Psychic Sylvia Browne’s: History of Failure

Psychic Sylvia Browne’s: History of Failure

The most extensive study of alleged psychic Sylvia Browne’s predictions about missing persons and murder cases reveals a strange discrepancy: despite her repeated claim to be more than 85 percent correct, it seems that Browne has not even been mostly correct about a single case.

One difficulty in judging the accuracy of psychics is the vagueness of their readings, which are often so general that they are worthless. Psychics who offer readings about missing persons and murder cases, however, allow researchers to examine their accuracy with independent information. When Sylvia Browne was a weekly guest on The Montel Williams Show, she performed supposed feats ranging from ghost detecting to offering details about missing persons and murder cases. Among the things Browne failed to predict was the availability of those transcripts on the Internet through databases such as LexisNexis. The authors, as well as several members of the James Randi Educational Foundation forum and StopSylvia.com, closely examined each transcript to track Browne’s accuracy. According to Browne, “my accuracy rate is somewhere between 87 and 90 percent, if I’m recalling correctly.” This article disputes that statistic by examining the criminal cases for which Browne has performed readings. The research demonstrates that in 115 cases (all of the available readings), Browne’s confirmable accuracy was 0 percent.

This article is structured in terms of known and unknown outcomes. The criteria for a correct prediction is that it mostly matches a case referenced in a newspaper, and the criteria for a wrong prediction is that Browne’s claim is the opposite of what actually occurred. The metric for the final accuracy count is based on what is correct compared to the unknown or wrong claims. As this article shows, in the 115 available cases Browne was correct zero times and wrong twenty-five times. Ninety out of the 115 cases have unknown outcomes. A previous examination of thirty-five cases Browne made predictions about was published in Brill’s Content. The magazine concluded: “In twenty-one, the details were too vague to be verified. Of the remaining fourteen, law-enforcement officials or family members involved in the investigations say that Browne had played no useful role.” This article greatly expands the scope of the Brill’s Content article by looking at Browne’s comments to the press and on television about missing persons and criminal cases. No case was excluded. We have listed each case Browne made predictions about as well as provided a reference or broadcast date. When we began to research this, we expected Browne to have been correct at least a few times, but as the list demonstrates, she was not. The references show that the only cases in which Browne was not proven wrong are those that remain unsolved.

Of the 115 cases reviewed with LexisNexis and newspaper sources, Browne was wrong in twenty-five, and the remaining ninety either have no available details outside of the transcript or the crime is unsolved, leaving no way to confirm Browne’s claims. The following data is organized as a list to allow the reader to conduct independent research. One should keep in mind that Browne claims to be at the top of her game. In June 2009, Browne told Seattle Weekly about her psychic ability: “I think you get better, like anything else you get better with time.” The authors welcome Browne to supply independent proof of even one case about which she was correct.

Browne’s predictions have a history of being wrong or unhelpful. In the course of this research, we examined a variety of sources to study Browne’s involvement with law enforcement. Browne was sometimes paid by families of the victims, charged at least one police department $400, and received money as well as publicity from her appearances on television. She is a member of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and, as reported in 2004, earned a minimum of $847 for each talk show appearance. Yet in all these cases, Browne has never supplied independent proof that she has ever helped law enforcement. More than that, she is repeatedly wrong. During the Sago Mining Disaster, she claimed the miners were alive when they were actually dead. She also said Richard Kneebone was alive in Canada, but his decomposed body was discovered a few days later in California. More recently, she predicted that a 9/11 firefighter was alive, but his body was found in the World Trade Center rubble two weeks later.

Sometimes Browne is not only wrong but also tells suffering families horrible things. In 1999, Browne did a reading for Opal Jo Jennings’ grandmother, who wanted to know what happened to Jennings, a six-year-old abducted from her front yard in Texas. Browne told the grandmother, “She’s . . . not . . . dead. But what bothers me—now I’ve never heard of this before, but for some reason, she was taken and put into some kind of a slavery thing and taken into Japan. The place is Kukouro. Or Kukoura.” Browne was wrong. Child molester Richard Lee Franks was charged with the kidnapping that same year and convicted the following year. Jennings’ remains were discovered in 2003. Medical examiners concluded that “Opal was killed by trauma to the head with[in] several hours of her abduction.”

