Ghost of the Unknown Cacher

Research Notes In To a Paranormal Phenomenon

Incident Type: Independently observed ghostly apparition

Incident Location: Shelby Farms Park – Memphis, TN

Case Opened: 11-02-2005

Researcher: Miles Claymore

Journal Entries To Follow

November 2, 2005

I have begun this journal to record my ongoing research in to an unknown paranormal phenomenon which has recently been reported online. According to several brief postings to the paranormal internet message boards I frequent, some sort of apparition has been sighted in or around the wooded area of Shelby Farms Park, in nearby Memphis, Tennessee. Accounts are varied, but sound legitimate enough to merit further investigation.

November 10, 2005

            With a small amount of effort I have been able to contact one of the original witnesses, and author of a message board posting earlier this year. She has identified herself using the nickname “AngMarie” and appears genuine, if quite spooked. She claims to have sighted a ghostly apparition in the area earlier this year – but seems too traumatized (or, perhaps, embarrassed) to discuss any details. Attempts to gather more information are ongoing.

November 17, 2005

            I have made little progress in my email exchanges with the witness referred to as AngMarie (pseudonym maintained to protect the witness’s privacy). Currently all I know is that on July 3^rd of this year she was walking along a trail in a field near Wolf Creek taking pictures for a photography class. At some point in the early afternoon she decided to leave the beaten path and explore a nearby wooded area. Shortly, she came upon a ghostly figure. The witness is still extremely shaken up and hesitates to recall any details, but it is clear she knows significantly more than she is willing to talk about.

December 10, 2005

            I have continued discussions with AngMarie. While still uneasy, I believe she is beginning to come to terms with what has happened. I recounted many of my previous investigations in to such paranormal phenomena for her, which seems to have helped her understand more about these things. She seemed concerned that speaking of the “creature” (as she calls it) would some how summon it forth. I attempted to explain that such spirits are bound to a very specific area and can not move from that area without some form of spiritual guide (usually a friend or relative willing to help the lost soul find peace). I believe I have also proven myself to her as a professional – and not someone who might consider her mentally unstable as a result of the encounter. I hope to receive more details from her soon.

December 17, 2005

            I believe I have finally extracted useful, if somewhat confusing, information from the witness – a detailed description of the spirit she encountered. She described it as a female form – wearing outdoor gear and a backpack (unusual garb for a spirit!). Even stranger, the ghost appeared to be holding something in her hands as she wandered in tight circles, as if looking for something. AngMarie said she could hear a faint muttering… apparently the spirit was looking for lost or hidden money – although it is entirely unclear why she would be doing so in such a secluded area. Upon noticing AngMarie, the spirit lunged at her, shouting “First To Find! First To Find!” Unsurprisingly, this was a horrific event for the witness – which would clearly explain why she was not forthcoming with details earlier.

The exact text of the email is as follows:

“Thank you for your understanding and patience with me. Even though this all happened months ago I still have nightmares about the ordeal and am hesitant to think about that horrible day. Still, I know your research is important - and while I may never be able to understand what happened out there, I now feel hopeful that I may some day recover from it. I believe that the first step in doing so will be to face my fears and explain, as best I can, exactly what I saw.

As I previously mentioned, I was in the area doing an assignment for a photography class I was taking. I had just finished photographing the nearby power lines when I noticed something moving just beyond the tree line. I thought it may be a deer or something, so I quietly approached the woods where I saw the movement, hoping to snap a few personal photos for my collection.

As I got closer to the tree line I continued to see movement, but it become more obvious that it wasn’t a deer or any other animal, but something else. Through the brush I could make out a female figure wandering aimlessly in the forest. I believed her to be lost, or perhaps even confused. But as I approached I noticed there was something very wrong. She was mist like – like a ghost. She was wearing hiking gear – a dark shirt and light tan pants, with a backpack. Her hair was long a dark and seemed to cover her face almost completely. She also had something in her hand – a device, somewhat larger than a cell phone. She would look at this… whatever it was… every few minutes and mutter something. It was faint, but I am certain she was saying “Where’s the cash?”… the memory is still very chilling!

