Is there any evidence that Robinett made the prediction of the location of the body before the remains were found, or even that she had any involvement in the case at all prior to that time? I have not watched the “Restless Souls” video so I don’t know if there is anything in there, but I can’t find anything on the Internet that connects Robinett to the case before it was solved.
It appears everybody basically knew that Howley’s estranged boyfriend, MacMichael, had killed her. Reports show Howley had told friends that MacMichael had been stalking her and had threatened to kill her and told her that if he couldn’t have her nobody could. Howley called 911 to report that MacMichael had just abused her, but he was gone when authorities arrived and she refused medical treatment so no action was taken. Howley disappeared shortly after that.
Police found no evidence of foul play after searching Howley’s apartment. Her car was eventually located abandoned nearby. A few weeks later police received an anonymous tip that Howley had been murdered and her body buried in an undisclosed location. Neither police nor Howley’s family were able to locate the body. MacMichael was the primary, and probably only, suspect. He refused to talk with police on the advice of his lawyer.
Information from a 2006 blog indicates Howley’s family was very upset that police had abandon the case because there was other evidence pointing to MacMichael as the murderer. It appears the family made suggestions that police were not pursuing those leads because Howley was a poor stripper and drug addict, and possibly because MacMichael’s father was wealthy and held a government position that could have been used to protect his son.
In 2007 MacMichael was arrested for killing his mother and her boyfriend. Shortly after that, a friend of MacMichael’s was afraid MacMichael would implicate him in the Howley murder and obtained immunity for a confession that MacMichael had killed Howley and he had helped bury the body. That information led police directly to Howley’s remains, which was found buried in some unused property near a creek behind the woods in the back of MacMichael’s father’s house. MacMichael pled guilty to the crime.
So…what did Robinett do in all of this? She claims Howley’s boyfriend killed her. But everybody pretty much knew that—it was just a matter of getting enough evidence for an arrest and conviction. She claims she identified where her body was buried. Again, it was in the woods behind the murder’s father’s house, which is where the family, others, and even police suspected the body was buried—not some random location.
Still…if Robinett got those things correct, as likely as they may have been, it was still a hit, right? Maybe. But it certainly wasn’t Robinett who solved the case. No indication she collected any of the several reward offered for information in the case, one being up to $100,000. And I can’t even find any evidence her prediction was made before the case was solved. Robinett had a blog and appeared on a podcast, but I can’t find any mention of Howley until after the remains were found.
She may have worked with the family, but there is no indication hat they had worked with her and believed her. There are several websites where members of Howley’s family encouraged anyone with information to come forward. They were also critical of the police for not further investigating MacMichael. But there is no indication that they were working with a psychic, strongly believed the body to be where it was, or even being critical of the police for not conducting a search (or more thorough) search of the area for the body. I would think if the family believed Robinett had provided them valid information, they would have been complaining specifically, and loudly, about the police not following up on the lead and searching the area.
In the end, all I can find is Robinett “predicting” the killer and location of the body (both of which were quite likely to be what they were) after police had had already solved the case (based on other evidence) and that information made public.
Before we investigate whether the prediction was based on a paranormal ability, insider information, or just a reasonable guess, we first have to establish that the prediction was actually made—so far I have not found evidence establishing that.