Missing person Holly Krewson was a similar case, one in which Browne needlessly tainted the memories of a family’s loved one on national television. In 2002, Browne told Holly’s mother, “She is in Los Angeles, and when she was calling you, she was on drugs. But she’s still alive.” Browne also said that the girl was a dancer in an “adult entertainment nightclub,” and “you might get a Christmas card postmarked Los Angeles.” Holly’s family made regular visits to the Los Angeles area, scanning the clubs for their missing loved one, but to no avail. Holly’s mother, Gwendolyn Krewson, died of an aneurysm in 2003. Three years later, Holly’s body was identified. As it turned out, Holly was murdered, and her body was discovered in 1996. The remains were only identified as Holly in 2006, after sitting in the medical examiners office for ten years. Needless to say, Browne was completely wrong in every aspect of the case and hurt an already devastated family.

In a 2006 appearance on Montel, Browne did a reading about Robert Hayes, who was serving in the Army National Guard when he was killed at an ATM. Browne told Hayes’s crying fiancée that he met a man at a casino who “took Hayes,” then robbed him to get the casino winnings. The police later found that although Hayes told his fiancée he was going to a casino, he actually went to meet another woman, and there are no reports in the press about him being at a casino. In fact, Hayes was the victim of a conspiracy by four people, including a local beauty queen, who lured Hayes to meet her so they could rob him. Browne said Hayes was shot three times “in the head, chest, and over to the side,” to which the fiancée replied, “I didn’t know he was shot in the head. The police never said that.” The fiancée then added, “The police said he got shot in the hand.” When asked if the case would be solved, Browne said, “Yeah, but it’s gonna take them at least a good two years.” However, the police announced they arrested four people in connection with the murder on April 11, 2006. The first airing of Browne’s predictions occurred on April 26, 2006. Browne was wrong about who did it, the conspiracy, where he was shot, who was involved, and when the case would be solved. By October 2007, three of the suspects pled guilty and were sentenced for Hayes’s murder. The Montel Williams Show and other media outlets have been silent about this and other cases. In fact, a full transcript of this show no longer exists on LexisNexis; instead, there is only a brief summary that excludes the aforementioned details. The authors had to seek the transcript and video by other means to include the details in this article.

Browne’s failures are too extensive to explore in detail here, and more famous ones, such as the Shawn Hornbeck case, have been explored in this magazine before. For the sake of brevity, we have compiled a list of names of people Browne has performed readings about. Some of the cases marked “unknown” were already de facto solved by law enforcement. They know who most likely committed the crimes, but the suspects were never brought to justice and the cases went “cold,” so they are still officially unsolved and open. In other cases, Browne was consulted to confirm the families’ suspicions, determine how to bring the likely perpetrator to justice, or provide more information. This makes her predictions even less impressive, as she is “solving” exhausted cases that the police have already in large part solved and about which she can say almost anything, since any new developments are highly unlikely. On the other hand, some are official accidents and suicides that the families feared were actually murders.

Among the many harmful things that Browne does is convince the loved ones of victims of untimely deaths that foul play was involved and, conversely, convince the loved ones of murder victims that no foul play was involved. However, if the families are correct in their suspicions and these are actual murders, the last thing they need is a psychic involved in the case.

Conclusion

These 115 cases prove devastating to Browne’s claims of helping police and families. It is hard to understand how someone with such a dismal record continually tops bestseller lists and maintains a following. In a 2000 interview, Browne explained it best: “I’ve always said to so many people you’re only as good as your last reading. If you’re not good, if you’re not accurate, if you don’t find missing people and you don’t work with doctors and do health diagnosis with them then you’re, you know, you’re not good.” Indeed, we agree on that point. Judging from Browne’s lack of accuracy, it seems safe to conclude that, in her own words, she is “not good.” If she could really help police, then one would expect a statistically significant number of cases to be solved using Browne’s “predictions.” The only question that remains is why people continually support and seek her advice.

