Paranormal investigator Tony Siracuse walks the stairs with an EMF meter during an investigation inside the Shelburne Hotel.

SEAVIEW, Wash. — Sometimes it’s a cold spot, other times it’s a surge of electricity or a faint voice.

“Just never answer if they call your name,” said PNW Paranormal lead investigator Tony Siracuse.

“That’s the first thing.”

On March 4, Tony, along with his wife Jennifer and fellow paranormal investigator Kevin Brown, stood in the lobby of the historic Shelburne Hotel in Seaview, Washington, as they unpacked motion-activated and thermal cameras, electromagnetic field meters (EMF), dowsing rods and several other devices used to document the presence of paranormal activity — defined as scientifically unexplainable occurrences or phenomenon.

Specifically, they were hopeful to communicate with spirits that allegedly inhabit the halls of Washington’s oldest continuously-operating hotel, first constructed in 1896 by Charles Beaver.

Within minutes of arrival in Room No. 5 following a few prompts, they had an answer.

“He’s standing by the window,” Tony said as he walked with a handheld EMF meter, which had begun to blink from green to orange as it detected increased electromagnetic fields, measured in milligauss. The investigators detected several electromagnetic anomalies throughout the 128-year-old structure, signs that they hypothesize indicate the presence of spirits or ghosts.

PNW Paranormal

Last year, Tony and Jennifer, of Chinook, created the PNW Paranormal group on Facebook, a peninsula-based paranormal investigation group “looking to help others in need of answers” serving Pacific, Cowlitz and Clatsop counties.

“Our main goal is to help people and to capture evidence of what clients state has been happening, to give them closure and answers,” said Jennifer, the lead paranormal investigator.

“We want people to be able to reach out to us if they’re experiencing things they can’t explain or they feel like they’re going crazy with what’s been going on. Nine times out of 10 it’s paranormal,” she added.

The group — now approaching 1,000 members on Facebook — has since been joined by six other local investigators, including Jess Schnell, Ben Boone, Shasta Stolle, Hannah Baze, Kat Chiappetta and Kevin Brown.

“This started when my husband and I started traveling to haunted locations together with our bare-minimum equipment. At the same time, we met some like-minded friends. While searching for new locations to go to we found new members at the same time,” Jennifer said.

The group has conducted about 25 investigations so far, including one experience at a military bunker on a hike near North Head that solidified their interest in the paranormal.

“On one of the trails there’s a water tower on the east side, and on the west side was this abandoned two-story military bunker that has a view of the ocean. We explored the bottom section, didn’t really ‘feel’ anything down there, but when we went upstairs that’s where it happened,” Jennifer recalled. “We were parallel to each other, looking out toward the ocean and we heard a voice, directly in between us. We were unable to make out what it said, but it was loud and told us in a way that it was there. It could have been residual but still a very exciting experience.”

The group has visited several cemeteries on the peninsula, including the Ilwaco, Lone Fir and Oysterville Cemetery, with one notable incident.

“The Ilwaco Cemetery was definitely interesting. We believe we caught a full body apparition there. Personally I don’t find cemeteries to be super active. I feel as though spirits don’t really like to hang out where they’re buried much,” Jennifer said.

Paranormal activity can occur in unexpected times and places, she said, including one instance while standing in line at the Dollar Store Plus store in Seaview.

“Both my husband and I felt something was off while checking out. We asked if something weird was happening there and they mentioned they’ve had lots of experiences as well as customers,” Jennifer said.

Tools and techniques

Paranormal activity is believed to impact energy and temperature, therefore documenting changes in the environment during any investigation is important. The investigative team utilizes several tools to document such anomalies.

“The techniques and tools we use are all in theory,” Jennifer said. “Spirits are said to disrupt electromagnetic fields. We use EMF readers along with temperature readings in case there is a change in temperature, which also in theory happens when a spirit is manifesting, i.e showing itself. We use an Instrumental Trans-Communication (ITC) device, which has a word bank in it and is activated by a magnetometer. Spirits can manipulate the magnet inside to generate a word from the word bank.

“We started to use an old tool from way back in the day, it’s called a ‘pendulum jar.’ Spirits can move this pendulum inside the airtight jar. That will tell us if there is a spirit present. We also use an R.E.M pod. A square box with an antenna that can detect movement near it and above, it’s omnidirectional and operates like a theremin. We use motion balls (cat toy balls) that work really well, we also use motion lights to detect if spirits are nearby.”

Future investigations

The investigation at the Shelburne was arranged after the group reached out via email to local historical businesses, asking for permission to investigate.

“The Shelburne responded quickly and made it extremely easy to set something up with them. We know there is a lot of history with the Shelburne and there seems to be a lot of energy there,” Jennifer said.

The group intends to investigate a private residence in Nahcotta later this month, followed by North Head Lighthouse and the Ilwaco Community Center in April along with ‘a couple’ of other leads. The group doesn’t charge for their service, simply valuing the experience and opportunity to help others.

“Our favorite part of what we do is to travel to new places and get invited into someone’s home or business. We love to be able to help get answers for them,” Jennifer said. “What gives us the greatest satisfaction in what we do is all of the support from people who believe in the paranormal and engage with us on social media. This brings new opportunities to investigate and help others in need.”

For more information or information about future investigations, visit pnwparanormal.org.