As I stood there she noticed me. It becomes too terrifying to recall much after that. She attacked… or tried to. She was screaming – horrible, terrible screaming! I shiver as I type the words… “First to find!” repeated over and over. I was so scared I dropped my prized photo journal that I always kept with me, and would have dropped my camera had it not been around my neck. I just turned, and ran… I never looked back… I was too scared to stop running.

The effect on my life was devastating. I haven’t touched a camera since. I was so afraid that horrible image may have been captured on film that the very next day I gave my camera to a friend to sell for me – I didn’t even want to be near it. I can’t even drive past Shelby Farms any more. In fact, I rarely even go out unless I am surrounded by other people.

I can’t think of this any more.

I’m sorry”

            From this description I can only conclude that this is a more recently departed spirit (perhaps circa 1990) – a very rare thing! I suspect the device may have, indeed, been an older cellular phone – large by today’s standards.

            I can only guess as to how or why this person died. Why would she have expected to find cash out in the forest? Perhaps this was some sort of deal gone wrong – perhaps she was blackmailing someone, or participating in some other form of transaction. Or maybe she had stashed the money there herself, with the intention of returning for it – but for what reason? Certainly a death involving money (especially under any circumstances that would put it out in the woods) increases the chance of a death by foul play. I will begin research immediately in to disappearances, murders, and possible robberies of the time. There isn’t much to go on – but at least it is a start.

            I also feel that this haunting may fall in to the displaced soul category – another rarity. These types of occurrences are seen when a person dies either desperately seeking something or fleeing from some form of danger (usually the latter, as those circumstances are more likely to result in death). The detached soul will continue in this activity beyond death – wandering for hours or sometimes even days before the ethereal plane solidifies around them, trapping them in an unfamiliar and distant location. This is a controversial theory, as it is so unlike more traditional hauntings in which a spirit becomes trapped either in a familiar location or at the place of death. If this is such an instance it would be an even more amazing breakthrough than I could ever dream!

            Of course, there is also the issue of the camera. It would certainly have been preferable to have access to it - even if not for the off chance it captured a clear image of the spirit (which is unlikely as ghosts almost never show up on film), but for the more likely prospect that the images that were taken that day may lead me to the site of the event or trigger a more detailed memory from the witness.

            There are more questions now than ever. Who was this woman? How did she die? What is this cash she was seeking? Is it still nearby?

February 10, 2006

            I am sorry to say I have had absolutely no luck in this investigation over the past two months.

            First of all, the camera’s film was removed and destroyed by AngMarie’s friend prior to the camera being sold. Further, there were no unexplained disappearances in the area in the 1990s which seem to fit the profile. Nor can I find any rumors of money or treasure having ever been said to exist in these woods. For now, I fear, I have come to a dead end.

            Additionally, my time has become more devoted to researching images sent over from Kei Amakrua, an old colleague in Japan who seems to have recovered an interesting artifact which he calls the 'Camera Obscura'. He claims that in the right hands this old camera is capable of photographing spirits trapped on the mortal plane. It seems a bit too good to be true, but he has sent some very detailed pictures and diagrams which are well worth studying.

For now, while I proceed with other projects, I am afraid I must put this research on hold.

August 1, 2006

            Eureka!! Today is truly a momentous day! I must confess, after so many months I never expected to return to this research. However, today I had an unexpected breakthrough which sheds a whole new light on the story recounted by my witness. I was sitting with a few friends in a park earlier, explaining my recent work with the Camera Obscura, when I noticed a strange rustling in some distant bushes. Shortly afterwards a man and woman (both wearing backpacks) emerged. I thought little of it at first, but then I noticed the man was carrying a small handheld device. As they circled the bushes they periodically glanced at the device – behaving exactly as the spirit did in AngMarie’s encounter. I immediately leapt up and ran towards them – making them understandably nervous as to my intentions! After catching up with them (and catching my breath – I fear I am no longer as young as I once was) I inquired as to what they were doing. They were very polite, but seemed a bit hesitant to explain. Eventually, after a few flimsy excuses, they finally explained the behavior. Apparently they were participating in a sport known as ‘Geocaching’. In this activity, some players will hide small containers (known as a CACHE – a phoneme for ‘cash’!) in a variety of places. These caches contain a log book and various trinkets used for trading. The owner of the cache will then post GPS coordinates to an online database. Players will then use GPS receivers (the handheld devices these two geocachers were wielding) to locate these hidden ‘treasures’ (if one can call Tupperware filled with McDonalds toys a treasure).