Cases Sylvia Browne Was Wrong About

List of cases Sylvia Browne made predictions about. The names are given in alphabetical order with brief descriptions of Browne’s predictions and the facts of the case.

1. Erica Baker. November 19, 2003, on Montel. Browne told Erica’s mother “she’s not dead” but in Michigan. Furthermore, Browne claimed someone “sold her for drugs,” and “there was a black woman” who helped “throw” her in an “old truck.” In 2005, Chris­tian John Gabriel was convicted of moving and concealing Erica’s body in Kettering, Ohio. Her body was not found, but Gabriel claimed to have buried it after hitting her with his “van.”¹
2. Jamie Barker. In February 2001 on Montel. Two months after Barker fell from a bridge while working, Browne told his widow he died “quick” and his body is “on the site, there’s no doubt about it,” but they won’t find it “unless they dig and I don’t think they will.”² Two months later Barker’s body was discovered downstream in LaSalle. An autopsy discovered he “suffered no broken bones or head injuries in the 15-storey fall,” but instead drowned.³
3. Eve Brown. September 30, 1999, on Montel. Browne told the family “that Eve Brown is well and living in Florida.”⁴ This was not true, as Eve’s body was found a year later at a Brooklyn, New York, construction site thirteen miles from where she was last seen.⁵ The murder remains unsolved.
4. Terrence Farrell. Browne told a woman that Farrell, a firefighter involved in 9/11, was alive.⁶ She was wrong. His body was found in the rubble one month later.⁷
5. Erica Fraysure. September 24, 1998, on Montel. Erica went missing in 1997. Browne did a reading for her mother, saying she was in water and someone named “Chris” killed her. The following day, Erica’s ex-boyfriend, Chris Mineer, killed himself. Police said Chris’s alibi checked out, and he was not a suspect. Chris’s mother sued Montel Williams, his producers, Paramount Pictures, and Viacom Inc., but the case was eventually dismissed. After the broadcast, the police searched the nearby lakes and found nothing. Police say Erica is still a “missing person” and continue to investigate.⁸
6. Robert Hayes. April 26, 2006, on Montel. (See description in this article.)
7. Shawn Hornbeck. February 26, 2003, on Montel. Browne told Shawn’s parents he was dead, but he was found alive in 2007.⁹
8. Sharon James’s son. Discussed January 19, 2007, on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360. Browne claimed she located James’s son, but James was not so positive and would not have used Browne’s service in hindsight.
9. Opal Jo Jennings. April 29, 1999, on Montel. (See description in this article.)
10. Ryan Katcher. February 11, 2004, on Montel. Katcher went missing and Browne told his mother “two boys got terribly frightened” then “dropped him” in “a metal shaft of some kind.” Browne further said he is “still in the shaft” “close to twenty-five, twenty-six, maybe twenty-seven miles from where you would be.” On July 25, 2006, police found Ryan in his truck under water in a pond, and an autopsy showed he was under the influence. According to a discussion with Ryan’s mother on StopSylvia.com, Browne got more details wrong, but those parts were edited before the broadcast.
11. Richard Kneebone. According to Teresa Kneebone, Browne “said she feels he’s not dead and that he could be traveling in Canada . . . and have partial amnesia.”¹⁰ His “badly decomposed body” was found July 7 a “few blocks” from the tavern where he was last seen in San Jose, California.¹¹
12. Holly Krewson. November 27, 2002, on Montel. (See description in this article.)
13. Angie Lee. March 28, 2007, on Montel. Browne told Angie’s mother, “It’s a serial killer” who killed a college girl that was responsible for Angie’s stabbing death and “there’s a knife somewhere in that immediate location that may have DNA, may have some sort of evidence on it.” In 2008, Anthony Ashby pleaded guilty to her murder, and the motive for the crime was “home invasion and residential burglary.” Furthermore, a knife was not part of the evidence. DNA evidence from Ashby’s gun and witnesses caused him to plead guilty.¹² The law enforcement involved remarked, “The psychics did not provide any substantive leads.”¹³
