Fort Myers, Florida - As Honey Archey stood in the Buckingham Cemetery, the scent of leather mixed with tobacco wafted through the night air. A chain-link fence surrounding the headstones began to rattle. Suddenly, Archey and her friends spotted a man walking out of the bushes.

The three women were frightened by the presence of what they thought was another human in the cemetery so late at night - but the image of the man quickly vanished.

It was eight or nine years ago, but the incident - which Archey, 33, believes was a paranormal sighting - is still vivid in her mind. As founder of the 11-year-old nonprofit Southwest Florida Paranormal Investigations (formerly Lee County Ghost Hunters) the North Fort Myers resident spends her nights monitoring video cameras, testing electromagnetic fields and collecting sound evidence in local homes and businesses that may or may not be haunted.

During the day, Archey teaches gardening and birdhouse building classes - as well as a Ghost Hunting 101 class - through her job as an environmental recreation specialist for Cape Coral Parks and Recreation.

During the Ghost Hunting class, which is open to those 16 and older and attracts people of all ages, Archey explains the equipment used to record activity, discusses the different forms spirits take - some look transparent and others appear as clear as a living person - and gives tips on how to investigate paranormal activity.

“A lot of people come to our classes because they have experiences of their own,” she said. “They not only want to learn about it, they want to share their experiences with someone who believes.”

Archey’s foray into paranormal research stems from her childhood in Westland, Mich., where, she said, a ghost sang her lullabies at night. A female spirit often stood watch over her bed, but as a young child, Archey never felt afraid.

“I didn’t know any better because I grew up with it,” she said. “It wasn’t until later in life that I realized it wasn’t normal.”

After moving to Southwest Florida with her family at the age of 8, Archey eventually began researching the history of her old childhood home. She believes a woman died of some type of allergic reaction in the house and that American Indians who died in her hometown may have also lingered on the grounds.

Although she was fascinated as she continued her research, Archey didn’t share her ghost tale for years. When she finally did, several people she spoke with shared paranormal stories of their own. Archey realized just how frequently hauntings seem to occur.

“Most everyone I’ve talked to, if they haven’t had an experience themselves, they know someone who has,” she said.

In the last decade, SWFPI has grown to include 16 investigators from all walks of life - including nurses, a former firefighter and an attorney - who live between Tampa and Naples. When people call producers of the TV show Ghost Hunters, which airs on the Syfy channel, and the TV show decides not to film the case, they sometimes refer people to the SWFPI group.

The local investigators rule out many cases over the phone, but if they believe there’s possible paranormal activity - there are multiple witnesses who’ve seen apparitions and reported unexplained scents, for example - the investigators might stake out the site.

Even when they do set up their equipment, however - recording sound and picture using infrared lights or black lights and monitoring things like temperature fluctuation for hours into the night - they often don’t find evidence of paranormal activity.

“Spirits aren’t always willing to participate in our fun and games, I guess,” Archey said. “They’re not always around. Maybe 10 to 20 percent of the time we get something.”

At Capt’n Con’s Fish House restaurant on Bokeelia, Archey said the paranormal investigators captured audio of child spirits speaking and she was pushed although no one was around her. Despite odd activity, the group ruled the case as “inconclusive” on its website but noted the location suggested possible paranormal activity and warrants further investigation.

SWFPI members have experienced numerous unexplained events at the Buckingham Cemetery - car headlights flashing on by themselves, voices and apparitions - as well as strange happenings on the train car at the Southwest Florida Museum of History in Fort Myers, where, Archey said, a table flew through the air and the group captured electronic voice phenomenon (EVP).

They heard voices at Clewiston Inn in Clewiston, where staff members tell stories of ghost sightings and guests often ask to stay in the “haunted” rooms.

Although she personally believes in ghosts, The SWFPI founder - who experiences fear during investigations and says she’s the “biggest chicken” in her group by far - doesn’t know if she’ll ever be able to fully explain phenomena behind the mysteries she’s encountered.

“I have more questions than I started with,” she said. “When I started doing this, I thought we would never be able to scientifically prove spirits exist. With the technology that keeps evolving, someday maybe we will know if they exist for sure.” - Lindsay Downey