A look at the claims, predictions and behavior of a media "psychic".
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A look at the claims, predictions and behavior of a media "psychic".
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| Terrence Farrell ReadingSylvia Browne does a reading right after 9/11 about a missing NY firefighter.  Firefighter Terrence Farrell BackgroundIn the days following the terrorist attacks on September 11 2001, hundreds of New York firefighters were reported as missing in the collapse of the World Trade Center. One of those firefighters was Terrence Farrell, a decorated member of Rescue 4/FDNY. Among those waiting anxiously for word of Farrell was Sheri Peterson of Las Vegas, Nevada, and her thirteen-year-old daughter Chantyl. Years before he walked into the WTC on that day, Farrell had performed another selfless act: he had donated bone marrow which had saved Chantyl's life when she was six years old and suffering from T-cell lymphoma. On September 13 2001, with still no word of Farrell, Sheri Peterson turned to Sylvia Browne for answers. The ReadingThis was a phone reading, and I have no recording nor transcript of it. The main point of the reading is described in the following article, printed in a Long Island newspaper on September 16 2001, just five days after the terrorist attack (all emphasis mine):
Farrell's Body FoundTragically, Browne was incorrect. An April 21 2002 article from the Los Angeles Times explains (emphasis mine):
Sheri PetersonSince writing the above, I have corresponded with Sheri Peterson, who kindly provided me with more details about the reading. While she is not comfortable with our correspondence being directly quoted within this article, she has graciously given her permission for me to paraphrase her here. Ms. Peterson had called Browne's office to make an appointment for a reading back in February or March of 2001, and was told that Browne was booked through October. But right after 9/11, she received a phone call from Browne's office staff. Since all flights had been grounded, Browne was unable to travel, and was using this unexpected downtime to do some of her phone readings earlier than originally scheduled. Asked if she would like to move her appointment up, Peterson eagerly took the next available opening. On the question of whether Terrence Farrell was alive, she says that Browne covered all bases, first telling her that he was alive, then following that up by saying that he was either alive, or he had died so quickly that he didn't know he was dead yet, and so had yet to "cross over to the Other Side". In other words, to this woman's most important question - was her friend alive - Browne's answer was basically "Yes he is. Or maybe he isn't." During the reading she also mentioned her (Peterson's) sick father, and asked how long he had left to live. Browne told her that he had only two years left. It has been almost six years since the reading, and Peterson's father is still alive. About the rest of the reading, she says that Browne's answers were "accurate to a point" but that all those answers were "very vague." One thing I had been wondering was whether Browne had charged for the reading. Days after the tragedy, a woman calls, wanting to know if a firefighter missing in the World Trade Center was still alive. Would Browne charge for this? The answer is: Yes. Peterson paid $700 for the reading (as of this writing, the current rate is $750). But, as she told me, she would have paid anything to hear that Terrence Farrell was alive. So once again Browne charged for "helping" with a missing person case, something she frequently claims that she has never done (a claim which was proven false in this article, among others). What does Sheri Peterson think of Sylvia Browne now? She no longer believes in Browne's abilities, and agreed to share her story here in hopes it would "save some other poor unsuspecting soul from blowing $700.00." AnalysisThe most charitable thing which can be said of this reading is that it was of no help whatsoever. Without a recording of this phone reading, we can only go by what Sheri Peterson reports, which was that Browne told her:
Did Browne say that Farrell would be found alive? Or only that Farrell was alive at the time of the reading, and that he would "be found"? Whatever Browne said, it seems evident from the newspaper quotes that Ms. Peterson understood it to mean that Farrell would be found alive. Was Farrell alive at the time of the reading? According to Ms. Peterson, she was told at Farrell's funeral - by the firefighter who found Farrell's body - that he was in a stairwell in Tower 2, and had been killed instantly. So whether Browne said that Farrell would be found alive, or that he was simply alive at the moment - either way she was wrong. And regardless of that, Farrell was definitely not found "in a few days," but was instead found on October 25th, some six weeks after the reading (on September 13). ConclusionThe terrorist attacks of September 11 2001 are among the greatest tragedies the USA has ever experienced. That anyone would take advantage of the suffering and deaths of that day is, to me, beyond reprehensible. Those who have read my web site www.StopKaz.com, about a woman who pretended to be a survivor of the attack on the World Trade Center, know my feelings on the subject. It seems quite likely to me that this is precisely what Browne did here. If I am right in my belief that Browne is simply a cold-reader, pretending to be psychic, then all of her readings for people with missing loved ones are unspeakably cruel. But, based on what is known, this one seems particularly calculated and heartless to me. Browne had nothing to lose by saying that Farrell would be found alive, and everything to gain. If Farrell had indeed turned out to be found alive, Browne could make publicity of it for years. Newspapers would likely run stories trumpeting that Browne had predicted the miraculous survival of a 9/11 Firefighter. She would possibly even have a testimonial letter from Sheri Peterson to print in a future book. But if Browne was wrong - as she unfortunately was - then it would be highly unlikely for Sheri Peterson to complain about it publicly, because she would have more important things to deal with: her loss and grief, and those of her daughter. Browne could count on the evidence of her being wrong just fading away unnoticed. And that is precisely what happened, until the story was uncovered by someone doing research for this site, and who found newspaper accounts such as the ones quoted above. My thanks to that researcher (QG), and of course, to Sheri Peterson for sharing her story. Terrence Farrell's Legacy
Terrence Farrell lives on not only through his children and through Chantyl Peterson, but through the following worthy causes: Established in Farrell's memory, the Terry Farrell Scholarship Fund provides scholarships for the daughters and sons of New York firefighters. The Terry Farrell Marrow Program urges people to enter the National Bone Marrow Registry. To date, more than 4,000 people have done so through the program. Related LinksClicking on any of these links will load a separate browser window for viewing the linked page. StopSylviaBrowne.com is not responsible for the content of any of these linked pages.
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