14. Chandra Levy. July 17, 2001, on Fox News. Browne said Levy’s body was in “some trees down in a marshy area.” She made this prediction when it was public knowledge that police were searching Rock Creek Park since someone used Chandra Levy's computer to find directions to that park.¹⁴ Benjamin Radford noted, “The remains were found across a steep incline in a heavily wooded area—perhaps near some trees but clearly not ‘in a marshy area,’ since a marsh located on an incline is geographically impossible.”¹⁵
15. Lynda McClelland. March 13, 2002, on Montel. Browne said McClelland “is not dead” but in Orlando, Florida, taken by a man with the initials “MJ,” and her family would find her soon. One year later, in March 2003, McClelland’s body was discovered near her home in Pennsylvania. David Repasky was convicted of the murder after witnesses testified Repasky strangled her.¹⁶
16. Ashley Ouellette. In February 2000 on Montel. According to the Associated Press, “Browne said Ouellette’s killing will be solved within a year and two months.”¹⁷According to the Scar­borough Police Department, the crime is still unsolved.¹⁸
17. Lori Pleasants. September 10, 2003, on Montel. Browne said Pleasants was “killed by a stalker” who got “kicks out of that,” but there was “not necessarily DNA” at the scene and “he was wearing gloves.” In 2006, William Gutersloh, Pleasants’s friend, admitted to killing Pleasants after the police found DNA that linked to him.¹⁹ While on the stand, he told jurors he wiped the knife clean to avoid leaving fingerprints.²⁰
18. Scott Renquin, Dan Nelson, and Roger DesVergnes. March 1999 on Montel. According to the Associated Press, Browne “told the families their loved ones had died in a boating accident near the Everglades in a hovercraft. She gave them the name of a man who allegedly owned the boat.”²¹ Police followed Browne’s leads and found nothing. Later, their bodies were discovered in their SUV in a drainage retention pond. Authorities believe they missed a sharp turn at the unlighted corner and their car flipped into the water.²²
19. Weyman Robbins. May 7, 2003, on Montel. On Robbins’s murder Browne said, “This was other kids. They were playing this stupid game.” She further claimed, “There were two or three other kids that did it,” but “I don’t think the kids meant to” and “one of the—the kids is named Danny.” Weyman’s uncle strangled him in front of his sisters and was convicted of murder.
20. Sago Mining Disaster. Browne first said she knew the miners would be found alive. During the live radio broadcast she appeared on it was announced all except one were dead.^23,24 After the announcement, she later said, “I don’t think there’s anybody alive, maybe one.”
21. Dana Satterfield. February 1997 on Montel. Browne said the murderer was an out-of-state construction worker that “has no connection to Satterfield, choosing her on a whim.”²⁵ Nine years later, Jonothan Vick was convicted of the murder following witness and DNA evidence. Vick was a local high school student who attempted to go on dates with Satterfield, but she rejected his advances.²⁶
22. Shannon Sherrill. November 19, 2003, on Montel. Browne claims Sherrill, who went missing in 1986, was “brainwashed and raised in a different family” but “is alive,” and the case will “break open” soon. As of 2009, Sherrill’s whereabouts are unknown and the case is unsolved.
23. John Slayton. May 14, 2003, on Montel. Browne said “indigents” killed Slayton, and his body was disposed in water and would not be found. In June 2003, Slayton’s body was found in shallow grave. In 2006, his killers, a pawnbroker and his son, were found guilty of the murder.²⁷
24. Richard Torres. October 20, 2004, on Montel. Browne told Torres’s widow that she would have a healthy baby boy. The June 28, 2005, update on Montel reported the baby was a girl and died five months premature. However, the segment omitted Browne making any prediction about the pregnancy.
25. Terry Webb. October 20, 1997, on Montel. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “His daughters said Browne told them she believes he was killed six months after he disappeared and that his body is buried somewhere at Fort Bragg.”²⁸ At the time of the reading, Webb had been listed as AWOL and was missing since 1991. In 2004, his body was eventually found buried “under a shed in Fayetteville.”²⁹ In 2006, the suspect pled guilty, saying “he shot Webb in self-defense when he sexually assaulted him” and was given three years in prison.³⁰ After the arrest, Montel did a follow-up on September 15, 2004, but the segment omitted Browne giving any specifics, including the location of Webb’s body.

