Speaker 1: Welcome to Unexplained Extra with me Richard McClane Smith, where
Speaker 1: for the weeks in between episodes, we look at stories
Speaker 1: and ideas that, for one reason or other, didn't make
Speaker 1: it into the previous show. In last week's episode, called
Speaker 1: to the Forest, we heard about the tragic tale of
Speaker 1: four men with intellectual disabilities who were mysteriously found dead
Speaker 1: high up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, many miles from
Speaker 1: where they should have been. The men were a group
Speaker 1: of five the night they originally disappeared, the fifth member
Speaker 1: being twenty five year old Gary Matthias, whose whereabouts since
Speaker 1: then have remained unknown. Some have speculated that Matthias, who
Speaker 1: had previously suffered about paranoid schizophrenia, made somehow have been
Speaker 1: responsible for the deaths. Many, however, remain convinced that Matthias
Speaker 1: also died that night up on that mountain, just as
Speaker 1: tragically and innocently as the others, the remains of his
Speaker 1: body just waiting to be found. The case, commonly referred
Speaker 1: to as the Yuba County five, is among one of
Speaker 1: the more unique and bizarre mysteries of its kind in
Speaker 1: recent times. Incredibly, what isn't unique was the attempt to
Speaker 1: use an apparent psychic to help solve it. Fairly recently,
Speaker 1: both the UK and Australia's police forces have been on
Speaker 1: record to state that they don't regard supposed psychics as credible,
Speaker 1: nor do they use them, and yet a number of
Speaker 1: veterans for both forces have also stated that in fact
Speaker 1: they have, and in nineteen ninety three, a survey conducted
Speaker 1: in the United States revealed that a of the nation's
Speaker 1: police departments from the largest fifty cities had consulted apparent
Speaker 1: psychics in the past. A quick search online will throw
Speaker 1: up a number of individuals whose apparent psychic abilities have
Speaker 1: helped to crack police cases, but there is one who
Speaker 1: stands out a little more than the others. Known variously
Speaker 1: as the Dutchman with the X ray Mind, the radar Brain,
Speaker 1: and the Wizard of Utrecht, Gerard Quizette is thought to
Speaker 1: have been the most effective of them all. Gerard Quizette,
Speaker 1: who was born in the town of Lorente in the
Speaker 1: Netherlands in nineteen o nine, had a difficult to childhood,
Speaker 1: with an act of father who spent most of his
Speaker 1: time away from the family on tour and a mother
Speaker 1: who struggled to look after him alone. Quizette spent considerable
Speaker 1: time in foster care from the age of eight to eleven.
Speaker 1: He was bounced between six different foster families, including one
Speaker 1: that was partial to chaining him to a stake in
Speaker 1: the floor rather than care for him properly. When he
Speaker 1: wasn't in foster care, he would be brought back to
Speaker 1: the local orphanage, where he was often whipped for perceived insubordination.
Speaker 1: During this time, Quasette is thought to have become understandably withdrawn,
Speaker 1: preferring the company of his many imaginary friends over anybody else.
Speaker 1: At some point, when he was eleven, Quasette's mother, now
Speaker 1: married to another man, was granted custody of her son
Speaker 1: once more. However, after falling out with his new stepdad,
Speaker 1: Quizette ran away from home. Over the next few years,
Speaker 1: Quasette struggled to hold down a job before finally seeming
Speaker 1: to settle down when he moved to Ensched and met
Speaker 1: the love of his life, Gerda, in nineteen thirty four.
Speaker 1: That same year, the pair established a grocery store business,
Speaker 1: and soon after had a son. A few months later,
Speaker 1: Coosette had a nervous breakdown. It was as if all
Speaker 1: the misery that had befallen him as a child had
Speaker 1: suddenly come rushing back. Having eventually recovered, however, Coosette seemed
Speaker 1: to emerge from the breakdown somehow changed. At some point
Speaker 1: during his teens, Cosette is said to have discovered that
Speaker 1: he had the ability to conduct psychoscope. Now convinced that
Speaker 1: it was in fact a gift from God, Cosette decided
Speaker 1: to devote all his time to sharing it with others.
Speaker 1: Psychoscope or psychometry is the term for a form of
Speaker 1: supposed extrasensory perception in which those who apparently possess it
Speaker 1: claimed that they can make predictions and associations about other
Speaker 1: individuals purely by touching an object linked to them. Quasette
Speaker 1: soon gained a reputation for himself in Enchet as a
Speaker 1: psychic who was able to successfully diagnose illness. But then
Speaker 1: the German army invaded the Netherlands, with the continent now
Speaker 1: at war, and Quasette singled out as a Jew. He
Speaker 1: was swiftly arrested, separated from his family, and then deported
Speaker 1: to a concentration camp in Germany. Quasette would spend most
Speaker 1: of the war working in a factory as a slave
Speaker 1: for the German government. By nineteen forty five, Quisette had
Speaker 1: miraculously survived the war and was eventually able to return home.
