Mystery Machine The hunter of haunters

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Christopher Gardner says there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in most people’s philosophies.

That’s why he became an investigator of the paranormal.

“A lot of people I’ve talked to are skeptical,” said the Thorndike resident whose business, Paranormal Investigation, is based in Bangor. “But a bigger percentage think there is something out there, especially when it comes to UFOs.”

As his business card indicates, Gardner takes on all things paranormal: hauntings, demonology, UFOs, cryptozoology (hidden animal sightings), possession and alien abductions.

“I’ve always believed in some things, but as I’ve been in this longer and longer, I’m seeing more strange things happening,” said Gardner, 37. “There’s more going on around us than people know or believe.”

Gardner has been interested in the unexplained since his youth, when he would sit engrossed while watching documentaries on bigfoot and UFOs or listening to stories about ghosts and devils.

He puts stock not just in his own research, but in the experiences of those closest to him. For example, he noted, his sister has sighted two UFOs in the Old Town area.

“One of the biggest things for me is friends and family who have seen things,” Gardner said. “I believe them wholeheartedly.”

About two years ago, Gardner founded Paranormal Investigation in order to document unexplained phenomena, perhaps for use in a book or lectures down the road.

He now works with psychic Kathy Stewart and psychic photographer Aileen Peterson, and the trio has more than 40 years of experience in the field. They average a couple of new cases each month, with 20 to

25 over the past two years. Gardner estimates that 20 to 30 percent of those cases have some foundation in the paranormal. They don’t charge for their time, but will accept donations for equipment.

“There’s a core of cases out there that are genuine,” he said. “People come to us from all walks of life.”

If people are skeptical about such things as ghosts or demons, what makes them pick up the phone and call Gardner?

“They’ve eliminated a lot of possibilities,” he said. “The activity has been going on or getting worse, and the person is starting to get more scared.”

Gardner is also a veteran fire investigator and tracker, and is working on degrees in anthropology and fire sciences. He draws on all these skills in his paranormal investigations.

He starts by taping a preliminary interview with the people involved. Then he returns with Stewart and Peterson to undertake a more thorough investigation of the site. They check such natural causes as plumbing or wiring problems, or small animals inside the walls of the house.

The tools of their trade include tape recorders and still and video cameras as well as electromagnetic field meters and thermometers, both of which can point out the presence of a spirit.

Sometimes they capture the apparition on film.

“It can look like a foggy area, orbs of light, white streaks or the form of an actual person, like a double exposure,” Gardner explained.

There are benign spirits, who rarely interact with the living, and more malignant, demonic spirits. Gardner cautioned against homeowners setting up a s?ance or using a Ouija board to communicate with the spirits in the house.

“You could have a habitation [by a benign spirit] and turn it into an infestation by a demonic-type spirit,” he said.

On-site findings are combined with additional research and a final report is compiled for their client.

“Even if nothing is happening, and we can prove that, it puts their minds at rest,” he said.

If there is a spirit, the client then decides what they want to do next. Some choose to live with the spirit. If the client wants to get rid of the spirit, the investigators burn bundles of spirit-chasing herbs, incense or candles or cleanse the area with salt water. Sometimes the spirit leaves for good, sometimes it comes back, and sometimes it doesn’t leave. In that event, more severe measures, such as bringing in a specialist for an exorcism, may be required.

Gardner detailed a couple of ongoing investigations. At a Waldoboro farmhouse converted into a bed-and-breakfast, items kept disappearing, only to return later. Stewart described the presences she felt, including a man with a limp, whose description matched the last owner of the farm. Also Peterson’s photos revealed some spirit activity.

There had been a lot of activity at a Bangor business. Doors were opening and closing, things were being moved and pans kept falling in the kitchen area. The investigators say they pinpointed an apparition of an older woman walking through the building. There was also a more interactive spirit in the basement. Since employees are leaving the business, Gardner and company are working to cleanse the house.

Before attempting such cleansings, Gardner partakes of a host from a Catholic church and wears a cross blessed by the church, along with other precautions. So far, he hasn’t had any close calls with unhappy spirits.

“I’ve been pretty fortunate,” he said. “I make sure to do a blessing before and a cleansing afterward, so I don’t bring anything home with me.”

Gardner hopes his research will help bring more about the paranormal into the open.

“People would be surprised at what’s going on around this state,” he said. “A big thing is prying the information out of people.”

For more information, page Gardner at 471-9437.