Cases Sylvia Browne Made Predictions About That Have Non-confirmed Outcomes

Cases Sylvia Browne Made Predictions About That Have Non-confirmed Outcomes

1. Manuel Archambault. May 5, 2004, on Montel.
2. Crystal Arensdorf. April 2002 on Montel.
3. John Baglier. January 10, 1997, on Montel.
4. Michael Berrios. September 14, 2005, on Montel.
5. Amanda Berry. November 17, 2004, on Montel.
6. Johnia Berry. May 21, 2008, on Montel.
7. Molly Bish. September 17, 2003, on Montel.
8. Acacia Bishop. February 11, 2004, on Montel.
9. Jackie Blair. On Montel.³¹
10. Lori Bova. On Montel.³²
11. Kevin Brown. November 20, 2002, on Montel.
12. Charles Rhodes Campbell. February 19, 2003, on Montel.
13. Jose Concepcion. November 19, 2003, on Montel.
14. Rachel Cooke. February 26, 2003, on Montel.
15. Nicholle Marie Coppler. November 27, 2002, on Montel.
16. Joshua Wayne Crawford. September 14, 2006, on Montel.
17. Jerry Cushey Jr. On Montel.³³
18. Alexandra Ducsay. October 11, 2006, on Montel.
19. Michael Emert. February 18, 2004, on Montel.
20. Jill Lyn Euto. In July 2002 on Montel.
21. Miranda Fenner. Feburary 22, 2006, on Montel.
22. Anwa Abb Ford. May 4, 2005, on Montel.
23. Frank Forte Jr. September 6, 2006, on Montel.
24. Ashley Freeman and Laura Bible. November 5, 2002, on Montel.
25. Cecilia Garcia.³⁴
26. Joshua Guimond. February 11, 2004, on Montel.
27. James Harris. In September 2003 on Montel.
28. Sherri Hassett. May 14, 2003, on Montel.
29. Jason Henderson. September 17, 2003, on Montel.
30. Adrienne Heredia. In September 2006 on Montel.
31. Audrey May Herron. September 17, 2003, on Montel.
32. John Valentine Hope. May 30, 2007, on Montel.
33. Hunter Horgan. Browne was paid $400 by police for a half-hour reading about Horgan’s murder.³⁵
34. Girly Chew Hossencofft. Browne said her body was in mineshaft.³⁶
35. Patrick and Katelynn Hubbard. May 12, 2004, on Montel.
36. Wendy Hudakoc. May 8, 2002, on Montel.
37. Dustin Ivey. February 16, 2005, on Montel.
38. George Erik James. October 19, 2006, on Montel.
39. Sharon Jones. February 26, 2003, on Montel.
40. Douglas Jones. February 28, 2007, on Montel.
41. Steven Kraft. November 5, 2002, on Montel.
42. Donnie Kilby. October 29, 2003, on Montel.
43. Kristine Kupka. On Montel. Her sister discussed her appearance with Browne on ABC’s 20/20, hosted by John Stossel, on March 22, 2004.
44. The Langstons. October 21, 2002, on Montel.
