Psychic Detectives Fail to Perform

By Benjamin Radford
Skeptical Inquirer

Psychic detectives, both "real" and fictional, are currently hot. They have been publicized on Larry King Live and seen in the new hit NBC television show Medium, which recently beat the science-based drama CSI:Miami in the ratings. Yet a close examination of psychic detectives suggests they are better at finding publicity than missing persons.

A common pattern occurs in high-profile missing persons cases (such as Chandra Levy, Laci Peterson, Elizabeth Smart, and countless others): dozens or hundreds of "psychics" offer tips (for free or for pay), yet when police follow up on the information, the vast majority of it ––or all of it––turns out to be wrong.

One trick psychics use is to give very vague information open to later interpretation (most missing persons are likely to be found "near water," even if it’s a lake, puddle, river, drainage pipe, etc.). They also use information already available through normal means, and make so many different guesses that some will almost certainly be right.

Police must follow up on all tips, including those from dubious sources, thus wasting precious hours and police manpower. When bodies are found it is always through accident or police work. Despite repeated claims to the contrary, there is not a single documented case of a missing person being found or recovered due solely to psychic information.

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