PSYCHICS AND COLD CASES...HOW WELL DO THEY MIX?

I have faith in psychics.  I think they are here for a reason.  Whether it's to expand non-believers' minds to a sense that would otherwise be overlooked, or simply provide some sort of closure to people who lost loved ones unexpectedly and too soon, they are here for a reason.  

My mom was psychic.  I have never been the lying type, and when I dissect my brain and ponder why, I instantly remember all those times my mom just knew the truth whether I bluntly stated it or not.  No wonder I am a shitty liar when all of my teenage attempts were unsuccessful.  

I'm sure all mothers possess this type of sixth sense, but she was different.  My mom's powers specialized in the positive light of this immensely large world of medium studies.  So wipe away that derogatory mental image of a large nosed woman wearing a pointed hat hunched over and stirring a boiling pot with her broom, black cat, and book of spells in the background.  My mom was always afraid people would instantly perceive her like this if she told them where our beliefs stood in spirituality.  

My mother was really dynamic in healing and reading jewelry.  I still swear to this day that she cured my migraines with just her touch, and she also was a hero the one occasion I had pink eye for only a mysterious twelve hours.  She was really magical in my eyes, as well as many others...whether she knew it or not. 

She used to ask our friends to allow her to practice reading by allowing her to hold an old piece of jewelry that they were wearing and NOT say anything about where the particular piece came from.   She would then hold the sentimental object in her hands while she closed her eyes and bowed her head.  After silently studying it, she would then begin asking questions while explaining what she was seeing or feeling during her meditation.  Although she was dead on balls accurate most of the time, she would get so excited when the person she was reading could acknowledge and connect with what she was saying. She would also write notes on the session for those individuals to later ponder over.  

I remember one time years ago she came home from work filled with excitement because she read her friend's watch.  She told me how the watch was so hot when it touched her palms that she almost dropped it.  She instantly told her friend that this watch was stolen.  From what I understand, she had to kind of make sense of the symbol she would see or the physical feeling she would get while she was directing her energy on the jewelry.  Psychics and mediums typically do not see clear sentences, but more like objects and symbols that reveal much more personal information when thought about.  It's kind of like team work in a sense...the medium sees an image and now the other person needs to connect the dots provided to them.  Sometimes these clairvoyant people become physically sick during readings.  They are indulging themselves in the energy from their clients.  For example, a head ache during a session could translate into a sign that an individual was killed by head trauma or brain cancer.  

One time, my friend Emily was over my house.  Naturally, my mom looked over at her and asked to see a piece of her jewelry.  I could not remember if it was a necklace or a ring to be honest, but what I do absolutely remember is Emily's shrieking voice echoing through the halls near the bathroom I was just exiting, "TARA!!! SHE SAID ANTOINETTE!!!"  Apparently, as soon as Emily handed her ring to my mom, she instantly asked, "This isn't yours?"  Emily said no and informed her it was her grandmother's.  My mom proceeded with, "It's your mom's mom, right?  Was her name...it starts with an 'A'...this sounds silly, but was it Antoinette?"  This was one of the many times that I looked at our friend and smiled while we both silently thought to ourselves did that really just happen. 

Unfortunately, my mother passed away before I, or any of our family members and friends could convince her to make a career out of her unique and genuine talents.  Ever since she passed, her friends from her psychic circle have overwhelmed me with readings and loving messages from her.  Every single day, I learn more and more about just how powerful my mother really was, and still is.  

I understand and respect everyone's personal opinion and thoughts on psychic mediums.  I am well aware that there are senseless people scattered throughout society who fabricate their talents in this field.  Just like every occupation and hobby in the world, fakes are taking advantage of people and disguising themselves as something they are not.  Movies also have a way of sketching a scarring image of a "witch" or medium into your mind.  Who can unsee the psychic from Mallrats with the third nipple?  Not me!  I understand it is difficult to not assume that all people with this "talent" look like Whoopi Goldberg from Ghost.  Regardless of where your faith lies on this topic, I discovered some stories where psychics assisted in solving cold cases and provided closure to families.  These people and their stories really touched my heart, as I hope they touch yours as well.  

