Can paranormal intuition actually solve a crime?
In short: From finding bodies in remote forests to predicting the fate of kidnap victims, psychic detectives claim to use postcognition and clairvoyance to assist police. Yet, behind the headlines of 'psychic hits,' official investigations and scientific studies suggest a much more complicated, and often misleading, reality.
The practice of psychic detecting involves various purported abilities, such as psychometry—gaining information from objects—and remote viewing. While some high-profile cases appear to support these claims, such as Annette Martin locating the body of Dennis Prado in a specific area of a large forest, skeptics argue these successes are often the result of 'retrofitting' or 'cold reading.' In the Prado case, investigator Joe Nickell suggested Martin may have simply used shrewd questioning of police officers to gather clues.
Conversely, many psychic interventions have led to significant investigative failures. In the 200 and 2013 cases of Amanda Berry, psychic Sylvia Browne falsely declared the child was dead, causing profound distress to the victim's mother. Similarly, in the search for Elizabeth Smart in 2002, police received up to 9,000 tips from psychics and others, yet none provided valuable information. In the case of Chandra Levy, psychic tips pointed to several locations, including the Smithsonian, none of which were correct.
Official law enforcement stance is largely skeptical. Many police departments worldwide state they do not regard psychics as credible. In the US, a 1993 survey of the 50 largest cities found that while one-third had accepted psychic predictions, no department reported any instance where psychic information was more helpful than other available evidence. Scientific studies, including a 1960 study by Filippus Brink and a 1997 study at the University of Hertfordshire, found no significant difference in accuracy between psychics and control groups.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Psychic detective
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