            This fits the witness’s testimony perfectly! I now see that my previous conclusions were entirely faulty. The spirit simply must have been some unknown ‘cacher’ who perished from unknown causes while seeking the next cache! Not only does this reinvigorate my investigation, but it moves the timeline considerably, as these devices and this sport have only existed for a matter of years. Could it be a newly formed spirit?!

            Further, this coincides perfectly with my progress on the Camera Obscura project! I have been studying the diagrams sent by my Japanese friend and the entire device is truly amazing! Further, I have been working on applying these principals, at least in part, to a modern day digital camera. I believe I have the camera functioning within the necessary parameters to view the spirit world. Unfortunately I have been unable to test the modifications, as I have not had access to a known haunted site. With this new revelation my path forward is clear! I must gain enough information to determine the exact whereabouts of the haunting and then use the camera to capture an image of the ghost!

August 6, 2006

            More good news! I have resumed contact with my original witness, AngMarie. Initially I had hoped to convince her to return to the woods and show me the location of her encounter. Unfortunately, even though the event occurred more than a year ago, she is entirely unwilling to go anywhere near the location of the sighting. However, she was able to recall enough key details for me to recreate her trek by myself.

Tonight I will be acquiring my own GPS unit, which I believe will be invaluable in tracing the last steps of the unknown cacher. My intention is to head to Memphis first thing in the morning with my GPS receiver and modified camera in tow. With any luck, I will be able to capture images of the spirit haunting Shelby Farms very soon!

August 7, 2006

            Today has been a disappointing day. Still, there have been a few bright spots.

            Given AngMarie’s description, I was able to determine critical points in her journey. According to my GPS receiver, the path she was on when she entered the woods starts at N 35° 08.101, W 089° 51.217 and winds northwest – eventually exiting the woods and opening up in to the field at N 35° 08.487, W 089° 52.046. From here she indicates that she wandered around for a while, taking photos of the power lines with the trees in the background. Because of this she is uncertain as to the specific distance of the sighting in relation to the entrance to the field, but she said it “couldn’t have been too far – under a half mile”.

            Unfortunately, this is where the good news ends. Without further information, I am unable to pinpoint the exact location of the sighting.

I wandered the area for hours looking for anything unusual – but saw nothing. And worse, it is entirely possible I passed right through the area without seeing a thing. As I have postulated in my previous works with the supernatural, I believe every ghost occupies a specific ‘wavelength’ of sorts. In order to sense a spirit, one’s own wavelength must be near that of the ghost’s. Some people, such as mediums, are able to detect a wider range of wavelengths, of course. However, without knowing the specific location of the haunting, I am unable to know exactly where to use my modified camera – and thus can not proceed!

            While disappointed, I am not defeated! I shall endeavor to locate additional information which may allow me to narrow my search. This is the closest I have ever been, and I shall not give up easily!

September 4, 2006

            After nearly a month of searching the internet for additional witnesses and several trips to Shelby Farms, I have still turned up no specific accounts which might allow me to further assess this case. It is incredibly frustrating to be so very close, and still be unable to locate the exact location of the haunting! I have spent many weekends walking up and down the route along which my only witness spotted the entity – likely passing through the exact spot a half dozen times or more, but have seen and heard nothing which would indicate that a tormented spirit lurks just below my field of perception. Still, I refuse to give up!

October 13, 2006

            After posting many messages on various online message boards, I believe I finally have a genuine response. Tonight I received the following email from a geocacher under the alias of MrMongoose:

“I read your post about the haunting in Shelby Farms a few weeks ago, and to be honest I thought it was a complete hoax. However, I was at Shelby Farms geocaching earlier today when I had a very frightening encounter that simply must be related to your research. I had parked at the entrance to the kite flying area off of Farm Rd. and followed my GPS receiver west  in to the woods. After completing my first cache in the area I decided to hike to the next one, a couple miles away.

I was a bit unfamiliar with the area, so I followed my GPS in a (more or less) straight line, through the woods, and towards the next cache – although it is now apparent I would have been better off sticking with the beaten path!

