Psychic Detectives

Psychic detectives have always become a popular phenomenon in the media, often appearing on television talk shows claiming that they are able to solve crimes that have stumped police. Many of these so-called psychics will go to the place that a crime occured to try to sense what occured, or they will take some of a victim's belongings and attempt to identify with a person that was abducted or murdered. Some of the biggest murder cases, such as that of Laci Peterson and Natalie Holloway have been followed by psychics, and investigators follow up every tip that may lead to solving the case, whether it is completely fabricated or not.

Many psychic detectives claim that they have an active role in assisting law enforcement. Some also claim that they are able to fortell national disasters, such as 9/11. Like the predictions of Nostradamus, however, most of these are only brought to anyone's attention after the event has occured. When a crime is foiled because of a psychic's tip--for example when police caught a man loitering with a gun near where one woman said that a robbery would occur-- it is impossible to say what actually would have happened without interference.

Psychic detectives claim that their abilities are as much of a burden as a gift because they experience some of the trauma that was experienced by crime victims. Sensing another person's pain may supposedly cause the psychic to fall ill or become very tired. Many psychics claim that they are able to sense human thoughts and emotions but are not able to pick out random information, such as lottery numbers.