I received the following from a reader in reference to photographic evidence he gathered in Tombstone, Arizona:
Hi Lon, have enjoyed your site since your appearance on Coast to Coast AM. Enclosed is a picture I took at the Bird Cage Saloon in Tombstone Az. back in 2007. Known as the most haunted spot in Arizona we made several trips there because at the time we were living in Tucson about an hour or so away and were fascinated with the apparent hauntings in the town.
The picture was taken with an old Casio 3.1 digital camera. It was a Wednesday and it was very slow in Tombstone and the Birdcage was void of tourist. The Hearse which has transported hundreds of people to Boothill resides in the upper portion of the Birdcage and to the rear. As we walked the building I began taking numerous random shots (about 70) total. When we entered the room where the Hearse was I took approx 10 random shots. Myself and my wife were the only ones in the room at the time.
Upon download to the computer I saw what at first I thought was a reflection of myself on the glass of the Hearse. Turns out this was not me. Of the 26 murders inside the Saloon, one was shot through the eye. If you put this picture in a program and zoom on the left eye, it appears it is not there. Zooming on the right eye you can make out the fact that his eyes were blue and you can also see his pupil.
Probably the strangest thing concerning this photo is his face, if you look at the right side of the face you will notice that it is behind the vertical pipes rather than in front, those vertical bars are behind the hearse!
I cant help but feel that this character is "dead", and I also believe he intended to be photographed in this picture-just a feeling I have.
Having looked at the pictures sent to you by the pilot in Michigan who downloaded the pictures of the apparent UFO photographed (but not seen at the time) I can tell you my theory on the subject. The digital cameras can "see" to some extent into the infra-red spectrum. I have photographed hundreds of similiar objects in the skies when I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area. I would simply point and shoot with a digital camera in the sky. Having taken maybe 20-30 shots I would then download the photos-then I would repeat the process. Invariably I would come up with one or two UFO's, which of course at the time was not seen by my physical eyes. The skies around the Bay are very very busy with this sort of phoenomena. Some areas (such as the one I am in now) is void of these anomalies. So it does depend on where you are.
It led me to a couple of conclusions. First of all UFO's, or should I say most of the UFO's are in a way cloaked, they are beyond our ability to see them and operate outside our visual spectrum. The digital camera, since it does see into the infra-red spectrum has the capability of photographing them. I have many many (since lost in broken computer) objects appearing similiar to the recently posted photos. I have taken pics of bell shaped, cigar shaped, classic saucer, and numerous ships flying in formations.
The same theory applies to Ghost, spirits, or whatever you want to call the phenomena. The digital camera, with infra-red abilities allows at times, for their appearance.
As you and your audience is well aware, our vision is very very limited in what we can see and what we cannot see.
I sent the pic to a well known paranormal group called HAPIA up in Canada. I spoke by email to the lead investigator who stated that she and her team spent a good portion the night analyzing the photo, below are their comments.
Dan in Roseville, Ca.
Comments from HAPIA:
"I noticed the eye. But the strange thing about the negative is that part of it shows flesh too. And even though there is a 'collar' of the shirt, there is no shirt - you can see the panelling through. I stayed up until 3am playing with the photo - and I can at least confirm you didn't send in a hoax, but trying to confirm exactly what you caught is stumping me. If it was a reflection of someone, you would see the shirt as well, and when pictures are sent to me that are hoaxes, usually our program will pick it up from enhancing and the making the photo a negative, which wasn't the case with yours. There are no definite outlines, and its too perfect.
Well if you look at the negative image I sent back to you - the rim of the shirt is where it should be - but no shirt - so anyone who would sayits a reflection is not looking at it correctly. The distorted eye is interesting, but what interests me is the way the face is in the picture. It looks like most of it is right on or behind the foremost glass, but then another part behind the pipe. Thats what is making it a bit confusing. I cannot believe the detailing in the lips, the nose and the one visible eye. I have never seen a picture that is flesh toned as well."
Below: Negative Image of the man.
There is one notable fact about Tombstone, AZ, every locale or attraction seems to be haunted...even hotels - Historic Spirits Supposedly Haunt Tombstone, Arizona Motel. Paranormal activity around the famous town isn't confined to ghosts and spirits. The photo (below) of the giant bird-like cryptid circulated the country in 1890.
