Carla Baron, Psychic Detective? Not Quite BRIAN HART investigate all leads,” or laughed directly at the question of “Do you ever use a sychic detective. The very phrase psychic in your detective work?” One conjures up an image of Peter Falk young police officer in Pennsylvania, P as Columbo, wearing his trademark working on his first major missing- rumpled raincoat, albeit with a dowsing person case, firmly believes that Baron rod in place of his ever-present cigar. has given him “some great leads,” Reality is another story. The Inde- despite the fact that this particular case pendent Investigations Group (IIG), in is still unsolved four years later. Los Angeles, went in search of a self-de- All in all, we found that of the four- scribed psychic detective named Carla teen cases we looked at, some had been Baron. On her Web site, she makes solved by standard police “shoe-leather” many specific claims about working on detective work, and the rest remain such high-profile cases as those of O.J. unsolved to this day. Simpson, JonBenet Ramsey, Elizabeth The IIG has put all this information Smart, and others. It was because of the onto its own Web site (www.iigwest. specific nature of her claims that the IIG com) and sent out over 100 press thought her worthy of our attention. releases. Almost immediately, we heard Despite the fact that we had all A group of IIG members recently from two organizations that help track shaken Baron’s hand and sat no more attended an all-day Learning Annex sem- missing children and adults. One of than three feet from her while she inar called “The Three Psychics.” We sat them, the ChildSeek Network (at did her “readings,” she never picked through the first two psychics, who gave www.childseeknetwork.com), instantly up on the fact that none of us were very general and vague readings with lots changed its Web site to remove any pos- who we claimed to be. If this is itive links to Carla Baron, and the other of doses of “feel-good-about-yourselves” how well her psychic powers work at one thanked us for posting accurate New Age advice. Carla Baron got up last, close range, I can’t imagine how she information on Baron and her “cases.” and started naming names and specifics “reads” over the phone. Since we were Cindy, a representative from angels- about police cases that she claims to have already suspicious of her, starting missing.com told us: worked on. When the audience pressed even with her supposed “credentials,” her for details, she would readily comply we actually fell more into the role of I cannot tell you how many of these with names of victims, family members, Columbo, as we were able to question people prey on the missing families and loved ones. People in these state-police-department names, cities, her and listen carefully and critically situations will believe whatever you etc. We took careful notes. to her answers. tell them, as they are so vulnerable. Coincidentally, three IIG members Armed with fourteen specifically This is why hundreds of missing per- were randomly called to the front of named cases, the IIG went to work son’s families and loved ones lose the room for “personal readings” from on this matter the old-fashioned way. money to these kinds of people. It Carla. A computer consultant fed her Our lead investigator, Owen Hammer, saddens me—they are so disappointed the false scenario that he was a screen- in the end. I wish more families of the spent several months tracking down and missing could see [the report]. writer, and she went into quite an calling police departments and official elaborate and detailed story about what spokespersons for victim’s families. He Carla Baron, psychic detective? Not he was to expect from his soon-to-be- even attended a second session with this time. Give Lt. Columbo back his successful (nonexistent) screenplay. She Baron to gather more information. cigar, take away the dowsing rod, and told another IIG member that he would We found generally that if the police- let him start acting like the smart cop we form his own company and produce a men in question had heard of Carla always knew he was. “product or a service,” and even told the Baron, it was because Carla had con- executive director of CFI/West that his tacted family members and convinced Brian Hart is one of the founding mem- boss was “stealing all the company prof- them to call the police with her psy- bers of the Independent Investigators its and was under IRS investigation.” chically derived leads. With one or two Group (IIG) in Hollywood, which has She also told him that he would soon exceptions, the policemen we spoke to investigated many claims of the para- have a job as a television sportscaster. were either polite in saying, “We