AGE: 56
COMPANY: MVD Ghostchasers Paranormal
Investigators
DESCRIPTION: At various purportedly haunted
locations across Arizona, Branning and her team
of paranormal investigators collect evidence in
an attempt to prove the existence of ghosts.
YEARS IN BUSINESS: 15
EXPERIENCE: Branning has conducted hundreds
of investigations at historical locations across
the state. She is also the author of "Sleeping
with Ghosts: A Ghost Hunter’s Guide to Arizona’s
Haunted Hotels and Inns" and is on the board of
directors of the Pioneer’s Cemetery Association
in Phoenix.
EQUIPMENT: Digital cameras, night-vision camcorders,
digital voice recorders, thermal temperature
scanners and electromagnetic field meters
which detect high energy electronic fields.
TRAINING: Regular workshops across the Valley
educate people on how to hunt for ghosts,
including where to investigate and how to use
the equipment. “When we first started there
were only like two or three teams in Arizona;
now there’s like two or three hundred. With the
popularity of all the shows like 'Ghost Hunters'
and 'Paranormal State,' everybody wants to be a
ghost hunter now.
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DELIGHTS: “The best part of the job is doing
research and learning the history of Arizona. I’ve
spent a lot of time in the archive library, looking
up old documents and old newspapers, trying
to find out why a ghost would be haunting a
particular location. That part is really interesting
to me.”
WORST PART: “Sometimes our job is just being
counselors. Occasionally, you have to deal with a
family that may be really emotionally distressed
that a ghost is haunting them, and you have
to comfort them. Sometimes that’s really hard
to do.”
INVESTIGATIONS: Each mon
INVESTIGATIONS: Each month the team investigates
one to two purportedly haunted historic locations
or local residences.
HAUNTED ARIZONA: Arizona hotels and other locations
that have reported paranormal activity
include Hotel San Carlos in Phoenix; Hermosa
Inn in Scottsdale; Hotel Monte Vista in Flagstaff;
Jerome Grand Hotel in Jerome; Copper Queen
Hotel in Bisbee; the Territorial Prison in Yuma;
Vulture Mine in Wickenberg; Birdcage Theatre
in Tombstone; and Casey Moore’s Oyster House
in Tempe.
SALARY: “We don’t charge. It’s just a fun thing
we like to do. Besides, if we get a good picture
or an EVP (electronic voice phenomenon), that’s
priceless to us.” |