45. Amanda Lankey. February 8, 2006, on Montel.
46. Kristin Laurite. November 20, 2001, on Montel.
47. Taurean Lewis, Terry Canty Jr., and Anthony Collins. October 20, 2004, on Montel.
48. Brookley Louks September 27, 2002, on Montel.
49. Nancy MacDuckston. November 19, 2003, on Montel.
50. Christopher Mader. November 30, 2005, on Montel.
51. Gail Matthews and Tamara Berkheiser. November 9, 2005, on Montel.
52. Marin assault case. I spoke with the police who said Browne worked on the case and it remains unsolved.37
53. Frank Mazzella. October 2, 2002, on Montel.
54. Louise Melgoza Macias.³⁸
55. Tristan Meyers. February 11, 2004, on Montel.
56. Dena McCluskey. February 26, 2003, on Montel.
57. Niqui McCown. November 5, 2002, on Montel.
58. Salvatore Minichiello. May 25, 2005, on Montel.
59. Anitra Mulwee. April 30, 2003, on Montel.
60. Michael Negrete. February 26, 2005, on Montel.
61. Jacqueline Elaine Nix. February 9, 2005, on Montel.
62. Michelle O’Keefe. November 2, 2000, on Montel.
63. Janice Powers. Browne had an interview with the sheriff’s department.³⁹
64. Shamika Riley. July 6, 2005, on Montel.
65. Rochelle Robinson and Michael Johnston. July 13, 1994, on Montel.⁴⁰
66. Christopher Scarbell and C.J. Scarbell. September 10, 2003, on Montel.
67. Jan Scharf. September 17, 2003, on Montel.
68. Tina Sinclair. November 19, 2003, on Montel.
69. Jonathan Skaggs. July 6, 2005, on Montel.
70. Bryan Keith Smith.⁴¹
71. Erica Heather Smith. November 24, 2004, on Montel.
72. Tammie Smith. October 20, 2004, on Montel.
73. John South. November 27, 2002, on Montel.
74. Leah Tagliaferri. November 26, 2003, on Montel.
75. Ryan Thompson. March 13, 2002, on Montel.
76. Yvonne Torch. November 30, 2005, on Montel.
77. Tabitha Tuders. February 18, 2004, on Montel.
78. Max Uffelman. October 21, 2002, on Montel.
79. Anthony Urciuoli. January 31, 2002, on Montel.
80. Terressa Lynn Vanegas. March 21, 2007, on Montel.
81. Pat Viola. February 11, 2004, on Montel.
82. Leanna Warner. November 19, 2003, on Montel.
83. Elizabeth and Nicole Watkins. September 24, 2003, on Montel.
84. Lindsay Wells. February 26, 2003, on Montel.
85. Amber Wilde. In July 2000 on Montel.⁴²
86. Carrie Ann Williams. November 9, 2005, on Montel.
87. Gina Williams. November 5, 2002, on Montel.
88. Sherita Williams. September 15, 2004, on Montel.
89. Wayma White. April 30, 2003, on Montel.
90. Carol Wood. April 11, 1997, on The Sally Jesse Raphael Show.

