What happens when decades of law enforcement experience, intuition, Native tradition, and the unexplained all come together?At SNIPPY 2026 in Colorado’s San Luis Valley, I sat down with my longtime friend, retired Navajo Nation Ranger Lieutenant John Dover, for a fascinating conversation that went in directions I honestly wasn’t expecting.
John spent 31 years in law enforcement, including criminal investigations and archaeological resource crime investigations. During his career with the Navajo Nation Rangers, he and Stanley Milford Jr. were also assigned to investigate unusual cases involving hauntings, UFOs, Bigfoot, Navajo witchcraft, and other unexplained phenomena.But in this conversation, we go deeper.John talks about discovering after retirement that he is an empath, and how his ability to intuitively read people may have played a role in his success as a criminal investigator.
He shares how suspects would sometimes open up to him about extremely serious crimes, and how years of carrying those experiences eventually took an emotional toll.We also discuss John’s Native ancestry, including his Navajo, Southern Cheyenne, Apache Tribe of Oklahoma (Kiowa-Apache), and Filipino heritage, along with his family connection to Chief White Antelope, who was killed during the Sand Creek Massacre.
Then the conversation turns toward Skinwalker Ranch.John shares what he has learned through his own research and multiple visits to the area, including ancient ceremonial locations surrounding the basin and his interpretation that these sites may have been intended to contain or protect against what he describes as negative energy.
We also discuss:
• John’s 31-year law enforcement career
• Discovering his intuitive and empathic side after retirement
• Native traditions, ancestry, and ceremonial experiences
• The Navajo Long Walk and Bosque Redondo
• The traditional relationship between the Navajo and Ute peoples
• John’s research surrounding Skinwalker Ranch
• Ancient ceremonial sites near the Skinwalker Ranch basin
• Archaeological investigations and Native history
• Hauntings and paranormal investigations
• Why John says investigators should never show fear during a haunting
• How emotional reactions may affect paranormal activity
• Bigfoot research and John’s upcoming Alaska Bigfoot cruise
One of my favorite moments comes when John explains something he and Stanley learned after investigating many reported hauntings:Don’t feed the fear.According to John, remaining calm during unusual activity can keep an investigation from escalating, while fear may actually intensify what is happening.This was one of those conversations where history, consciousness, intuition, law enforcement, Native tradition, and high strangeness all came together.
Please share your theory in the comments.
Stay curious.
Keep digging deeper.
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