The creature was linked to the area around Tombstone, Arizona. A photograph was presumably taken in the early 1890s of several cowboys and ranchers holding up what appears to be a pterodactyl. The beast was apparently seen flying in the area, and was lured by some ranchers into a trap in the Huachuca Mountains, west of Tombstone, where they killed the creature. Some stories link the monster of Elizabeth Lake to the monster in the old picture of the pterodactyl, stating that they are the same creature. The picture apparently appeared in the Tombstone Epitaph though the original photograph disappeared.
I've added a few other strange occurances in the Tombstone area:
MUFON CMS - Tombstone, AZ - 10/17/2010 - unedited: My wife and I were down from Oregon for my sisters wedding in Tuscon Arizona on Saturday the 16th of October 2010. Sunday the 17th we drove out to Tombstone where they just by chance for us were having Helldorado days which was a lot of fun.
As we were leaving Tombstone we stopped at Boot Hill cemetery just at the north end of town. After walking through the cemetery my wife and I were about to get into the car. I looked out over the road (HWY 80) toward the west to take in the scenery out over the desert. That's when I noticed something just hanging there maybe a mile or 1.5 miles high and about 3 miles total distance. It hovered and did not appear to move. It was a little difficult to see with the Sun facing me at about 2 o'clock with the object to the left at 9 or 10 o'clock. At first I considered it could be a hot air balloon but I quickly ruled that out. I thought the sun could be reflecting off of something but that would mean there had to be something there to reflect off of.
With the naked eye I could see the dark area on the left and the bright white vertical boomerang shape on the right. I grabbed my camera and took about four pictures, the one I posted is the best image. These images were able to provide much more detail than I could see otherwise.
My wife also could see the object as well. With no nearby roads leading out to the object and not knowing what it was we decided to leave after watching it for about ten minutes. During that time it did not appear to move, if anything it got a little closer.
MUFON CMS - Tombstone, Arizona - 10/26/2010 - unedited: My husband and I were on vacation visiting Tombstone, Arizona. We were staying at a hotel on the north side of town. Late that afternoon, from 8:00 P. M. Central Standard Time (? Arizonia time) we were sitting behind the hotel facing west toward a mountain. He pointed out to me an object in the sky over the mountain. The mountain was probably two to three miles away and the object several hundred feet above the mountain. At first he thought it was possibly a blimp. I made three photographs. We continued to watch it until sunset. It appeared to be black and continued to hover in the exact same location. He is definitely a UFO skeptic; however he did said that he knew of no plane, helicopter, or blimp that could hover like that. He is a former army paratrooper. The next morning he went outside before I did and spotted it again. I went with him to look. It was in the same spot twelve to fifteen hours later. This time to me it appeared white. He thought it was silver. I made several photos. The sun was bright during the second AM sighting and I could not focus. The photos are not great. I copied and enhanced one. Enlarged it appeared to me to be shaped like a fish. We observed it for a few minutes that morning. As we had many things to do we left the hotel. I did look for it later that morning while visiting Boothill Cemetery and it was not visible. I was anxious when I saw it and continued to be that night and the next day. My husband did not express any anxiety. His interest in looking for it again and the fact that he did not tell me it wasn't anything says he did think it was unusual. The photos are attached. I was reluctant to report it. I have checked this site to see if anyone else did. Someone else reported a similar sighting and I decided to report ours. The photos in which the object appear black were made later afternoon. The one with a white object in the far right corner were made mid morning the next day.
NOTE: I've heard and read about a lot of different sightings and encounters in and around Tombstone. In fact, one of the older residents once claimed that he witnessed a T-Rex roaming the desert surrounding the town. Another encounter involved imps and faeries showing up in the Boot Hill Graveyard during certain nights. I'm sure there are many other stories tied to the supernatural that have yet to be told...Lon
Around Tombstone: Ghost Towns and Gunfights (Images of America: Arizona)
Sleeping With Ghosts!: A Ghost Hunter's Guide To Arizona's Haunted Hotels And Inns
Tombstone Light and Dark
Desert Honkytonk: The Story of Tombstone's Bird Cage Theatre