Maddie, pseudoscience, and the vultures of grief

There’s very few people in the country who can’t be aware of the ongoing drama surrounding the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, the UK child who vanished from a hotel room while on holiday in Portugal. She has been missing for over five months now, and any hope of finding her alive is almost gone.

One of the saddest aspects of situations such as these is the fertile ground they lay for any number of crackpots, charlatans and frauds, and McCann’s disappearance is sadly not exempt. Today’s Observer reports that retired South African police superintendent Danie Krugel located McCann’s remains as buried under the beach at Praia da Luz, the resort where her family had been staying.

How did Krugel discover this?

Based on a combination of Madeleine’s DNA sample and GPS satellite technology, Krugel’s findings were taken so seriously by Portuguese detectives that officers twice searched the beach.

This would be Krugel’s “Matter Orientation System (MOS)”, a mysterious device that uses quantum technology, the same stuff used to power PWB’s £500 crocodile clip, John Hutchison’s fake anti-gravity machine, and a possible method of turning yourself into a horse. Other than that , little is known about the MOS because Krugel won’t allow it to be examined by anyone. Inexplicably, this is reported by the Observer as a “forensic” test. Worse still, the Portuguese authorities apparently acted upon this “information”.

Nothing upsets us more than the thought of an abducted child, but perhaps some things should. Psychics, clairvoyants, remote viewers, dowsers, and charlatans such as Krugel seem mostly harmless when dishing out “readings” on premium rate phone lines. Assuming the role of serious detective, however, makes them despicable vultures of grief, preying on the most desperate sections of society. Shame on Krugel and his ilk.

1 comment October 7th, 2007