Remember when we all first started as investigators, some of us got into it because we had lost a loved one, or we had an unexplainable experience.  When we used to have that fire in our bellies, booking our first location for an investigation and excited for every little noise and EVP we picked up. We genuinely wanted to help people who were experiencing hauntings in their homes. Or just the love of investigating to find out what lies ahead for us on the other side.

Unfortunately, the field has now become individuals who want to be on TV, have hidden agendas, or just do not have the love for it anymore. I was starting to lose hope and missed that very much. Well, this summer I got to experience that feeling once again.   I had the pleasure of meeting a group of investigators at Gretchen Fest in Ohio.  I could hear the passion & excitement we all once had when we first started. The excitement as they were telling stories and showing me the evidence, they captured was so refreshing. It made me feel there is still passion for this field. Do not get me wrong, I have worked with and met some amazing and fascinating groups before, but this group just reminded me of when we all first started our journey into the unknown.   

They are a group of friends called 3 Souls Paranormal based out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Steven  Nolte and Frank Cirri founded their group on Friday the 13th in 2000, joining them would be longtime friends Mark Castner and Robert Thomas.

  GM:  I always found that most of us get into the paranormal usually after the loss of a loved one

or from a personal experience. Can you tell me why you started investigating ghosts? 

3 Souls (Steven Nolte):   My first personal. Experience is when I was 15. My sister passed away in 1995 and two days after her funeral, she came to me as a full-body apparition. My middle name is Scott. So, she was like. Scott, next time you see me, I’m taking you with me, and she disappeared. 

GM: This was while you were awake. 

3 Souls (Steven Nolte):   Yes, I was awake, it was just like we are talking right now. 

3 Souls (Frank Cirri):   I was about 18 years old I was hanging out with a few friends. We went to this house where the legend was that this guy hung himself because he pushed his pregnant wife over a balcony, unfortunately, both the wife and unborn baby did not survive. So, we snuck into this house, and we looked around. No one was in there. While sitting there, we heard the door slam to the room that he hung himself in, it opened closed three times, and then slammed shut.   We were the only ones there. Then we heard footsteps coming down the hallway. That is when we ran down the stairs and escaped out of this basement window.  I was the last person out, and as I turned around, there was a man at the door and the door slammed shut.

GM:  What was your experience, Robert Thomas? 

3 Souls Paranormal:   (Robert Thomas) I got into it because of a personal loss, my father passed away in September of 2021.  Steven had an investigation coming up a month later and invited me to go to get my mind off the death of my father and I have been investigating ever since. 

GM: Most people get into it because of personal loss. It is comforting to know they are still with us. 

3 Souls (Mark Castner)  : I had some weird occurrences when I was a kid, but I would say the first thing was when I was about five years old. And my mom was reading to us. I was the youngest of the three. And my mom was reading us a bedtime story and suddenly just out of the clear blue, we heard this loud very loud man’s voice say a few words that just came from within the room. It did not make any sense whatsoever. There were no men in the house. 

GM:   Could you make out what he said?

3 Souls:   It was just a disembodied voice. I was so young that I did not know what was going on. My sisters, however, were older than me, and they started to get scared. I could tell my mom was scared too. That was my first paranormal experience. 

GM:  Where is the most haunted location you have ever investigated? 

3 Souls:  The Bergen House in New York. We just did that back in June and that place was unbelievably haunted. The owner told us there was an exorcism performed in the house. Bodies were found on the property; people would do witchcraft on there.   

GM: Does your team research the history before you go into a haunted location? 

3 Souls:  Yes, usually we do but for some reason, we did not research that property. We wanted to go in without any preconceived notions. 

GM:  What is your favorite piece of equipment to use during investigations? 

3 Souls: my favorite piece of equipment is myself. When you get chills. The body is your best piece of equipment.