Don't Be So Dotty Doris
- 1 February 1987
Claim about Mona Blades murder dumbfounds police…
Police are dumbfounded at an extraordinary claim by internationally famed medium Doris Stokes that she pointed them to the grave of a New Zealand murder victim.
Sceptics interpret a reference in the psychic’s latest book as a false claim she solved the 11-Year-old riddle of the Mona Blades killing.
Miss Blades disappeared near Taupo while hitch-hiking to Hastings to visit her parents. She was 18.
Despite one of the biggest homicide operations in the nation’s history, her body was never found.
Records
And a thorough search of police records for Truth last week failed to turn up any indications that an overseas medium had ever helped New Zealand police find a missing body let alone that of Mona Blades.
Yet in her fifth and latest book Stokes — quite unpredictably — refers to a triumph in New Zealand when a girl murder victim contacted her from the spirit world.
Stokes calls the victim Susan, not Mona — possibly a memory lapse.
Yet she outlines in her book Whispering Voices many details which parallel the Mona Blades mystery.
Landscape
She says the missing girl contacted her and described the landscape she remembered in her last moments.
“It was winter time and the whole area was covered by snow,” says Stokes in her book.
“Later when the snows cleared the police went back and searched the piece and sure enough they found the body. I had pinpointed within 500 yards, the motorway where she was picked up and last seen alive. Stokes rekindled public interest in the Blades murder of 1975 with astonishing claims on television in 1980.
Dangerous
She said she knew where Miss Blades’ body could be found and the name of the man who murdered her.
Police were unable to immediately search the area Mrs Stokes indicated as it was steep, rugged and dangerous to search and at the time under snow and threatened by swollen rivers.
They had searched that area before and were in no hurry to do so again.
The name Stokes gave police was the name of a man police had already interviewed in connection with the murder.
They’re giving psychic a hard time
The astonishing Doris Stokes’ claim in the Mona Blades murder comes hard on the heels of flak she’s been copping across the Tasman and in Britain.
She’s been walloped by the British press over allegations that her best-selling book contain false information on police cases she helped in.
And some Aussies have had just about enough, too.
Australian sceptic Mark Plummer denounced what he calls “the Doris Stokes phenomenon” and has asked her to be tested scientifically on her next visit to Australia.
“She and another Doris, Doris Collins have made claims of psychic help given to police which have solved mysteries. This has been proved untrue,” said Mr Plummer.
Technique
“These Dorises have made thousands of dollars with frequent jaunts around Australia,” Mr Plummer said.
“They use a technique known as ‘cold reading’ where they make statements and’ gauge the most favourable response from the audience.
“They then ask a series of general questions and concentrate on the most enthusiastic member of the audience. The ‘cold reading’ continues until they make an educated guess on the deceased”
Doris Stokes’ five books have been runaway best sellers, grossing more than $4 million.
And recently she has completed a contract for a further two books worth
$500,000.
Stokes even hints that she gives private sittings to members of the Royal Family.