Norm Pratt: Split from: Psychics and Missing People

[Hardenbergh]

This story is about a psychic who was consulted after exhausting the efforts of a search party. The article is over two years old but I think it's typical of news stories where a psychic was consulted to assist authorities.

Psychic helps B.C. police find hiker's body
Thursday, January 27, 2005 | 12:12 PM ET
CBC News

Police in Nelson, B.C., have found the body of a young woman who disappeared last March, and they credit a local psychic for pointing them in the right direction. Kimberley Anne Sarjeant was last seen walking alone in a popular hiking spot near Nelson.

Police say they used every tool at their disposal to try to find her, including search dogs, helicopters and infrared heat detectors.

When none of the standard techniques seemed to work, Sgt. Steve Bank called on a local psychic for help.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2005/01/27/psychic-body050127.html

He has also been a guest on Coast to Coast AM:

Psychic Norm Pratt assissted police in Nelson, B.C., leading them to the body of a young woman who had been missing for 10 months. Mr. Pratt lives in a rural area south of Nelson and has worked on a number of missing person and homicide cases in British Columbia.

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/guests/914.html

Psychic Detective
In the 1st half-hour, psychic intuitive Norm Pratt shared details of how he helped locate the missing body of a young woman in British Columbia. He said he walked in the woods near where he lives and began receiving impressions about the woman which he thought might be accurate.

He subsequently checked with the police in Nelson, B.C. and found that his information matched unreleased data about the case. In an ongoing process of working with the police, his visions eventually led to the discovery of her clothes and remains.

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/shows/2005/01/27.html

http://www.normpratt.com/

I just found a thread about Norm Pratt:

http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34112

 

[Rodney]

This story is about a psychic who was consulted after exhausting the efforts of a search party. The article is over two years old but I think it's typical of news stories where a psychic was consulted to assist authorities.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2005/01/27/psychic-body050127.html

He has also been a guest on Coast to Coast AM:

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/guests/914.html

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/shows/2005/01/27.html

http://www.normpratt.com/

I just found a thread about Norm Pratt:

http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34112

Has anyone debunked Norm Pratt?

 

[rjh01]

Just done a quick search using Google on Norm Pratt.
1. Could only find one case where he could claim success and that has been mentioned.
2. If he was any good where are the other cases? Nothing is mentioned about any cases on his web site.
3. Found one case where he has not been successful Lisa Marie

 

[Orphia Nay]

This story is about a psychic who was consulted after exhausting the efforts of a search party. The article is over two years old but I think it's typical of news stories where a psychic was consulted to assist authorities.




http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2005/01/27/psychic-body050127.html

He has also been a guest on Coast to Coast AM:



http://www.coasttocoastam.com/guests/914.html




http://www.coasttocoastam.com/shows/2005/01/27.html

http://www.normpratt.com/

I just found a thread about Norm Pratt:

http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34112

The body was found 1km away from where she was last seen. Hardly a paranormal occurance.

 

[Rodney]

The body was found 1km away from where she was last seen. Hardly a paranormal occurance.

So why couldn't the police solve the case on their own?

 

[Bri]

The police apparently did discover the body on their own.

Police had already searched along an abandoned railway line where the 23-year-old woman was last seen.

But local psychic Norm Pratt steered police away from that trail. About a kilometre into nearby woods, police found Sarjeant's clothes. Her remains were discovered in the same area.

According to the article, all Pratt did was tell them not to search where they were currently searching (where they had apparently already searched and turned up nothing).

-Bri

 

[Hardenbergh]

The police apparently did discover the body on their own.



According to the article, all Pratt did was tell them not to search where they were currently searching (where they had apparently already searched and turned up nothing).

-Bri

The article didn't say that police had already searched the area where she was found. It said that they had searched the railway line where she was last seen. It didn't really indicate whether the police had searched other surrounding areas but it would seem logical that if the police had already searched the area in which her body was found, the reporter would have mentioned it in the article. It would say something like, "The police had combed the area where the body was found but their first attempt to locate the body had revealed nothing." I don't think I would leave out that detail if I was the reporter.

It doesn't sound like he's in it for the money according to his website:

Private sessions can be done in person or over the telephone. The fee is $100 for a minimum of one hour. Fees may be flexible under conditions of financial hardship.

http://www.normpratt.com/sessions/

 

[Rodney]

The article didn't say that police had already searched the area where she was found. It said that they had searched the railway line where she was last seen. It didn't really indicate whether the police had searched other surrounding areas but it would seem logical that if the police had already searched the area in which her body was found, the reporter would have mentioned it in the article. It would say something like, "The police had combed the area where the body was found but their first attempt to locate the body had revealed nothing." I don't think I would leave out that detail if I was the reporter.

