Skeptics driving TV "psychic" crazy...

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3. Careful, J-E, you could be another Etta Louise Smith

One of the most bizarre cases of a "psychic detective" ever in Los Angeles...which is saying something.

It's old, but I mention it because Smith's name STILL pops up in those Internet lists of "Famous Cases Solved By Psychics!1!"

Smith didn't solve diddley-squat. But she does provide a nice object lesson about psychics inserting themselves into active police investigations.

Back in 1980, Smith claimed she had a "one-time psychic vision" of a murdered woman, Melanie Uribe. Taking her 2 young kids and a niece to search for the body, they found Uribe dead in a canyon.

After she failed a polygraph test, the LAPD began to suspect Smith might actually be involved in the murder. And tossed her in jail for 4 days.

As it turned out, Smith, the victim Uribe and the killers all lived in the same Los Angeles neighborhood, Pacoima. (I lived there myself for a couple of years.) And one of the killers had been bragging about the killing around that neighborhood.

Smith sued the LAPD and again, you can still read "psychic VINDICATED!1!" stories on the Internet.

Not exactly. Smith sued the LAPD for $750,000 including "pain & suffering." The jury, apparently a bunch of skeptical grumps, only awarded her $26,000 for her actual legal/medical costs.

Joe Nickell covers Smith and some other phony "psychic detectives" in this article:

http://www.csicop.org/si/show/case_of_the_psychic_detectives/