2008 Woodie Awards
Locals seek answers to paranormal truths
JULIAN RODRIGUEZ
Arbiter Journalist
Issue date: 10/30/08 Section: Sports
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Cuff is the executive director of the Idaho Spirit Seekers. No, they are not the ghostbusters, but if you have an unexplainable happening in your house and you feel it may be paranormal, they are the ones to call.
Cuff has been around the paranormal since a young age.
“I saw my grandparents, who I had not met,” Cuff said of her first paranormal experience. “They were my great-grandparents from Ireland. They showed themselves to me and when I tried to explain what I had seen, my grandmother pulled out a photo album and I was able to point them out.”
With 23 years of experience, Cuff knows her way through an investigation and offered a quick run-down of how everything works.
“We get a call from a client or an e-mail,” Cuff said. “More often than not, it comes in the form of e-mail first. I think that is just because people feel a little uncomfortable discussing it. They want to get a feel for [the company]. Then that escalates to a phone call. Based on the interview that is done over the phone, we decide whether we will take the case or not. Very seldom do we ever turn down a case.”
Following the initial interview, Cuff described the steps of the investigation, which includes a visit to the site with her team of four to six investigators. Upon arrival, Cuff and her associates meet their client. They then walk through the area of interest, which enables the technology team to discover “hot spots” to set-up their equipment. Then, depending on the case, the team may need several more walk-throughs and sit-ins before they come to a conclusion regarding the space’s activity.
“A large majority of our clients are just curious and they want to make sure that they’re not crazy,” Cuff said. “In that case we document them, and if it is someone who has activity and they want that activity to stop, there is advice that we can give them. It is based on the individual clients’ beliefs and religions.”
As executive director of the ISS, soon to be known as the International Paranormal Reporting Group, Cuff fulfills many roles for the growing organization. The ISS now has teams stationed all over Idaho including Boise, Blackfoot, Twin Falls and Post Falls. They have also expanded outside of Idaho and currently have teams in Helena, Mont., Portland, Ore. and Dominguez Hills, Calif. They also look to put teams in central Oregon, London and either Germany or Romania.
As she showcases the success and growth of the organization, Cuff makes a point to remember the importance behind her work. For example, a simple case involving two young children who were afraid to go into their family room due to some unknown activity keeps Cuff grounded in the ISS’s goals.
“With our investigation, we were able to help them understand what was going on,” Cuff said. “The kids are now playing down in the basement, they can go down by themselves and play. They are just comfortable in their home and that is what it is all about. Each case affects me differently. Each one of them is it’s own experience. That particular case, because of everything involved and the kids that were involved, is the one out of all the cases that I have done that sticks out in my mind the most.”
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