Speaker 1: In December of that year, he attended a lecture on
Speaker 1: parapsychology conducted by Professor Villiam Tenhaf of Utrecht University. Quasette's
Speaker 1: life would never be the same again. Professor Tenhaf had
Speaker 1: joined Utrecht University, who were a little wary of his
Speaker 1: chosen field of study, as an external lecturer, in nineteen
Speaker 1: thirty three. Twenty years later, having finally convinced them of
Speaker 1: its merits, he was fully established as its director of Parapsychology.
Speaker 1: When he first met Quasette in nineteen forty five, Tenhaf
Speaker 1: had been examining people for signs of ESP for twenty years.
Speaker 1: It wasn't long before he realized that the future Wizard
Speaker 1: of Utrecht was the most impressive subject he had ever
Speaker 1: come across. Over the next ten years, the pair formed
Speaker 1: an unusual relationship. As news of Quasette's apparent abilities began
Speaker 1: to spread further, Afield convinced that his e s P
Speaker 1: was real. It was vital for Tenhof that had been
Speaker 1: demonstrated to work under laboratory conditions. As such, whenever possible,
Speaker 1: the professor insisted that Quisette carry out his work at
Speaker 1: his lab in Utrecht. Quasette, well aware of the skepticism
Speaker 1: surrounding his apparent gift, was more than happy to comply,
Speaker 1: and by nineteen fifty six he and his family had
Speaker 1: even moved to Utrecht to be closer to the university.
Speaker 1: Encouraged by Quasette's apparent academic credibility, it wasn't long before
Speaker 1: local law enforcement began to wander if they might be
Speaker 1: able to put him to good use. By the early
Speaker 1: nineteen sixties, Quisette was receiving requests from as far away
Speaker 1: as the United States and Russia to help with everything
Speaker 1: from petty theft to murder. Trying to locate people, however,
Speaker 1: were the cases he liked best, since with serious crime
Speaker 1: there was always the potential for raising false hope or
Speaker 1: contributing to a wrongful arrest. Typically, whenever the police were
Speaker 1: formally involved, an item of clothing relating to a missing
Speaker 1: person or the victim of a crime would be sent
Speaker 1: to Utrecht University, where, under the watchful eye of Professor
Speaker 1: tenhuf Coisette would tell them what he got from it.
Speaker 1: Over the years, he is thought to have helped solve
Speaker 1: numerous cases, but there is one, perhaps more than any other,
Speaker 1: for which he is most remembered. Are you always taking
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Speaker 1: Unexplained podcast. On February twenty se nineteen sixty one, four
Speaker 1: year old Edith Kea Coorius from Brooklyn in the United States,
Speaker 1: went with her mother to visit her uncle in Manhattan.
Speaker 1: At some point that day, the young girl was said
Speaker 1: to have been playing outside her uncle's apartment on Eighth
Speaker 1: Avenue in the district of Chelsea when she completely disappeared.
Speaker 1: Over the next few days, three hundred and fifty police
Speaker 1: conducted one of the widest missing person's searches in the
Speaker 1: history of the city in an effort to find a
Speaker 1: young Edith. However, despite searching the many surrounding buildings and rooftops,
Speaker 1: and even dragging the nearby Hudson River, they failed to
Speaker 1: find any sign of her. Having heard about the story,
Speaker 1: the vice president of the Dutch airline company KLM. Ryan Vogels,
Speaker 1: aware of Quisette's involvement in similar cases, suggested flying the
Speaker 1: apparent psychic to New York to see if he might help. Quasette,
Speaker 1: who was eventually tracked down a few days later, was
Speaker 1: more than happy to offer his services. Speaking to him
Speaker 1: over the phone, Vogels offered to fly him out to
Speaker 1: New York at the expense of klem However, Quasette declined
Speaker 1: the invitation, insisting that all he needed was an article
Speaker 1: of clothing belonging to the girl and a street map
Speaker 1: of the city. Vogels replied that he would have the
Speaker 1: necessary items flown over to him immediately. Then came a
Speaker 1: pause from the other end of the line. I can
Speaker 1: tell you already, said Quasette. She is not in the
Speaker 1: center of the city. If you were standing with your
Speaker 1: back to the Statue of Liberty, it ought to be
Speaker 1: on the left hand side of New York. That is
Speaker 1: where the child is. I see a tall building, but
Speaker 1: that does not mean a thing. There are many tall
Speaker 1: buildings in New York. But on top of this building,
Speaker 1: I see an orange rectangular advertisement and a garage rolling shutters,
Speaker 1: a square, and a park. I see a railway nearby,
Speaker 1: and rails above street level. Beyond that some rubbish, and
Speaker 1: after that some water. I feel there is a river
Speaker 1: quite near. The man who took the child is small,
Speaker 1: about fifty four or fifty five years old. His origin
Speaker 1: is South European. I see a gray house. That is
Speaker 1: where the child has been. Quisette, who had never before
Speaker 1: been to New York City, had described almost exactly the
Speaker 1: area where Edith had last been seen. A little taken aback,
Speaker 1: Vogels asked, hesitantly, is the child still alive? No, I'm
Speaker 1: afraid it is dead, came the kurt reply. The New
Speaker 1: York Police Department were equally taken aback by Quisette's description,
Speaker 1: particularly his detail regarding the raised railway line, since it
Speaker 1: was one of the few places in Manhattan where such
Speaker 1: a thing existed. The following day, Quisette met with Vogels
Speaker 1: at a hotel in Amsterdam, where he was handed a
Speaker 1: photograph of a child, some of her clothing, and a
Speaker 1: map of New York. Taking hold of the pieces, Quisette
Speaker 1: focused for a moment. Now I have a warm point,
Speaker 1: he said. I see a woman sitting in front of
Speaker 1: a window. Two houses further down, there is a laundry,
Speaker 1: and also a shop where clothes are pressed. I see
Speaker 1: that gray building again. It has I think five floors.