have to normal since 2000. SKEPTICAL INQUIRER September / October 2006 5 NEWS AND COMMENT claimed to be psychic, had prophetic dreams that revealed former Secretary Alleged Psychic of State Colin Powell was the Antichrist, and had predicted the September 11, Convicted 2001, attacks. “Some people really are psychic,” Barnard said. “I don’t know if of Murder she is or isn’t. If she is, that would be a big burden to carry.” Barnard admitted that her assessment was meant to deter- Susan Polk, a self-proclaimed psychic, mine whether Polk had been abused, was convicted on June 16, 2006, of not whether she was delusional. second-degree murder. Polk, 48, was Like comedienne Roseanne Barr and arrested in October 2002 when her hus- others, Polk claimed to have recovered band Felix was found stabbed to death memories of sexual abuse by her par- in their Orinda, California, home. Polk ents and that she watched her parents initially denied any involvement in her murder and bury a police officer in husband’s death but later claimed she their basement. She also claimed to stabbed her seventy-year-old husband in have vague recollections of her husband self-defense. her. Two of Polk’s three sons testified putting her into hypnotic trances and The lengthy trial was rife with against her, claiming that she was delu- forcing her to use her psychic pow- pseudo science and paranormal elements, sional and had spoken of trying to kill ers to make predictions. She believed involving psychic powers, conspiracy their father several times. that these predictions—including infor- theories, recovered memories, and even Prosecutor Paul Sequeira suggested mation about terrorism attacks—were Satanic Ritual Abuse. Polk accused her that Polk suffered from a persecutory shared with Israeli intelligence agencies. dead husband of daily physical abuse, delusional disorder. Linda Barnard, a Polk felt that the fact that she claimed poisoning the family dogs, brainwashing therapist who briefly examined Polk to be psychic was being used by the their sons, and plotting the 1978 assassi- and testified on her behalf, found no prosecution to discredit her. Serving as nation of a San Francisco mayor; she also indication that Polk was delusional, out her own lawyer, Polk called an alleged accused everyone from the judge to the of touch with reality, or an unreliable psychic detective to the stand in an court reporter of conspiring to convict historian, despite the fact that Polk attempt to bolster her own credibility Update: Charges against Ontario ‘Healer’ Dropped n the September/October 2005 issue of the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Detective Michael Barsky, who supervised the investigation, we reported the arrest on June 14, 2005, in Toronto, Ontario, reported at the time of the arrests that Wood used a claim that I Canada, of self-proclaimed “psychic healer” Alex L. Orbito and an Orbito had cured Wood’s wife of cancer to persuade people to accomplice, John Robert Wood, for fraud over $5,000 and possession pay for Orbito’s services. It was reported that investigation had of the proceeds of crime. The arrest was made following a three-day revealed that Wood’s wife never had the disease, but Wood has “healing spree” at a hotel in Scarborough, Ontario. Over the course of since produced documents showing that she was treated for breast those three days, Orbito made an estimated C$80,000 in 200 to 500 cancer surgically at a Toronto hospital—but not by Orbito’s “healing sessions” that were ar ranged by Wood. But on January 20, methods of healing. 2006, the Canadian government withdrew the charges against both Psychic surgeons such as Orbito claim to be able to reach into men. the bodies of their clients, removing diseased tissues and “negative Orbito, a Filipino, and Wood, a resident of Pickering, Ontario, energies” that cause their illnesses; skeptics counter that it’s all done were scheduled to stand trial in July, according to an article that with animal blood and sleight of hand. appeared in Canada’s National Post on May 17, 2006. Brendan Crawley, a spokesman for Ontario’s Ministry of the Attorney-General, —Julie Lavarnway and David Park Musella is quoted as saying, “The decision by the Crown to withdraw charges Julie Lavarnway is serving as an intern with CSICOP and the against Messrs. Wood and Orbito was based on the assessment that Center for Inquiry. David Park Musella is an editorial assistant with there was not a reasonable prospect of conviction.” He did not add the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER. why it was believed that the case wouldn’t stand up in court. 6 Volume 30, Issue 5 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER NEWS AND COMMENT as a psychic.