Psychics on Unsolved Mysteries

[skypilot]

i was just watching an episode of unsolved mysteries about dannion brinkley who became a psychic after being hit by lightning and having a near-death-experience.

i just wondered- why hasn't unsolved mysteries asked a psychic for help solving one of their unsolved cases? for example, while doing the story on dannion brinkley, why not just ask him to solve a few unsolved missing persons cases? and even if they can't solve it (for whatever reason) how about just pointing them in the right direction by giving us some more clues? like tell a psychic the amy bradley story and then ask them where to check next.

has anyone else wondered this? i don't get why we're supposed to believe their psychics if they can't help the very show airing their story.

[isotope]

There is not one recorded case in any police jursidiction in the world of a crime being solved by a psychic.

These people are at best deluded and at worst, actively fraudulent. Most however, are merely attention seeking narcissists, desperate to feel like a hero and add some excitement to their humdrum lives. The fact that they may hinder police investigations and cause added grief to victims families doesn't factor into their considerations.

I really wish UM never paid them any attention, they really hurt the credibility of the show - even more than Resurrection Mary!

[skypilot]

Originally Posted by isotope

There is not one recorded case in any police jursidiction in the world of a crime being solved by a psychic.

would you like to try again?

http://akorra.com/2012/07/27/top-10-...d-by-psychics/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvia_Browne

Originally Posted by isotope

I really wish UM never paid them any attention, they really hurt the credibility of the show - even more than Resurrection Mary!

how about the UFOs, loch ness monster, crop circles, missing gold in los angeles, bigfoot or mothman?

[isotope]

Originally Posted by skypilot

would you like to try again?



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvia_Browne


:

From your cited source (above)

Although Browne has made many public predictions, scientific skeptic James Randi says her accuracy rate has been no better than educated guessing. Among her claims were:
That Bill Clinton was falsely accused in the Lewinsky scandal – proved incorrect.
The cure and prevention of breast cancer by the end of 1999
That Bill Bradley would win the 2000 U.S. presidential election with the Reform Party coming in second– neither event occurred.
The "hiding in caves" of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein – Hussein was found in a "spider hole" in the ground near Tikrit and Osama bin Laden was hiding in a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
The death of bin Laden – later revealed by the Central Intelligence Agency and by his 2011 killing, to be incorrect.
A guilty verdict in the 2005 child molestation trial of Michael Jackson – Jackson was acquitted of all charges.
Browne claimed on a February 26, 2003 episode of The Montel Williams Show that kidnapped child Shawn Hornbeck had been killed by a Hispanic man with dreadlocks. Hornbeck was later found alive. He had been kidnapped by Michael Devlin, a Caucasian man with short hair
That Amanda Berry was dead. Browne told the girl's mother in a 2004 episode of The Montel Williams Show that "She's not alive, honey". Amanda Berry escaped from her kidnapper and was found alive on May 6, 2013.

Janet McDonald, an author of books for young adults, describes her experience receiving a psychic reading via phone, for which she paid Browne $700. Browne predicted a "really long life" for McDonald, who died of cancer at 53, just over four years later

On September 3, 2001, Browne stated on Larry King Live that she would accept the James Randi Educational Foundation's $1,000,000 challenge to demonstrate supernatural abilities in a controlled scientific test. In 2007, Randi stated that Browne had not contacted him and no longer wished to reach him.

A January 2007 episode of Anderson Cooper 360° featured Linda Rossi, Browne's business manager for 35 years, and James Randi. Randi proposed a test where Browne would provide readings for ten sympathetic people, each of whom would then identify their own reading among the ten. Rossi declined on Browne's behalf


A detailed three-year study of her predictions about missing persons and murder cases by Ryan Shaffer and Agatha Jadwiszczok for the Skeptical Inquirer found that despite her repeated claims to be more than 85% correct, "Browne has not even been mostly correct in a single case."

[WishfulDreamer]

I think Sylvia Browne is one of the worst examples and a definite fraud.

While I wasn't too impressed with a lot of the psychics featured on UM, I did like Dorothy Allison and it seems clear that a couple of detectives were very impressed with things she said and she brought comfort to certain families, such as the parents of the murdered teenage girl in helping identify where her body was. Dorothy's obituary mentioned that she was not accurate most of the time, however, I think what's most important is that some people received comfort from her (and if I recall correctly, she did not charge anyone for her assistance).

As for these psychics solving UM crimes, they did bring back Nancy Myers to help solve a double homicide case they were airing. However, her information did not lead to the crime being solved.

[isotope]

Tell you what - I invite anyone who believes in psychics to provide me with a link to a credible media source which demonstrates a psychic conclusively predicted the 9/11 attacks prior to their occurring ( and no general nonsense about " a great tragedy will befall the the US in the new millenium", I mean a specific prediction about a massive terrorist atttack on NYC, involving planes around about when it happened ) and I'll come back on here and admit I'm wrong.

[skypilot]

Originally Posted by isotope

A detailed three-year study of her predictions about missing persons and murder cases by Ryan Shaffer and Agatha Jadwiszczok for the Skeptical Inquirer found that despite her repeated claims to be more than 85% correct, "Browne has not even been mostly correct in a single case."

police still seek her help. not sure if she's credited in their report. my question was not whether or not they've solved crimes, but why unsolved mysteries profiles them, expects us to believe they've solved crimes, yet they don't help um solve their own mysteries.

btw: http://www.noreenrenier.com/

[jitters]

I remember that incident with Sylvia Brown claiming Amanda Berry had died but then she was found alive 9 years later. Unfortunately Amanda's mom pass away before she was found, and a lot of people contribute her death to her thinking her daughter was dead via Sylvia's false prediction.

I completely agree with isotope; the police need to stick to proven and scientific methods of finding people.

[amandab1234]

While I understand that some psychics can be comforting to some people such as grieving parents, I’ve never believed in them. Sure the stories are interesting, but I personally think theyre just really good at reading body language. That’s just me though : ) I don’t think law enforcement can really use them because face it, most of the time psychics are full of it.

[ezpkns34]

Is b/c no person has ever proven to have psychic abilities not reason enough?

[PKB]

Sylvia Browne is a disgusting person.

The police simply seeking the help of so-called psychics does not equal validation of their abilities.

[SageSlowdive]

The one case where Sylvia Browne really struck lightening was The Ski Mask Rapist, where Browne correctly predicted he worked for the government, and under the streets.

[wiseguy182]

Originally Posted by SageSlowdive

The one case where Sylvia Browne really struck lightening was The Ski Mask Rapist, where Browne correctly predicted he worked for the government, and under the streets.

A broken clock is still right twice a day.

[SageSlowdive]

Originally Posted by wiseguy182

A broken clock is still right twice a day.

[Tap Dancer]

Speaking of Sylvia Browne, here's an interesting website about her that I actually found two days ago: Stop Sylvia Browne

The website was last updated in 2010 and Sylvia passed away in November 2013. However, the stories about her "predictions" are interesting.

Holly Krewson's mother talked to Sylvia Browne on Montel Williams' show in 2002. (Remember that Holly went missing in 1995.) Sylvia told Mrs. Krewson that Holly was alive and in Los Angeles. Mrs. Krewson spent many weekends looking for her daughter in Los Angeles. However, it was later revealed that Holly's remains had been found in 1996. It took them 10 years to identify her!
Montel: Holly Krewson Reading