suddenly, after the first light switches off, the black flashlight on the floor flickers and shines at about half strength. Then it too slowly dims until it is gone. I just seemingly witnessed two unattended flashlights switch on--on request.
"Are these questions making you angry?" the women inquires.
Instantly, the pink light turns on again to its full brightness.
I shake my head in disbelief. Is this really happening?
---
a photographic artifact, or "orb." Probable cause: dust.
This weekend, I received an invitation to observe The Paranormal Investigations Team of Utah as they conducted research of an allegedly haunted motel in Ogden. Though I am a notorious skeptic and feel I have no reason to believe in the paranormal, I jumped at the chance to accompany them on what turned out to be a mission that was far more exciting than I expected.
Ghost hunting in its various forms has become quite popular in the last few years, due in part to the success of such cable TV programs as Paranormal State and World's Scariest Places. Most of these shows are highly sensationalized and use actors and camera tricks to frighten the weak-willed and naive. However, not all paranormal investigators are snake oil salesmen or even believers in the supernatural. The show Ghost Hunters, for example, revolves around a team of skeptics from The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) whose primary mission is to examine cases of alleged supernatural activity through the eyes of science. More often than not, they are able to use logic and accumulate hard evidence to rationally explain whatever mysterious phenomena they encounter.
any unusual noises.
The PI-Team of Utah is an affiliate of TAPS and operates under similar strict guidelines of scientific-based research. Eschewing psychics, mediums, and seances, they employ advanced electronics and use cameras, microphones, electromagnetic field detectors, and infrared lenses to gather quantifiable and verifiable data. They offer their services free to the public and seek to, "identify, document, and provide assistance by any means possible for those people having paranormal activity."
The team is directed by Michael Zimmer. A resident of Roy, he is a writer with five historical novels to his credit. Michael, like most of the people that comprise The PI-Team, became interested in the field after experiencing paranormal activity himself and wanting answers no one could give him. He considers himself somewhere between the lines of, "curious skeptic and cautious believer." He is joined tonight by Carrie, Max, and Cordell who also follow a creed of skeptical curiosity and share a penchant and passion for the inscrutable. "The difference between us and most of the other groups out there is that we are more critical of the evidence and are willing to dismiss things," Michael says.
---
It is set in the off position and is now is seemingly answering
questions for us. Probable cause: unknown.
Our destination tonight is an old motel in Ogden. As we arrive, the night manager on duty tells us that a client died in the room we are headed to. Drugs were involved, and there was suspicion of foul play, possibly murder. The night manager says that that even though he doesn't believe in ghosts himself, he has heard stories from other employees that suggest the motel has been haunted ever since the incident. Due to the nature of our experience, I have been asked to withhold the name of the motel, which I will honor. It seems ghost hunters are like spelunking groups and are often secretive about their best locations, lest they be overrun and spoiled by the general masses. I can't blame them. I do not imagine it's always easy to show your face across the picket fence in Utah if your neighbors know you claim your house is haunted.
Here's what I can say for certain: I watched for about three hours in a darkened motel room as some sort of force turned three different flashlights on and off without any apparent explanation. I examined the flashlights and tested them myself to see if they could be activated by air pressure, vibrations, or sounds, which they could not. I saw them turn on and off at request--in sequence--and seemingly respond to questions that were asked by members of The PI-Team and myself on a relatively consistent, though not perfect, basis. I saw them flicker and dim on their own, which was a feature they did not possess and we could not reproduce when handling them afterwards. We even moved them around the room and tried holding them in our hands without negating the effect.
We didn't bring our own video equipment with us. Honestly, it's because
I didn't think we would need it. However, once the flashlights started going off
by themselves, we shot the following impromptu footage with a digital camera.
We didn't bring our own video equipment with us. Honestly, it's because I didn't think we would need it. However, once the flashlights started going off by themselves, we shot the following impromptu footage with a digital camera.
The PI-Team was excited. "This sort of thing hardly ever happens," Max tells me. Though they cannot immediately identify any logical explanation for the flashlight's activity, the group is slow to jump to conclusions. "We need to come back and try and rule out all the variables," says Cordell. "Flickering flashlights aren't exactly scientific proof of anything."
Here's my skeptical analysis: maybe there was some inaudible frequency or vibration coming in from the nearby highway, or possibly Hill AFB that triggered the lights in timed sequences. Maybe the flashlights were broken. Maybe some faulty wiring in the walls was discharging energy that triggered the lights. Maybe this all happened incidentally at the exact time we asked the questions, again and again. Maybe the flashlights were remote controlled. . . damn, my explanations don't even sound plausible to me!
What does all this mean? I have no idea, but I will go on the record admitting that it sent chills down my spine. I can't say that what I saw has made me a believer in the paranormal, but I can't deny that it happened, either. Perhaps further review of the video footage taken that night in Ogden will be able to debunk the seemingly autonomous lights. Until then, I won't know what to think.
Does the disconsolate specter of a trapped and weary soul really linger in an old Ogden motel? And why does he or she seem to have a thing for flashlights? The night's puzzling investigation left me with more questions than answers--and perhaps that is the way it should remain.
Have a theory about what happened? Want to debunk the flashlights? Let us know. Or, if you have an idea for the next edition of Utah "Paranormal" Stories, please contact us via the forum below. We'd love to hear your thoughts.
If you suspect disruptive paranormal activity at your home, The PI-Team of Utah may be able to provide you with some answers. Check out their website to learn more:
Reader Comments
Saria hansen
I go to Clearfield High School and North Davis Junior High School (there are ghost in the new school. A custodian had an infered camera which caught all of the ghosts heading to the new building.)
Tim Godfrey
Regarding the flashlights in the oden motel... First, you must conduct a control experiment. ie. Same flashlights, same locations, NO QUESTIONS. Try again with different flashlights. Also, try without the batteries. (that would definately prove something) Next, understand that an electical current running through wires nearby could illuminate a light that only requires a few volts.. Maybe an electric blanket, or some wiring in the floor. Or possible magnetic manipulation. Another thoery, simple flash lights use cheap metal parts that can expand and contract with varying heat and cold causing the anodes to contact and seperate. Finally, static electricity often builds up in places like carpet and blankets, could be a possible source. Good Luck!
RE: to Tim Godfrey / Ghosts in Ogden
RE: to Tim Godfrey / Ghosts in Ogden Unfortunately, having more than a newspaper education of electricity would eliminate most of your tests. Enough static electricity to power a light bulb would be very easy to feel in the carpet or surrounding areas and would effect more than just the flashlights. (i.e. the cell phones, which are MUCH more sensitive to electricity than a flashlight) "understand that an electical current running through wires nearby could illuminate a light that only requires a few volts.." Unless the room was rigged in advance using some very specific equipment, there's no chance of this happening, especially in a semi-controlled fashion. Most wiring is *shielded* to eliminate bleed. Very few types of wires are allowed to generate electrical interference, and certainly nothing of the scale to light bulbs in flashlights would be bleeding into the surroundings. I frankly have an easier time believing ghosts did it than anything you've suggested. ;)