I had just passed through a large field with power lines – similar to that which you described. I was attempting to find the best way in to the woods on the other side, when I heard what sounded like crying. It was very faint, so I assumed it was some sort of animal, but I was curious enough to investigate. Once I found the area where it was coming from I pressed in to the woods just far enough to see past the brush that grew along the tree line. As I entered the woods the crying abruptly stopped. My assumption at the time was that I had scared off whatever animal was making the sound. I decided to get my bearings and start back towards the next cache.

I had just checked my coordinates when I heard some rustling behind me. I thought it may be an animal, or perhaps some other hikers – but when I turned around there was this awful figure standing just feet away! It looked like a woman – though her face was distorted and warped. She looked so sad and lost. I was stunned… unable to move for what seemed like minutes, but was probably only a fraction of a second. Then she spoke… a ghastly haunting voice… she begged me to “Show her the way”.

All I remember after that was running through the forest. I probably knocked a few trees down on the way out! I was too scared at the time to feel the cuts and scrapes – but I can tell you now, I’m pretty banged up. And I can’t stop picturing her face!

I managed to make my way back to the power lines and all the way back to the car. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way I must have dropped my GPS unit. I believe it may have been near the power lines or on the trail headed back to the car. I remember clinging to it as I ran through the woods – I was terrified of getting lost in there with that thing. But once I saw the clearing I dropped any dead weight that I could without stopping. Honestly, I just wanted to get the hell out of there!

It will be a long time before I attempt that cache again… in fact, I think I’ll stick to light posts for quite a while!

In your message you mentioned a desire to find the location of this haunting – though I can’t image why. Without my GPS unit, all I can tell you is that I was 0.61 miles away from the location of the cache I was looking for (Which was at N 35° 09.025, W 089° 52.692) However, my entire route should all be in the GPS unit, if you can manage to find it. If you do find that poor girl – please help her. I don’t know what happened to her, but she seemed so lost… so incredibly lost!”

            Not only does this email give me the ultimate hope of finding the final coordinates to the haunting site, but I believe it also fills in a few missing gaps as to the nature of the haunting. The spirit’s behavior towards this witness is very different. With the original witness she was defensive – virtually attacking her. Here she shows a helpless side, begging for help. Perhaps the spirit has had enough of being trapped in those woods, and is looking for a way out? Or maybe she recognized him as a fellow geocacher? Ultimately I believe the spirit is still seeking the lost cache. Perhaps if I can locate the haunting site I may be able to communicate with her… and somehow determine the location of the cache she seeks. I could then take on a role as her spirit guide – thus freeing her from her trapped state and guiding her to the cache. I believe this may be the only way to set her free.

            Unfortunately it is too late to go searching for the lost GPS unit. I am incredibly excited about the prospects of finding it, but for now I must force myself to bed so that I may leave for Memphis before the break of dawn.

October 14, 2006

Success! After a whole day of looking I have finally obtained the lost GPS unit and checked in to a nearby hotel. Initially it looked as though I would be unable to find the unit – but just as the sun was setting and I was giving up hope, I noticed gleam a few feet off the path – a banged up metal walking stick! Nearby I found the lost GPS unit face-down in the dirt. With the sun setting and the batteries dead, I was forced to wait until I returned to my hotel before I could further research it.

I have now had a chance to study the receiver and everything matches the witness’s story perfectly! You can see that he started his trek at the parking lot (N 35° 08.186, W 089° 50.328) before following the same path that I believe AngMarie took. He wandered around for a while, presumably hunting other nearby caches, before beginning to move northwest past the power lines. Just past the power lines there is a point where his path suddenly shifts to the southwest – in nearly a straight line. Based on the time stamps, he was moving at very high speed. It is at this point that the sighting must have occurred! This point also matches AngMarie’s original recollection in that it is under a half mile (1,952 feet, to be exact) away from the point where she exited the woods and entered the field.

I will be returning to the park at daybreak with my modified camera. I will head to this location and, if I am truly lucky, I will be able to capture the first digital images of the spirit world and, perhaps, even communicate with the unknown cacher in an attempt to help her find the lost cache….