Psychic readings are not permissible in court, and as a result, some detectives secretly seek the help of these powerful people when physical evidence and clues have them stalled at a dead end.  Even if these interactions cannot legally be acknowledged in trials, they can at least provide a new direction to focus on especially when all else has failed.  During my research, I found that many people do not think highly of this practice being intertwined with detective work.  People seem to think psychics say a lot of diverse things, and when and if one message hits the nail on the head, they tend to go with that and ignore the things they said that did not stir any truth.  Like I said, there is no doubt in my mind that there are dishonest people lurking among us everywhere we go, but I am not the type of person to let a few negative stories infiltrate and discourage my mind and beliefs.  

One woman who has positively opened my mind to the criminal clues that can arise from contacting mediums is Kristy Robinett.  Lori Weiss wrote an article on Robinett for the Huffington Post in October of 2012. Robinett was gifted ever since she was a child, and would see people who have passed over to the other side.  Although her mother was not initially supportive of Kristy's gift, her grandfather was backing her on this side and that side.  When she was seven, Robinett attended her grandfather's funeral, but she encountered something that not every attendee had the honor of witnessing.  She actually saw him at his own burial!  She claimed he was smoking a cigarette while leaning against a tree when he told her, "Kristy, I have died.  You have to take care of mom.  I know what you are.  I was sensitive too."  According to her recollection, after they hugged, he went on his way and disappeared.  

It was apparent that Kristy was having a difficult time finding a line that would please both her mother and herself.  She started giving readings at a location that happened to be close to a police station, and as a result, cops would start to come in and ask her advice on cases that had them at a halt.  Once she built trust with these officers, more and more started to contact her.  Kristy even stated that she had a line of departed people all patiently waiting their turn for an opportunity to deliver their messages to the kind lady who could possibly help shine light on their mysteries.  One girl in this crowd stands out in Kristy Robinett's mind.  Her name was Ashley Howley.  

When Kristy first saw the spirit of the young girl named Ashley, she did not get a last name during the introduction.  All that was revealed during this encounter was that she was kidnapped and murdered.  Nothing more.  Robinett Googled the key words she had to work with until she found a picture on Crimestoppers of the exact girl she had been in personal contact with.  She got a hold of the Howley family and drew a map of a park in Columbus, Ohio.  This map lead to the old residence of Ashley's boyfriend.  Although the police suspected this boyfriend, they were unable to do anything...until this boy murdered his mother and his mother's boyfriend.  He then confessed and brought investigators to Ashley's remains, which were located in the very spot centralized in Robinett's map.  

Kristy Robinett currently lives in Livonia, Michigan.  She has written a number of books and still does readings, however, the only criminal work she does is solely in partnership with police and private investigators.  Ironically, after learning about Kristy, I realized we had one mutual friend on Facebook.  I did contact her and learned that she was unable to discuss any other homicide cases she assisted with due to confidentiality laws.  

In December of 1980, a nurse in Pacoima, California, Melanie Uribe, never made it to work.  Etta Louise Smith, a psychic, heard about the case and contacted the police because of a vivid and disturbing image she couldn't shake from her memory.  She explained to them that she saw a clear picture of a white nurse uniform buried in some woodland.  In addition to this, she also pointed out the location, which she was so certain held the answer to Uribe's mystery, on a map.  Smith was overwhelmed with such persistent impulse that she drove to Lopez Canyon herself where she did indeed found the murdered body of the thirty-two year old missing woman.  Before she could even phone the police, they showed up at the scene and arrested Smith for the crime!  She was on her fourth day in jail when policemen captured the three real killers and released Smith.  

Andre Daigle was at a Louisiana bar with his friend in June of 1987.  After Daigle was asked for a ride home by a young woman, the two friends parted ways.  Four days later, the twenty-seven year old man still never arrived home.  Daigle's sister sent a picture and a map to a psychic in California named Rosemarie Kerr.  Kerr gave a description of one of culprits, the exact location next to an interstate where the body was eventually found, and claimed that she was feeling severe pain in her head.  With this information, Daigle's brother made his way to the location in the hopes of finally finding some answers as to what happened to his sibling.  He found a little more than he expected.  He actually saw his brother's truck dive by him!  He recognized one of the men in the vehicle from Kerr's detailed report.  The two culprits led the police on a car chase before they were apprehended and ultimately confessed to the crime.  The scumbags disclosed the murder was at random, and the girl was directed to lure Daigle.  They also revealed they used a hammer to bash his head in.  

