Interview With A Ghost Hunter

Do you believe in ghosts? Michael Todd, founder and lead investigator of ‘Spook Earth Paranormal, does. In fact, he and his team of ghost hunters interact with the spirit world all the time. Having spent the past twelve years in this business, he has experienced many jarring things – some of which he captured on camera. During my interview with Mr. Todd, he shared his best evidence, his most frightening incidents, and some sage advice about the afterlife.

Michael Todd, Ghost Hunter

Mr. Todd was born in Mulberry, Arkansas in 1959. From a very young age, he was drawn to the strange and unusual. He loved old monster movies, like Frankenstein, and while his grandmother tried to dissuade him from the horror genre, he never tired of his interest in the paranormal. He never expected; however, that years later, the paranormal would take up in interest in him.

The First Ghost

When Michael Todd was 22 years old, he held a position as a security guard. He watched over the grounds and building of a massive furniture factory that had since closed down. Though he spent many hours in the guard booth at the front entrance, he also made his nightly rounds through the long dark hallways and factory spaces to ensure they were secure. Most nights were lonely and quiet. But the young Mr. Todd was about to face some unexpected company.

It was the winter of 1981 and the snow was falling from a dim night sky. Mr. Todd was making his rounds, like he did at every shift. As he casually made his way through the finishing department of the old factory, the shadow of a human figure ran in front of him and passed from his left to his right. Startled, Mr. Todd looked for the intruder in the corner on the right side of the room, but there was no one there. When he checked the locks on the doors, he noted that they were all bolted from the inside. The only way someone could have entered or exited the room would have been the entrance from which he came. At that moment, Mr. Todd was certain he had seen his first ghost.

The Spark

Still shaken days later, Mr. Todd’s curiosity had been piqued. He researched the history of the building and discovered that it had been the scene of a gruesome murder. He believes that the shadow figure that crossed his path was the ghost of a homeless man who was killed in a fight with another homeless man over claimed squatting space. The discovery sparked something in him, and from that point forward Mr. Todd knew he needed to dedicate his extra time to “seeking the unseen”.

Do As The Ghost Hunters Do

By 2009, Mr. Todd had immersed himself into the mysterious world of the paranormal. He researched sites and studied the tools and techniques of other ghost hunters. With a camera in one hand and an mp3 recorder in the other, he was ready to investigate a notoriously haunted site—The Arkansas Tuberculosis Sanatorium Historic District.

Mr. Todd was most interested in exploring the hospital called the Nyberg building, which was officially closed in 1973. By that time the sanatorium had treated over 70,000 patients, many who never checked out. It was in this building that Michael Todd scored his first photo capture of an entity he nicknamed “Jasper”.

Over the years, Mr. Todd returned to the Nyberg. Many of his visits were successful, in that he walked away with surprising and curious pictures of “entities”. The paranormal investigator has nicknames for many of his photo captures as shown below.

Mr. Todd’s advice for catching something spooky on film:

“Always make sure to take two pictures. Put the camera behind your head and snap what’s happening behind you and in the corners.”

Michael Todd

First Paranormal Investigation

With a growing portfolio of ghost captures and an ear to the ground on local paranormal disturbances, Mr. Todd took on his first investigative case in Waldron, AR. The homeowner was a woman named Shannon who was complaining about knocking sounds that would wake her up at night. She believed that her ex had attracted some negative energies into the house by keeping a satanic bible in their bedroom. Over time, the knocking had worsened so significantly that Shannon’s second husband would reach for his gun at 3am because he thought someone was trying to break the door down.

For this case, Mr. Todd requested the help of his daughter and cousin (who would later join his team of paranormal investigators) to collect audio recordings and take additional photographs as he attempted to engage with the unseen entity.

What he found:

As Mr. Todd describes it, as soon as he entered the bedroom he saw a “rod” fly by the doorway. A “rod” is a rectangular strip of light (this one was approximately 4 inches long) that appears without a light source. The hair on his arms stood on end. He then made his way to the bed, sat down, and asked out loud: “Is anyone here?” To his surprise, the headboard and closet doors shook. One look from his cousin and he knew there was something terrible in the room with them. They needed to leave, but before they did, Mr. Todd asked one more question: “How many spirits are in here?” The reply they captured on the mp3 recorder shocked him. A garbled and static-y voice answered: “We don’t know.”

