Tina R. McSwain is Founder & Executive Director of The Charlotte Area Paranormal Society or CAPS, and has amassed over 20 years of experience in research and study of the paranormal. She is a native Charlottean, and has been interested in the paranormal since reading Nancy Roberts’ North and South Carolina ghost books of the 1960’s/1970’s. Early TV shows such as Dark Shadows and Kolchak – The Night Stalker aided to further pique this interest.
Amanda is a television media professional and brings her talents to CAPS. She is an Ohio native, but has lived in the Charlotte area for more than 25 years. Amanda is the CAPS equipment manager and uses her professional skills to ensure that all equipment operations are exceptional. She became interested in the paranormal after an experience following the death of her grandfather in 2007.
Ash is a native of the area and has been a member of the CAPS team since 2008. With a lifelong interest in science, a fascination for the unexplained, and a desire to solve problems he is a very good fit for the group. He has a Bachelors Degree in Computer Science from Appalachian State University and a Master’s Degree in Information Technology from UNC Charlotte.
Bryan was born in Charlotte but raised in Clover, SC. He has been interested in the paranormal since he started seeing and feeling things he couldn’t explain when he was a child. He enjoys trying to build equipment that CAPS can use during investigations. Bryan is married with 3 kids, 2 boys and 1 girl.
Cameron is from Lenoir, North Carolina. His favorite part of paranormal investigating is learning about and researching the history surrounding the places he investigates. Cameron has had a few experiences that he believes were paranormal, but he is always looking for more evidence to help prove that paranormal activity really does occur.
Cher has been an active paranormal investigator for almost ten years, drawn to the field by numerous personal experiences gained working as a theater technician at various playhouses. Her current work as a costume, prop and puppet builder for the film/TV industry allows her to put her professional experience in special effects to good use in analyzing evidence. Cher is also a published author, combining her interest in the paranormal with her work in theater to produce her first book, Haunted Theaters of the Carolinas. She continues to research and write on various aspects of the paranormal, and is currently working on two projects tentatively titled Ghosts of Greater Charlotte and Weird Creatures of the Carolinas.
Ishmael joined CAPS in 2015. He is an invaluable member of the group. Ishmael enjoys bringing new paranormal research techniques to investigations. He is a radiography technician and LOVES his four pugs!
Jean is from Newton NC, and is an investigator for CAPS. She has been interested in the paranormal since childhood. She remembers telling her mother of a few events that were going to happen before they did. She attributes her interests to her mother being so open and believing in the paranormal. She allowed Jean to grow with her beliefs. Jean encountered a spirit in her home and this encouraged her to pursue her knowledge in the paranormal. Jean became a member of CAPS in early 2008.
Jeff has been drawn to the paranormal since several supernatural experiences he had as a child. Because they weren’t of a ghostly nature, he considers them more supernatural than paranormal. Jeff is a former support engineer for a major software company. His technical and troubleshooting background helps to confirm or debunk paranormal activity. He enjoys learning about movie special effects and provided effects for his high school drama productions. Jeff also creates fountains and likes to turn bowls on his wood lathe.
Julie came to the Carolinas a few years ago and found CAPS and the opportunity to learn and experience the paranormal.
Kathy has experienced numerous instances with deceased family members visiting her. She joined CAPS in 2006 to help her better understand these events and help others in similar situations. She has been an avid genealogist for many years and uses her knowledge and research skills to aid CAPS investigations by researching the history of families and places where paranormal activity is occurring. She also works with her local historical society to research the history of the town, structures and families who contributed to its development all while working to save and preserve old properties.
Katlyn has been a member of CAPS since 2022 but has spent her entire life enthralled by the paranormal and Spirit World. From a young age, Katlyn began experiencing signs of psychic and mediumship gifts and has spent much of her life working on tuning into and developing these abilities. Katlyn is a photographer, tarot reader, and performance artist. She is married to Ted and together they are raising two fur-babies.
Kay joined CAPS several years ago and has had multiple paranormal experiences while investigating with the team.
Lisa joined the CAPS team in 2010, has lived and worked in the Charlotte area for over 20 years. Her interest in the paranormal began with a few unexplained incidents when she was young . She always looks forward to working with the CAPS team to find answers or maybe just more questions. You’ll usually find Lisa lingering at the back of the pack with her video camera.
MaKayla joined the CAPS team in 2015. Since then, some of her most memorable investigations include the Chester County jail and Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. While at home, MaKayla enjoys a cozy rainy day with a book and her two cats.
For over 25 years, Megan has been actively researching and investigating historically haunted locations.
It’s a combined passion for history, writing, photography and the captivating world of the paranormal that lead her to CAPS!
She has been a ghost tour guide for the Amelia Island Museum of History, has written many online blogs, published magazine articles and loves taking photos and spreading spooky tales. Megan is a resident of Lake Norman and stretches her paranormal frequency radius to the mountains, shorelines and down to St. Augustine, Florida. But naturally, the Queen City and surrounding area haunts have become home.
Ted joined the CAPS team in 2022. His interest in all things spooky started with a genuine curiosity about what exists on the other side. A firm believer in “seeing is believing,” Ted joined CAPS to get the first-hand scoop on paranormal experiences. Ted works as a cybersecurity engineer. Off-duty, you’ll find him scaling rocks at a local climbing gym, challenging adventurers in his tabletop roleplaying group, running tech backstage at his favorite community theater, or hanging out with his wife, Katlyn and their two fur-babies.
Val’s interest in paranormal activity began in 1991 when she moved into a house where unexplained things happened. This experience made her wonder what phenomena other people have witnessed. Since joining CAPS in 2012, Val has learned how to use many different types of equipment to collect evidence during investigations. Val is particularly skilled in recording EVPs.