Speaker 1: The man I described yesterday is possibly older, between fifty
Speaker 1: four to fifty eight. He is small, with a tawny
Speaker 1: complexion and a sharp face. The child is in the
Speaker 1: gray house and on the second floor. I get a
Speaker 1: strong emotion. It is in this room that I see
Speaker 1: the child with the man. Later that day, back in Manhattan,
Speaker 1: Detective James Peterson and Patrolman John mcgreeney returned again to
Speaker 1: investigate a boarding house at three o seven West twentieth Street,
Speaker 1: just around the corner from Edith's uncle's home, where she
Speaker 1: had last been seen. Another train rumbled past high up
Speaker 1: on the city's central freight trestle, just two blocks away.
Speaker 1: As the officers approached the gray Stone four story building
Speaker 1: five if you included the basement. Smashing open the front door,
Speaker 1: the officers proceeded to the second floor and continued into
Speaker 1: an apartment that had just recently been vacated, Holding their
Speaker 1: noses from the stench. They found the place littered with
Speaker 1: empty beer cans, a whiskey bottle, half eaten pizza, and
Speaker 1: cigarette butts. On a table, they found a torn out
Speaker 1: photograph of a four year old Caroline Kennedy, daughter of
Speaker 1: the US President, and in the bedroom, lying lifeless on
Speaker 1: the bed was the body of Edith Kia Courius. On
Speaker 1: March first, Fred Thompson, the last person to rent the
Speaker 1: room in which Edith was discovered, was picked up working
Speaker 1: on a New Jersey farm, where he later confessed to
Speaker 1: and killing the young girl. Thompson, although from England and
Speaker 1: not Southern Europe, turned out to be fifty nine and short,
Speaker 1: an average at five foot six, with a sharp nose
Speaker 1: and a tawney complexion. Though there was no orange billboard
Speaker 1: nearby or a garage as described by Quisette, the apartment
Speaker 1: in which Edith's uncle lived was neighbored on one side
Speaker 1: by a laundrette and on the other by a tailor.
Speaker 1: It isn't known whether it was Quasette's description of where
Speaker 1: he thought Edith's body to be that led police detectives
Speaker 1: to that ill fated building on West twentieth Street. Certainly,
Speaker 1: no mention of the Wizard of Utrech's involvement was ever
Speaker 1: included in any subsequent reports. It is said that Quasette
Speaker 1: never once accepted money in return for his services, believing
Speaker 1: instead that since it was a gift from God, it
Speaker 1: was his obligation to use it for good. If you
Speaker 1: enjoy listening to Unexplained and would like to help support us,
Speaker 1: you can now go to Unexplained podcast dot com forward
Speaker 1: slash support All donations no matter how large or small
Speaker 1: are massively appreciated. All elements of Unexplained are produced by me,
Speaker 1: Richard McClain smith. Please subscribe and rate the show on iTunes,
Speaker 1: and feel free to get in touch with any thoughts
Speaker 1: or ideas regarding the stories you've heard on the show.
Speaker 1: Perhaps you have an explanation of your own you'd like
Speaker 1: to share. You can reach us online at Unexplained podcast
Speaker 1: dot com, or Twitter at Unexplained Pod and Facebook at
Speaker 1: Facebook dot com. Forward slash Unexplained. Now it's time to
Speaker 1: take care of yourself. To make time for you. Teledoc
Speaker 1: gives you access to a licensed therapist to help you
Speaker 1: get back to feeling your best. Speak to a licensed
Speaker 1: therapist by phone or video any time between seven a m.
Speaker 1: To nine p m Local time, seven days a week.
Speaker 1: Teledoc Therapy is available through most insurance or employers. Download
Speaker 1: the app or visit teledoc dot com. Forward Slash Unexplained
Speaker 1: Podcast to day to get started. That's t e l
Speaker 1: a d oc dot com Slash Unexplained Podcast