Realizing this was going to require help from the pros, Mr. Todd contacted the church who ultimately visited the house and performed a blessing. Shannon and her family were anointed with oils and from that point forward, the mysterious banging and rattling had stopped. Though he has been called to many homes over the years, Mr. Todd points to this case as his most memorable one.

The Church

In the number of times our paranormal investigator, Mr. Todd, has been called to test disturbances in people’s homes, he sighted multiple instances where he (and his now team of 5 had to contact the church for help.

How do the churches reacted to these types of requests? He told me it does not surprise the them to hear from his team.

“The Baptist and Presbyterian ministers are the most helpful. Sometimes the Catholic churches are reluctant, but they do come out.”

Michael Todd

In a case in Fort Smith, AK, an entity had attempted to posses a man. Mr. Todd was there when the room went ice cold and the man was burning up. His face had gone blank, and the crew had to drag him out of the house to get him away from the presence. Mr. Todd convinced a Catholic priest to perform a blessing in the house and in the man’s car.

For more on religion and the paranormal, read my previous post: Modern Day Exorcisms.

Occupational Hazard

Mr. Todd has suffered some injuries at the hands of unseen entities while on location. Some were minor, like having his hair pulled and getting scratched. But ghosts aren’t always so gentle. One of the most severe instances sent him to the emergency room.

In 2018, a woman named Sandra contacted ‘Spook Earth Paranormal to investigate odd sounds in her home. Mr. Todd learned that Sandra’s father had died on the property and that her dog was behaving strangely inside the house. As soon as Mr. Todd had his equipment moved to the front porch, he felt a hard shove from behind, pushing him through the front door. His right toe caught the threshold and the metal nearly sliced it clean off. He never returned to the property and Sandra ultimately moved homes. Though this house call sent him to the hospital for stitches, this was not Mr. Todd’s most frightening experience.

Most Frightening Ghost Investigation

Dogpatch USA was a theme park in Marble Falls, AK. Based on the comic strip “Li’l Abner”, it had opened in 1968 and shut down in 1993. Much of the land was sold off, but parts of the park are still intact. One evening, Mr. Todd and his crew brought their recording equipment to the ghost town and took a walk through the dilapidated structures. What they encountered shook Mr. Todd to his core.

It was pitch black in the administrative building. Our paranormal investigator was walking down a narrow hallway when a gust of wind caused some plastic sheets on the wall to flap around. Startled, Mr. Todd stood still and listed. He heard footsteps coming toward him in the hallway and scrambled to find his flashlight. Since his team had split up to cover different areas of the park, he was certain that whoever was in the hallway was not from ‘Spook Earth Paranormal. He got the flashlight on his phone working and heard more footsteps. They were so clear Mr. Todd believed there was another man inside the building. Not wanting any trouble of the human variety, he called out and identified himself. “Hey, I’m Michael. I’m here to investigate…” and so on. That’s when he heard a laugh.

Full of adrenaline, Mr. Todd pulled out his pocketknife and shone his flashlight all around him, but saw no one. As he made his way toward the exit, he heard a grunting noise. At that moment, a gust of wind hit his face, and he realized that he was dealing with something from the spirit world. Isolated and alone, he had to push past them to leave as they were blocking his way out. He had never felt so afraid as he did in that building.

A Message About the Afterlife

When I asked Mr. Todd what keeps him going and why he does what he does, he told me he enjoys helping people, but he also enjoys the allure of being in a dark space and knowing there is something with you. Knowing there is something more out there. I asked him what he would want people to know about the afterlife and his message was simple, yet comforting.

“You don’t have to be afraid. There is something better. If you can move on, you’ll be alright. You’ll be just fine.”

Michael Todd

For more on Michael Todd, visit his Facebook group: ‘Spook Earth Paranormal or check out his YouTube channel. **Please take special note of the disclaimers and warnings that preface the videos, as these recordings may not be suitable for all audiences.