Gerard Croiset, a medium in the Netherlands, was contacted after four year old Edith Kiecorius was abducted in 1961 in New York.  Instead of Croiset making his way to The States, he asked for a picture and a map to be sent to him.  Along with a physical description of the abductor, Croiset also stated, "I see a dark woman sitting in front of a window.  Two houses farther on, there is a laundry and dry cleaners...I see this grey building again...There are five floors...on the second, I feel a strong emotion...The child is there...She is dead!..."  Within hours of police receiving this completely accurate information, the deceased girl was found.  A week later, the killer, who fit the psychic's visual, was apprehended.  

Noreen Renier is a psychic detective who has contributed thirty years of her life to five-hundred unsolved cases in and outside of The United States.  Aside from this, Renier also reads jewelry!  She believes that her clairvoyant gift exists in everyone.  "Writers call it inspirations, police officers call it hunches and gut feelings, and others say sixth sense."  

MY MOM AND ME XOXO

BRUTAL BATHS

On Monday, June 7, 1999 the phone rang at the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office.  The call came from the Family Support Division requesting a well check on the supervisor at the Arapahoe County District.  An investigator arrived at an apartment complex at 6500 E. Dayton Street in Englewood, Colorado.  Rebecca Ann Bartee did not show up for work earlier that morning, and she had taken home a file that the detective was ultimately there to retrieve.  As he scanned through the rooms he noticed a glass filled to the brim with red wine that lacked any noticeable lip and fingerprints.  When he reached the bathroom, his Monday blues transitioned into horror when he saw the 41 year-old woman whose head was under water near the drain of the practically overflowing bathtub.

With a quick glance, this scene can easily be mistaken for a suicide, but it did not take the police long to realize these props were more than likely designed by the hands of the killer.

Rebecca moved to Colorado in May of 1999.  She was divorced, and had a teen aged daughter who was handicapped and with her caregiver when Rebecca's life was mysteriously taken.  She was a former prosecutor who worked against men who refused to make child support payments.  This hard work ethic even got her sued while she was in Kansas.  Beings how she was only a few weeks into her new job, she did not have any cases filed in this state yet.  Rebecca lived in a rural area, but apparently was very cautious and street smart from her somewhat dangerous occupation.  Even though she was known to have the heart to open the door and lend a helping hand for anyone, her family claimed she was a little fearsome of living on the bottom floor, and as a result, was the chronic door locker type.  Most importantly, Rebecca was known for loathing baths so much that her mother insisted she had not taken a bath in over twenty years!  (I can relate to this bath hatred, so please remember I would never be caught dead in one...unless someone put me there). 

The crime scene investigation and autopsy of the four foot, ten inch body generated more questions than answers on what happened on this particular weekend.  Rebecca left work on Friday, June 4, 1999 at 5:30pm, and the police are confident she was not alive much longer after that because there was a message on her machine from her daughter's caretaker urging her to call immediately.  Remember that untouched glass of red wine?  Ironically, no red wine bottles were found in her apartment.  There wasn't even red wine in her system.  There were empty pill bottles found in her trash, however, no pills were found in her home, nor in her body.  Her family pointed out how out of character it was for their loved one to dispose of anything holding personal information on it...especially when she had an active paper shredder. 

Both sides of Rebecca's knees were covered in bruises.  There was an imprint on her back of a unique chain used to stabilize phone books in phone booths, and if you guessed that the chain was not found in her apartment, you are correct, my friend.  There were no signs of sexual assault, but unfortunately a bath could have made that evidence disappear, unlike the pills and wine bottle.  There was nothing found in the bathroom that would suggest one was preparing for a bath like towels or a robe, but towels were found in another room.  New towels and a bathroom rug were found in the washer, which usually is not out of the ordinary...except when the white towels are stained from being washed with a purple rug.  A bottle of bleach was also found out on a counter near the dryer.  This bleach was used to wipe numerous surfaces clean throughout the apartment.

