By Jessica Dillon
Members of Operation SpiritSeekers Paranormal Team recently expanded their investigations beyond haunted locations, traveling to North Carolina to look into reports of cryptid sightings.
Rachel Kirchner said the team visited an area near Statesville earlier this year after hearing reports of unusual activity.
“This is the first time we’ve actually gone out to specifically hunt cryptids. We’ve encountered a couple of them at different locations before,” Kirchner said.
The team used cameras and other equipment to document anything unusual. Kirchner said game cameras also are being used to monitor wooded areas and may be left in place for several weeks during future visits.
The group chose a location where it had previously conducted paranormal investigations.
“It was like a creepy-looking cornfield. Some of the cornstalks were moving, and some of the trees were deformed,” Kirchner said.
According to Kirchner, two team members photographed what appeared to be a bear that looked transparent. Later that night, the team reported seeing a bear on a porch that ran away, stood up, and then disappeared.
Kirchner said the area has a reputation for unexplained sightings.
“In that area down there, there’s Bigfoots, shapeshifters and other cryptids down in the area,” she said.
During a daytime investigation, team members found unusual footprints.
“We caught some weird footprints,” Kirchner said.
The team also investigated inside a nearby house. During that investigation, Kirchner said equipment used to capture voices appeared to reference a dead animal the group had seen earlier.
“The spirits inside were validating what we saw outside,” she said.
Later, while investigating after dark, Kirchner said two members of the team reported seeing “a tall skinny creature with a deer head.”
“The first time was like a dry run,” she said of the investigation.
Kirchner said one creature she would particularly like to investigate is the “Dog Man,” a cryptid often associated with werewolf legends.
“We were coming in one night, and we thought we saw a large black dog. When it turned and looked at it, it wasn’t a regular dog. It was massive,” she said.
Kirchner said reports of Dog Man sightings have surfaced in parts of Virginia.
Bigfoot also remains high on the team’s list of investigations.
“They are the reigning champions of hide and seek,” she said.
The team also is looking into reports of cryptid sightings along U.S. 58 near Spencer. Kirchner additionally pointed to a possible Bigfoot footprint cast reportedly found near the Smith River in Eden, North Carolina.