I think the bottom line here is that the police would not have called in a psychic if they thought there was a good chance they would have found the body on their own.

 

[Stellafane]

I think the bottom line here is that the police would not have called in a psychic if they thought there was a good chance they would have found the body on their own.

I don't think that necessarily follows at all. Police are often in position where a case hits a standstill but they still need to assure the public they're doing everything they can to solve it. So they might call in a psychic to give the impression they're willing to try anything, however remote the chances of success. Or they might be trying to shut up the segment of the public that supports psychic detectives. Or they might even be trying to flush out a suspect who might believe in psychics and therefore be scared into making a false move. From what I've read, most law enforcement professionals don't seem to place a lot of faith in psychics.

 

[tsg]

I think the bottom line here is that the police would not have called in a psychic if they thought there was a good chance they would have found the body on their own.

How, exactly, do you arrive at that conclusion?

 

[Rodney]

How, exactly, do you arrive at that conclusion?

The police would prefer to solve crimes on their own, and not with the help of psychics. If they call in a psychic when they have a good chance of solving a crime without one, the psychic will likely receive credit if the crime is solved, which makes the police look less than competent. Also, a psychic being credited with solving a crime will likely result in a public clamor for that psychic to be used again which -- if the psychic is worthless -- will create an unnecessary headache for the police.

 

[Bri]

The article didn't say that police had already searched the area where she was found.

I didn't say it did.

What I said was that the article does not indicate that Pratt ever told the police to search where the body was finally found. The only thing the article states Pratt actually did was tell them to STOP looking where they had already looked! Well -- duh!

It didn't really indicate whether the police had searched other surrounding areas but it would seem logical that if the police had already searched the area in which her body was found, the reporter would have mentioned it in the article.

Exactly my point. All Pratt did was tell the police not to search where they had already searched and not found anything. Again -- duh!

I imagine the following conversation:

pratt: Haven't you already searched along the railway?
police: Yes.
pratt: Did you find anything?
police: No.
pratt: Why not try searching somewhere else?
police: Now why didn't we think of that?
​

The article doesn't indicate that Pratt told them where to look at all. I would think that would be a detail that would have been reported if he had. So, the article actually doesn't indicate that Pratt was of any help at all other than to tell police not to look where they had already looked (which I'm guessing they might have figured out on their own).

It doesn't sound like he's in it for the money according to his website

I wouldn't think you'd want your website to sound like you're in it for the money, particularly if you're in it for the money. He's in it for the money.

-Bri

 

[Rodney]

The article doesn't indicate that Pratt told them where to look at all. I would think that would be a detail that would have been reported if he had. So, the article actually doesn't indicate that Pratt was of any help at all other than to tell police not to look where they had already looked (which I'm guessing they might have figured out on their own).

According to the article:

"Police in Nelson, B.C., have found the body of a young woman who disappeared last March, and they credit a local psychic for pointing them in the right direction. Kimberley Anne Sarjeant was last seen walking alone in a popular hiking spot near Nelson.

"Police say they used every tool at their disposal to try to find her, including search dogs, helicopters and infrared heat detectors.

"When none of the standard techniques seemed to work, Sgt. Steve Bank called on a local psychic for help.

"Police had already searched along an abandoned railway line where the 23-year-old woman was last seen.

"But local psychic Norm Pratt steered police away from that trail. About a kilometre into nearby woods, police found Sarjeant's clothes. Her remains were discovered in the same area.

"'Without the use of the psychic, I think I'd still be looking for this person,' Bank said Wednesday."

I wouldn't think you'd want your website to sound like you're in it for the money, particularly if you're in it for the money. He's in it for the money.-Bri

It doesn't matter whether he is or isn't. The fact is that, according to Sgt. Bank, the case was solved because of Pratt's involvement.

 

[Bri]

According to the article:

<quote of the majority of the article deleted>

"'Without the use of the psychic, I think I'd still be looking for this person,' Bank said Wednesday."

I read the article. Nowhere does it say that Pratt did anything other than tell police to stop looking where they had already (unsuccessfully) looked.

It doesn't matter whether he is or isn't. The fact is that, according to Sgt. Bank, the case was solved because of Pratt's involvement.

Without more details, it is unclear whether the case was solved because of Pratt's involvement, or whether Sgt. Bank simply attributes the case being solved to Pratt's involvement. It is also very unclear that Pratt did anything at all "psychic" to help solve the crime; rather, it sounds like he offered some sound but rather obvious advice to stop looking where they had already looked.

Perhaps Sgt. Bank believes in psychics and decided to involve Pratt against the advice of others, and then felt compelled to justify his decision. Perhaps Sgt. Bank believes that the police would have continued to search the same locations over and over again rather than looking elsewhere without Pratt's suggestion.

