A Haunting In Georgia: Interview with Joyce Cathey

Since opening the blog, I have had several people request that I do something on the Heidi Wyrick saga that was documented by The Discovery Channel's "A Haunting." The episode was called "A Haunting in Georgia." It featured the Wyrick family of Southwest Georgia, a family that had been tormented by the presence of spirits in their homes and on their family property.

Recently, I caught up with Joyce Cathey, Heidi's aunt, who has co-written a book about the ordeal called THE VEIL: HEIDI WYRICK'S STORY. Her co-author was Rebecca Harrington. Joyce is a very pleasant woman, who enjoys discussing what she and her family has gone through with anyone interested in learning about the subject. As a matter of fact, there is a movie deal in the works. I emailed Joyce some questions and she was kind enough to email me back the answers. Thanks, JOYCE!!!
The email interview is below. GM=Georgia Mysteries, and JC=Joyce Cathey

For those of you who are not familiar with this story, click on the title of this blog article, and it will take you to the website that the Wyricks and Joyce have established. Also, check out "A Haunting in Georgia" on The Discovery Channel.

GM:Why do you think what happened did happen to your family?
JC: We do not know why these things happened. This questions is asked a lot and believe me, we have searched for answers for the past 20 years and are still searching. I don’t think we will ever know for sure.

GM:What more can you tell me about Heidi's interaction with Mr. Gordy?
JC:Heidi began talking to Mr. Gordy at the age of three. Her initial interactions consisted of almost daily visitations and she’s had many conversations with him. She has memories of him pushing her on the swing and helping her learn to ride her bike. But after the Unsolved Mysteries episode aired she became the target of comical antics from her school mates and was treated very badly through her middle school years. Heidi eventually stopped talking about Mr. Gordy. She hated the fact that she was gifted, if you will, and tried to shut it out and as time progressed his visits became less frequent.

GM:Were there any negative vibes associated with Mr. Gordy?
JC: There were never any negative vibes from Mr. Gordy. She always did, and still does, feel that he was her protector of sorts.

GM:Have you or anyone else associated with the haunting ever contacted or been contacted by the Gordy family?
JC: My sister, Lisa’s mother, talked with Mr. Gordy’s daughter on a few occasions and also kept contact through letters. She visited with Heidi on a few occasions but lived in Florida. She asked Heidi to tell her dad that she loved him. Mr. Gordy’s daughter is recently deceased.

GM: Do things continue to happen now?
JC: Things still continue to happen although not as frequent as when she was younger.

GM: How does the family handle these things?
JC: Things were very difficult for the Wyrick family in the beginning because no one knew what was happening. As you know, it was several years before the connection was made and his identity was confirmed. The Wyrick’s had a lot of support through their family, friends, and also their extended church family. My mom was raised in north Georgia and a place known as ‘Hainted Holler’. She, too, was born with a veil and has always been able to see things, though her abilities were not as strong a Heidi’s. So we were always familiar with stories of the spirit world and believed that there was something beyond our own dimension.

GM: Tell me more about the book and how it came about.
JC: When the events shifted from benign to becoming violent I knew I had to document them. Initially I wrote them down just to keep up for our family, but interest throughout the community ran high and after recounting the same story over and over again, I had no choice but to publish the things I’d written.

GM: What can you tell me about the upcoming movie about the hauntings?
JC: Gold Circle/Lions Gate films bought Heidi’s life rights in March, 2009. The status has now in the production phase and filming is slated to begin in late spring or early summer. Hopefully, it will hit theaters in the fall.

I will be researching "Hainted Holler" as I can. This sounds like a very interesting place. Joyce even mentioned that she was interested in doing a book signing in McDonough at Bell, Book and Candle in the near future. I have been working on getting that set up with the owners of the bookstore. This is where I have done both of my book signings.