Notes

1. Rob Modic, “Conviction doesn’t settle much in Erica Baker case,” Dayton Daily News, October 9, 2005.
2. Donald McArthur, “Barker’s body embedded in riverbed, psychic says,” Windsor Star, February 22, 2001.
3. Sarah Sacheli, “Safety rope failed,” Windsor Star, June 15, 2004.
4. Zachary Dowdy, “When all else fails, try a sixth sense,” Newsday, Octo­ber 6, 1999.
5. Al Baker, “Remains unearthed in Brooklyn are those of a missing woman,” New York Times, November 25, 2000.
6. “Terrorist attacks: Marrow donor ‘moved mountains,’” Newsday, Sep­tember 16, 2001.
7. “Firefighter survives in girl who received bone marrow,” Los Angeles Times, April 21, 2002.
8. Wendy Mitchell, “Erica Fraysure: Questions remain unanswered,” The Ledge-Independent, October 20, 2005.
9. Benjamin Radford, “Sylvia Browne’s biggest blunder,” SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, May/June 2007.
10. Jack Foley, “No clues in Hollister man’s disappearance,” San Jose Mercury News, July 6, 1990.
11. Jack Foley, “Body found in Hollister is identified; coroner says man died of broken neck, injuries to head,” San Jose Mercury News, July 11, 1990.
12. Maggie Borman, “Man pleads guilty, sentenced in Angela Lee murder,” The Telegraph, November 12, 2008.
13. Maggie Borman, “Man faces charges in Angela Lee slaying,” The Telegraph, April 27, 2007.
14. Joe Nickell, “Levy case a psychic failure,” Center for Inquiry, March 11, 2009.
15. Benjamin Radford, “Psychics wrong about Chandra Levy,” SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, November/December 2002.
16. Michael Fuoco, “N. Braddock man held in mother-in-law’s killing,” Post-Gazette, March 18, 2003.
17. “A year later, police call slaying ‘very solvable,’” Associated Press, February 7, 2000.
18. Susan Kimball, “Ashley Ouellette murder investigation ongoing,” WCSH-TV, February 9, 2009.
19. Owen Moritz, “DNA links cop’s son to old slay,” Daily News, October 10, 2006.
20. Shawna Morrison, “Trial in ’00 death begins in Radford,” The Roanoke Times, February 27, 2007.
21. Alison Fitzgerald, “Six months later, still no trace of missing Attleboro men,” Associated Press, April 10, 1999.
22. Paul Edward and Elisa Crouch, “A missed turn led to tragedy in Fla.,” Providence Journal-Bulletin, June 23, 1999.
23. Benjamin Radford, “Art Bell’s show broadcasts Sylvia Browne failure about mine tragedy,” SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, March/April 2006.
24. “TV psychic misses mark on miners,” Fox News, January 5, 2006.
25. Chase Squires, “Psychic predicts leads in murder; victim’s spouse seeks help on TV talk show,” Herald-Journal, February 15, 1997.
26. Rachael Leonard, “Vick gets life in prison,” Herald-Journal, December 1, 2006.
27. “Jefferson County pawnbroker gets life plus 20 years in murder of jeweler John Slayton,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 25, 2006.
28. Monica Haynes, “Psychic, local women appear on ‘Montel,’” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, October 20, 1997.
29. “Schofield soldier charged in murder,” Star Bulletin, April 29, 2004.
30. “Former soldier gets three years for ’91 NC killing,” WIS News, April 25, 2006.
31. Steve Hensley, “Mountain cold case—Jackie Blair—2000,” WKYT-TV, June 15, 2008.
32. “News at Five 5:00 PM NBC,” Global Broadcast Database, June 7, 2006.
33. “Still missing, 4 years later,” Valley Independent, October 15, 2005.
34. Eric Louie, “Police seek new leads in 2002 killing of Livermore woman,” Contra Costa Times, January 8, 2005. The paper reported: “family members are still hoping for some type of closure. They continue to pass out fliers. They had also . . . paid psychic Sylvia Browne $700 for help.”
35. John McMillan, “Psychic gives police clues into priest’s 1992 slaying,” The Advocate, September 14, 1997.
36. “You’ll find Girly’s body in mineshaft, psychic says,” Albuquerque Tribune, December 19, 2002.
37. Erik Ingram, “Psychic helps Marin cops in assault case,” San Francisco Chronicle, December 20, 1986.
38. Stacey Wiebe, “Killer still at large,” Merced Sun-Star, December 21, 2002. According to the article, the daughter paid for “expensive phone call” with Browne and later appeared on Crossing Over with John Edward.
39. “Psychic asked to help solve woman’s murder,” The Daily Oklahoman, February 27, 1998.
40. John Hubbell, “Families offer $15,000 reward in double slaying,” The News Tribune, July 14, 1994.
41. “Mom asks sheriff to listen to psychic,” Star-News, January 28, 1998.
42. “Family of missing woman turns to psychic for help,” Star Tribune, July 18, 2000.