Astounding claim: South African inventor finds missing people with hair samples.

Local South African TV and investigative programs like Carte Blanche have shown episodes where the former cop Danie Kruegel locates people via hair samples.
The mechansisms of his device are highly secretive (he claims he's waiting for an assured patent). He takes a single hair, attaches it to his briefcased device, and then locates missing people on a map.
One could scream "chartlatan" (as many people do), but he has affirming testimonies on his website.
Most recently Kruegal located a site where he claims the victims of SA pedophile (pastor and alleged satanist) Gert van Rooyen are buried. He was then also joined by famed SA medium Marietta Theunissen. Since the plot was under development they only had a short time-frame to work with. Interestingly, both Theunissen and some parents of the 6 girls who went missing 1988-89 claim they received death-threats and warnings, and there seems to be a cover-up that goes to the heart of the former Nationalist government.
In any case, I'll leave Kruegel's website (it is mainly English, but apologies, some is in Afrikaans).
So, is such a technology plausible? Can a hair (or perhaps a vibration there-of) show an approximate position on a map?
I'd say no, but others are convinced it can.
www.daniekrugelfacts.com...

[edit on 14-2-2010 by halfoldman]

I wonder if his device works through cell entanglement???
www.molbiolcell.org...

I saw this guy on Carte Blanche a good couple of years ago. Carte Blanche can be rather gullible sometimes and basically allowed themselves to be conned by not investigating his claims or his device critically.
He is the worse kind of conman. He preys on people who are desperate for help, and will pay him a lot of money in the hope that he can do what he can do.

He will not allow anyone to test or validate his machine or his claims that works by some vague reference to quantum physics (1st rule of conning - claim your device works by some means that most average people do not understand but regard with awe and something close to superstitious reverence).

edit. by the way, his claim of a "no charge" service is amusing. I will post some details of why I think he is a con-artist in a moment.


[edit on 14/2/2010 by deltaalphanovember]

Here is the link to a site that has a slightly different view of Danie and his magical device.

I wish he was the real deal but my bs alarm is set off whenever I hear him.

edit to add "missing link"
www.stopdaniekrugel.com...

[edit on 14/2/2010 by deltaalphanovember]

edited to fix typo.

[edit on 14/2/2010 by deltaalphanovember]

reply to post by joey_hv

Interesting idea (although as a none biologist it sounds very wierd). What led you to the thought - would something in that line possible fathom something like Krugel's device?

In the interest of fairness, I have to admit that there does not seem to be any case of him receiving any form of payment.
My personal opinion is that he is still a con-artist. Perhaps he just needs people to regard him as a philanthropic misunderstood genius.

If I am ever proven wrong, I will be happy to write an open letter of apology and retract my statements.

reply to post by deltaalphanovember

Thanks for that!
I suppose Krugel would turn to the pograms and claim he does have "proof". I feel the people who made the programs were pretty convinced by him, and not that objective.
Quite bizarre really, but South Africans have swallowed a lot of unscientific rubbish - from Aids-denialism and a range of faith healers and empty promises.
What I find really strange is that he can be so convincing, yet if anyone saw a picture of Krugel they'd probably be amused. With that fringe it looks like he did a lot of self-experimentation . He's obviously trying to find himself.
On the other hand, he's only claiming to do what psychics and clairvoyents have always claimed.

reply to post by halfoldman


This is a hoax, obviously.

Look, peoples opinions are worthless crap around here.
Just let the data tell the story.
What's his hit rate... That's all we need to know. Right?

reply to post by ATS4dummies

True, after seeing him on the programs his hit rates are fairly accurate. People (including myself) don't want to entirely throw out the baby with the bath water.
So we'll say "hoax" for now, but there's that nagging chance and uncanny filmed "proof".

I think even more astounding than the claim, is that some people genuinely believe this is true.

... Actually I take that back, some people will believe anything.

He's dowsing for them, has to be - not that mysterious - there's dowsers all over the place do this kind of thing. A hair sample to give him a connection with the person that he's looking for and he dowses via the map. He may have created his own peculiar device to use rather than the run of the mill pendulum, but I'm 99% sure that he is just dowsing.

[edit on 14-2-2010 by skjalddis]

If you want his claimed hits versus misses, the link to www.stopdaniekrugel.com I provided will provide more info.

He could not locate Madelein Mccann and no longer has a working relationship with the South African Police.

reply to post by deltaalphanovember

To my memory he supposedly found a blanket in the McCann case and (obviously) claims his time and required assitance was missing.
Well sadly, nowadays not having a working relationship with tha SAPS could count to one's credit !

reply to post by skjalddis

I agree totally with the dowsing hypothesis.
When I explored all that "psychic stuff" dowsing worked miracles, but it could also suddenly not work.
But yeah, I think he's dowsing over a map behind his briefcase.

I assume it's something quasi-mystical, because he involved the psychic Theunissen.
Furthermore dowsing is well-known to Afrikaans people, and that's how they found their underground water boreholes.

A lot of gifted dowsers have offered their services in the case of missing children in particular

Then they're declared charlatans

Which doesn't take a lot of working out when we consider who the offenders may well be, not to mention the power they wield

Originally posted by Dock9
A lot of gifted dowsers have offered their services in the case of missing children in particular

Then they're declared charlatans

Because dowsing does not work!

There is a very easy $1million prize for dowsers, all they have to do is what they claim.

reply to post by dereks


You might be more correct to claim 'dowsing does not work' in your opinion

It does work, in my opinion

and it's been working for thousands of years


However, I won't suggest you research the issue with an open mind, for it's clear your mind is made up and locked tight, as of course is your prerogative