Have you seen Theres'a Urlich, above, who has been missing for seven months? Photo / Supplied
Have you seen Theres'a Urlich, above, who has been missing for seven months? Photo / Supplied
A psychic has told the family of a missing Northland woman that she was raped and murdered and her body dumped near a red barn.
But the desperate family - who have not seen the woman for seven months - have dismissed the premonition as nonsense and a sceptics organisation has labelled the psychic a "grief vampire" for preying on the family's emotional pain.
Theres'a Urlich, 45, has not been seen since February 4 when she hitchhiked to her cousin's house in Kaeo, showered, changed her clothes, had something to eat and left - heading south.
That was the last her family saw or heard from her.
However, a report provided to Urlich's family has suggested the free-spirited Kaitaia woman has met an alarming end at the hands of a violent offender.
The psychic also went into extensive detail about a subsequent attack and the resulting injuries, alleging that Urlich had been punched in the head and received a broken jaw, stabbed under the left rib, raped and killed, and her body dumped at the location.
"She even gave us a name and a description of the guy. She said he was rough, wore camouflage gear, has a beard and wears a ring on his left third finger that has a greenstone on it.
"It was very detailed," Barnes said.
Kaitaia woman Theres'a Urlich who hasn't been seen since February 4. Photo / Supplied
After reviewing the information, Barnes said she provided the report to police and called a meeting with Urlich's son.
"I showed him the paperwork. He read it and said, 'Well, personally I think it's a load of s**t and I am going with the authorities'," she said.
"We haven't looked anything into it, I will leave it up to the Kaitaia Police.
"It was out of it because it was very detailed and full of information.
"But this woman doesn't know any of us from a bar of soap, all she had to go on was a photo which was on Facebook."
Police confirmed they are aware and have received information from a psychic in relation to this investigation.
"Police welcome any new information from members of the public in relation to any unsolved cases," a spokesperson said.
"Any information received is assessed on its merits, and lines of inquiries are followed based on evidential factors.
"We are yet to receive any information which provides evidence of her whereabouts following her last known movements.
"Police do not currently work with psychics and it is entirely the decision of the family if they wish to pursue that avenue."
NZ Skeptics Society chair Craig Shearer said their opinion of psychics in cases where they approach families was pretty low.
"They're colloquially known as 'grief vampires' and are usually just seeking attention, though I'm sure that there are some that believe they have genuine abilities and just want to help.
"It's a pretty low blow to families who are suffering grief to be approached in such a manner," he said.
Shearer said extraordinary claims required extraordinary evidence.
"Psychics would have to demonstrate that they can actually be effective, which they have not successfully done.
"Regarding helping police to solve crime, even the high-profile TV series Sensing Murder has never actually resulted in a resolution to a case, though it's been running for six seasons," he said.
"In our experience, psychics who claim to have success usually do so by stating claims that are very general - e.g. a body will be found near water, when most parts of NZ are near water.
"Or they'll provide a lot of specific details, some of which might well turn out to have some accuracy by sheer coincidence, or my rationalising after the fact to make the actual details fit what they claimed."
