Psychic Tip Proves False: 'No Bodies Found' at Texas Home, Cops Say
June 7, 2011 — -- After worldwide media attention on a rural Texas home -- sparked by a tip about dozens of dead bodies possibly hidden there -- investigators announced Tuesday night that no human remains were discovered in an extensive search.
"No bodies were found [and] there is nothing to indicate a homicide occurred here," Capt. Rex Evans of the Liberty County Sheriff's Office told reporters from outside the home.
Earlier today, local news outlets reported the sheriff's office said they had discovered 25 to 30 bodies outside the Hull, Texas, home. Authorities said a pair of tips about the supposed dead bodies came in Monday night and then again Tuesday morning from someone claiming to be a psychic.
Houston law enforcement initially reported that a cadaver dog indicated a spot where a body might be. Later, law enforcement officials said dogs found no bodies at the location.
Live helicopter images showed dozens of officials at the scene during the search, from local police to Texas Rangers, as well as members of the media.
The owners of the home, Joe and Gena Bankson, told ABC News they had no idea why anyone would tell police there were dead bodies at their house and faxed the FBI permission to search it. Gena Bankson said it was possible there's blood at the home, but that was likely the result of a recent incident in which her daughter's boyfriend drunkenly attempted suicide by slitting his wrists.
When told a psychic reportedly called in the tip, Bankson laughed.
After Evans' announcement, everyone from law enforcement to members of the media appeared to pack up to leave the area.
ABC News' Houston affiliate KTRK contributed to this report.
