Overview
A peer‑reviewed study published in the Journal of Anomalistics this week revisits the long‑standing practice of police departments consulting psychics during missing‑person investigations. Authored by Sybo S. Schouten and released under a Creative Commons 4.0 license, the 84‑page report draws on questionnaires, experimental trials, and case reviews from Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States. While anecdotal stories of “successful” psychic tips continue to surface in the media, the research concludes that only anecdotal evidence supports any real investigative value, and that measurable success rates remain extremely low.
Methodology and Core Findings
Schouten’s team surveyed roughly one‑third of police forces in the three countries, discovering that about 33 % have at some point enlisted a psychic. Reported usefulness, however, ranged from 0 % to 21 % across jurisdictions. Quantitative parapsychology experiments—where psychics attempted to retrieve unknown information—occasionally yielded statistically significant results, but the effect sizes were “very modest.” More controlled laboratory tests, such as having psychics handle crime‑related objects, produced no positive outcomes. When psychics were asked to predict perpetrator characteristics under realistic conditions, they scored the lowest of all groups, though the overall accuracy gap between psychics, profilers, and laypeople was small.
Case Analyses
Part II of the report focuses on two high‑profile Dutch missing‑girl investigations. In both instances, individuals who felt “emotionally compelled” to share impressions were later classified as “psychic contributors,” even though they did not identify themselves as such. Their predictions matched the accuracy of conventional criminal profiling and, in practice, did not advance the investigations. Across a broader sample of 418 missing‑person cases, psychics were involved in roughly 15 %—typically when families feared the missing individual was deceased. Over a four‑year span, only three cases were solved after following psychic advice, translating to an overall ≈10 % of psychics offering any useful information and ≈3 % providing a correct solution, which often still failed to locate the person.
Implications for Law Enforcement and the Public
The study emphasizes that the occasional “successes” are more plausibly explained by local knowledge, investigative intuition, or sheer coincidence rather than paranormal ability. Families reported feeling psychologically supported and reassured that every avenue had been explored, even while acknowledging the limited investigative merit. Schouten recommends that police agencies develop clear guidelines: limit psychic involvement to a supportive role, document any tips formally, and prioritize evidence‑based techniques. The author also argues that systematic training of officers in profiling and search methodology could outperform psychics in both accuracy and outcome.
Podcast Commentary
The findings sparked a lively debate on a recent podcast featuring host James Faulk and psi researcher Adam M. Curry. Curry argued that if genuine psi were ever validated, it would force a major revision of scientific epistemology and reshape our perception of reality. Faulk, while acknowledging the intrigue, cautioned against letting speculative possibilities eclipse the modest, data‑driven conclusions of Schouten’s work. Both agreed that until reproducible, high‑quality evidence emerges, police departments should treat psychics as a psychosocial resource rather than a forensic tool. The discussion underscores a broader tension between public fascination with the paranormal and the discipline of evidence‑based policing.
