CAIRO, Ill. — The Southern Medical Center in Cairo has been abandoned since 1986. Its hallways are covered in graffiti and debris. Broken equipment and decades of trash litter most rooms. Even the stairs are crumbling apart.

Most people steer clear of this abandoned hospital, especially after dark, but it's one of Riley Schloss' favorite haunts.

The Cape Girardeau resident started her own paranormal investigation group, Southeast Missouri Paranormal, around the beginning of autumn. Places such as the Southern Medical Center have long histories of rumored ghostly activity and she loves to check them out.

"I've always been into paranormal research, ever since I was a kid. I grew up watching 'Ghost Adventures', 'Ghost Hunters' ... and I've always been interested in the other side," she said. "I actually grew up in a house that was believed to be haunted before I was born."

After being let go from a previous job, she decided it was the perfect opportunity to pursue this lifelong passion. Joined by her girlfriend and a few friends, she heads to locations in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois several times per week to investigate paranormal activity.

Riley Schloss, right, has been interested in the paranormal since childhood. This fall, she and some friends began a paranormal investigation group to collect evidence of ghosts in various locations in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois.Christopher Borro

Riley Schloss, right, has been interested in the paranormal since childhood. This fall, she and some friends began a paranormal investigation group to collect evidence of ghosts in various locations in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois.Christopher Borro

On the hunt

On most investigations, Schloss and her team are out until well past midnight. They carry with them the tools of the trade: night-vision cameras, electronic voice phenomenon (EVP) recorders and plenty of flashlights.

"Normally I just come here, ask them questions, see if they want to respond to me," she said. "... I do like communicating with them. I want to help them. I know not all spirits are bad, some are trapped there and they don't want to be, and I just want to communicate with them, see what happened with them."

The group members plan on improving their equipment over time, but they've already documented a substantial amount of potential evidence. Whistles, whispers, disembodied voices; Schloss' girlfriend sustained scratches on her neck while investigating Cairo's Gem Theatre, left abandoned since 1978.

"I guess in Cairo, they had racial issues back in the day," Schloss said. "My girlfriend is (mixed-race) and I guess (the ghosts) didn't like that very much."

Also in the theater, on the same investigation Tuesday, Oct. 24, Schloss witnessed a small green orb of light on the long-abandoned balcony.

"We couldn't debunk it as a bug or anything because there was nothing there," she said. "It looked like it floated, and there was a thing where someone hanged themselves there. It looked like it jumped off, hung, and then went to the bottom."

Keeping grounded

Not every investigation leads to mountains of evidence, but Schloss said it pays to be thorough. She tries to eliminate natural explanations for sounds and sightings — the wind, passing cars, nocturnal animals — before entertaining ghostly causes.

"If I hear something like that, I'll try to find it in any way, shape or form," she said. The top floor of the Cairo hospital, for example, is a poor place to record audio. Its windows have long since eroded and it's almost constantly windy there.

Urban explorers often frequent abandoned buildings and haunted locales, but Southeast Missouri Paranormal makes sure to get permission from landowners or, in Cairo, the chamber of commerce before investigating.

It makes sense to be practical. There are more dangers than just ghosts in these buildings, such as crumbling infrastructure and, potentially, wild animals.

Future haunts

The average investigation lasts from around 10 p.m. to perhaps 3 a.m. for Schloss and her friends.

"That's when they (the ghosts) like to play. They come out in the dark," she said.

To work those hours, scores of miles away from home, requires dedication and enthusiasm. Schloss said the investigations are fun and that she's happy to be conducting them.

Future investigations are in the works for places such as a haunted bridge in the St. Louis suburbs and a cemetery in the woods near Dexter, Missouri.

Schloss already has a Facebook page up for Southeast Missouri Paranormal. She plans to begin livestreaming there and start a YouTube channel as well.

She said she might start taking requests from individuals if they're having trouble with the paranormal at home.

Schloss had two crucial pieces of advice for anyone looking to do their own paranormal sleuthing.

"Don't mess with nothing that you don't know what you're dealing with," she said.

And never investigate the paranormal alone.