Members

Wayne Hackler - Founder - Seeing a need for a dedicated paranormal research team in the Madison area, Wayne set out to gather the best available. He has experiences in the paranormal dating back from his early childhood. As an historian, he has a unique and analytical take on the paranormal world. Since 1991 he has used these experiences and skills to conduct paranormal research. Contact him at wayne@madisonrip.com

Evie Hackler - Member - A born skeptic, Evie provides a valuable counterpoint to MRIP, seeking to find natural answers to reported paranormal phenomena. Married to Wayne, she is constantly learning and analyzing ideas and theories. She can be contacted at evie@madisonrip.com

Abbie Tippit - Member - A recent transplant to the Madison area, Abbie is an EVP gathering specialist who also had a lifelong interest in the paranormal. With several personal encounters since childhood, her eagerness and enthusiasm is hard to match. Her belief in the paranormal stems from her roots in the American South. She can be reached at abbie@madisonrip.com

Gary Westerlund - Member - A long time investigator with over 30+ years of experience and over 800 investigations. A veteran of TV and radio specials and his ability to lecture and teach make him an invaluable member. He can be reached at gary@madisonrip.com

Heather Mertz - Researcher/Public Relations - South Central Wisconsin born and bred, she has always had an extreme interest into all thing paranormal, devouring books and internet sites in the blink of an eye. While she has family that has relayed stories to her of their own personal experiences, and she has never had her own personal experience with anything unexplained. Heather is desperately hoping to have her own encounter one day to finally prove there is life after death. Contact her at heather@madisonrip.com

Amanda Hickey - Researcher - As a historical researcher of regional tuberculosis sanatoria and with a long-time interest in Wisconsin hauntings, Amanda has found a niche as one of the researchers for MRIP. She is a firm believer in keeping history alive by giving a voice, through writing, to those who have gone before and through the preservation of historic architecture. When not researching, she is a writer of novellas and poetry. Contact her at amanda@madisonrip.com

Jessica Zeier - Member - A Madison native and a student at UW-Madison, Jessica has always been fascinated by the paranormal. Her own experiences have fueled a life-long thirst for knowledge about the truth of what exactly ghosts and spirits are. Jessica is an avid reader, and in her free time she enjoys singing, scrapbooking, and playing with her dogs. She can be reached at jessica@madisonrip.com

Abe Vacarro - Science Consultant - New to the field of the paranormal, Abram has over 8 years experience in cancer research and a strong background in scientific theory. With 8 published peer-reviewed papers in field of Molecular Biology he has a solid understanding of scientific thought and controlled experimentation.

Patrick Denney - Tech Manager - As a skeptical member of the team, Patrick joined to help with the technical side of MRIP operations. With a degree in Computer Science and a jack-of-all-trades technical background, he is a valuable asset to the team.

Scotty Rorek - Communications Director - Scotty has been very interested in the paranormal for most of his life. Scott had a couple of personal experiences that are driving him to prove what he encountered is real. When Scott is not ghost hunting, he is hunting for birdies and eagles at your local golf course.

Bill Matheny - Trainee - A relatively new transplant to Wisconsin from New Mexico, Bill is intrigued by the question of what may exist on "the other side" or perhaps just on a different plane than the one that we consider "normal".

Patrick Burns - Honorary Member/Advisor - Patrick is best known for his staring roll as the paranormal investigator on Tru TV's (formerly Court TV) hit series 'Haunting Evidence', but he was no stranger to the media prior; having been featured on CNN and an Emmy award winning documentary for TBS, among countless other appearances. Burns is also the founder and director of Ghost Hounds - the largest paranormal research network in the southern USA. His paranormal enthusiasts convention 'GhoStock' is held twice annually in Savannah, Georgia and attracts attendees from across the country.