As the deceased body dried at the funeral home in Kansas, obnoxious hand and nail marks around the neck grew so apparent that the police were notified again.  Think about it...if someone is standing behind you and strangling you with something, you involuntarily use all your might with your fingers to try and grab the thin object that is lodged in your skin and stealing your breathe away.  A victim in this scenario is so studied on loosening that grip that they in actuality leave half moon fingernail cuts and bruises on their own neck.

On top of all this cryptic evidence, there is controversy on how exactly the killer got into the apartment.  Investigators said the dead bolt was locked, however, Rebecca's sister, who is a civil attorney, claims that investigators revealed they were not certain if it was or not.  No house keys were missing.  A window in Rebecca's bedroom was unlocked, but dust covered the sill which proves it was not opened at any recent time.  Rebecca's brother, a Kansas police officer who worked on over fifty murder cases, believes the window was unlocked by the killer in an attempt to stage his entrance.

All the suspects in this crime were cleared.  Any child support rebellion who probably did not think highly of the victim was pushed aside along with Rebecca's ex-husband, who remarried weeks after the death and had a solid alibi.  So, here we are with no suspects, no trace of a killer, no motive, no forced entry, no murder weapon, and no red wine bottle.  As if this was not discouraging enough, the same forensic pathologist who ruled Rebecca Ann Bartee's death a homicide by strangulation, Dr. Michael Doberson, has stated fifteen years after the gruesome discovery that it is possible that natural causes could have been responsible.  According to him, the strangulation marks could have resulted from the blood settling from the position of the head and body.  What the fuck?  In Dr. Doberson's defense, he is retired, presently haunted by this death, and still keeps in contact with the Bartee family, whom, like myself, still believes this is without a doubt a murder...especially since the same thing happened again less than a year later...

Helen Towers was a 69 year-old woman who lived alone in Littleton, Colorado.  She was a legal assistant for a prominent district attorney in Arapahoe County and had a passion for dancing.  In March of 2000, Helen confided in her daughter, Julie, that she was finding mysterious notes on her red Monte Carlo car.  On April 1, 2000, neighbors informed Julie that Helen's newspapers were piling up outside and that her house had been dark for several days.  Ironically, when Julie and the police showed up at Helen's house, there was a fresh, red rose on the snow covered door step.  Officers maneuvered into the home through unlocked kitchen windows.  Here we go again...Helen's body was found in an empty bath tub with nothing linking her body to violence or any substance abuse.  With her lights unplugged, the phone off the hook, and threatening notes stuffed in her purse, Helen Towers' death was determined to be caused on March 28, 2000 and labeled as undetermined.

The Towers' family, like the Bartee family, know in their hearts that this is a homicide.  Through my research, I read that another ballroom dancer from the other side of town also received similar notes on her red sports car, but I was unable to find anymore details on this.  Not for nothing, but where the fuck did that red wine come from in Rebecca's apartment?

Maybe there is a red link that ties these puzzles together, but honestly, I don't think so.  A bath tub can absolutely signify a killer's modus operandi, but it sure as shit can practically and solely be used to wash away evidence.  In my research, it's been stated that if Rebecca was murdered, her killer was in her home for a substantial amount of time.  That can very well be true for Helen too, but it does not tell me that these culprits are the same person.

Many different scenarios flash into my mind when I ponder all the possibilities of what could have happened to these women.  But ultimately, in my heart, I believe that Helen's murder was committed by a random stranger, who very likely has a red fetish, love for bathtubs, and probably met these sports car driving ladies at a dancing bar when he decided to indulge in his obsession and stalk them like a typical serial killer.  Leaving notes is a risky explosion of self absorbance and security.  But Rebecca...her crime stands out in a unique way in my eyes.  I think her killer was someone who wanted her specifically dead, or was hired to carry out this particular murder.  The details and attempts of cover up just don't strike me to originate from a serial killer.  A serial killer wants to show off his work.  No serial killer wants to risk their artwork being labeled as a self induced suicide.