It seems like if Pratt actually did something psychic to help solve the crime, the article (or Sgt. Bank) would have mentioned it.

-Bri

 

[Rodney]

I read the article. Nowhere does it say that Pratt did anything other than tell police to stop looking where they had already (unsuccessfully) looked.

Without more details, it is unclear whether the case was solved because of Pratt's involvement, or whether Sgt. Bank simply attributes the case being solved to Pratt's involvement. It is also very unclear that Pratt did anything at all "psychic" to help solve the crime; rather, it sounds like he offered some sound but rather obvious advice to stop looking where they had already looked.

Perhaps Sgt. Bank believes in psychics and decided to involve Pratt against the advice of others, and then felt compelled to justify his decision. Perhaps Sgt. Bank believes that the police would have continued to search the same locations over and over again rather than looking elsewhere without Pratt's suggestion.

It seems like if Pratt actually did something psychic to help solve the crime, the article (or Sgt. Bank) would have mentioned it.

-Bri

The article makes four fundamental points:

(1) For 10 months, the police searched in vain for a missing woman, using "every tool at their disposal to try to find her, including search dogs, helicopters and infrared heat detectors."

(2) "When none of the standard techniques seemed to work, Sgt. Steve Bank called on a local psychic for help."

(3) While the police had focused their search "along an abandoned railway line where the 23-year-old woman was last seen . . . local psychic Norm Pratt steered police away from that trail."

(4) According to Sgt. Bank: "Without the use of the psychic, I think I'd still be looking for this person."

So, the search was going nowhere until Pratt steered police in a different direction. And it wasn't as if Sgt. Bank immediately called on Pratt -- rather, Bank waited 10 months. If you are not going to credit a psychic here with assisting the police, what would it take for you to do that?

 

[Bri]

So, the search was going nowhere until Pratt steered police in a different direction. And it wasn't as if Sgt. Bank immediately called on Pratt -- rather, Bank waited 10 months. If you are not going to credit a psychic here with assisting the police, what would it take for you to do that?

I don't care if they kept searching in the same place for 10 years without finding her. It wouldn't take any psychic ability to suggest that they search elsewhere.

Nowhere in the article does it say that Pratt told them where to find the body.

If this is the best evidence that Pratt is psychic, I'd say it's much more likely that he's not.

Did Pratt assist the police somehow? Maybe. Would they have found the body without Pratt? Probably, assuming that he didn't tell them where it was. Did Pratt use any psychic abilities to aid the police? The evidence would not indicate that to be the case.

-Bri

 

[Rodney]

I don't care if they kept searching in the same place for 10 years without finding her. It wouldn't take any psychic ability to suggest that they search elsewhere.

Nowhere in the article does it say that Pratt told them where to find the body.

If this is the best evidence that Pratt is psychic, I'd say it's much more likely that he's not.

Did Pratt assist the police somehow? Maybe. Would they have found the body without Pratt? Probably, assuming that he didn't tell them where it was. Did Pratt use any psychic abilities to aid the police? The evidence would not indicate that to be the case.

-Bri

Try applying your logic to medical doctors. Can you prove that they have cured patients of illnesses, or is it perhaps just a matter that the patients would have recovered anyway?

 

[rjh01]

Irrelevant. However drugs and other medical procedures have been proved to work via double blind experiments.

 

[Bri]

Try applying your logic to medical doctors. Can you prove that they have cured patients of illnesses, or is it perhaps just a matter that the patients would have recovered anyway?

Silly analogy. The issue is whether or not there is evidence that Pratt used any psychic abilities to aid the police. There is evidence from double-blind tests that doctors use medicine to cure illness.

Let's say a doctor asks a patient what the patient had previously tried to cure their illness. The patient tells the doctor they had tried aspirin. The doctor responds, "Well, try something else," but won't specify what the patient should try. Now, the patient (taking the doctor's advice) goes to another doctor who gives the patient antibiotics, and the patient recovers.

I'm not sure I would attribute the recovery to the first doctor's medical abilities.

-Bri

 

[Rodney]

Silly analogy. The issue is whether or not there is evidence that Pratt used any psychic abilities to aid the police. There is evidence from double-blind tests that doctors use medicine to cure illness.

I doubt that anyone will argue with the proposition that "doctors use medicine to cure illness."

Let's say a doctor asks a patient what the patient had previously tried to cure their illness. The patient tells the doctor they had tried aspirin. The doctor responds, "Well, try something else," but won't specify what the patient should try. Now, the patient (taking the doctor's advice) goes to another doctor who gives the patient antibiotics, and the patient recovers.

I'm not sure I would attribute the recovery to the first doctor's medical abilities.

-Bri

But you can't say definitively that the antibiotics cured the patient. It seems logical, but it's not absolute proof. So why apply an absolute proof standard to psychics?