Psychic convinced man he was dying of cancer, Iowa complaint says. He died by suicide

An Iowa man took his own life after a psychic told him he was going to die of cancer, and soon — despite medical experts finding nothing wrong, according to a complaint made to the Iowa Attorney General’s Office.

Allison Campbell, a self-described psychic and medium, is accused of violating the Consumer Fraud Act by saying she can provide “healing” to her clients for physical ailments and mental illnesses, the AG’s office said in a Dec. 15 release.

One such client was Craig Courtney, who began seeking help from Campbell after suffering a fall at his home, according to a complaint by his widow, which prompted the investigation.

Courtney had three appointments with Campbell over the course of two months, the complaint said, according to the AG’s office. During that time, they also spoke on the phone and texted.

She told Campbell that he would soon receive a grim diagnosis: cancer. It would spread throughout his body, killing him in three months, or five at the most, she told him. He would not be “seeing another birthday,” she said, according to the complaint.

Campbell denied the accusations, the release said.

McClatchy News reached out to her for comment Dec. 19 and is awaiting a response.

Courtney saw a doctor and underwent tests screening for throat cancer, all of which showed he was cancer free, the complaint said. But Campbell allegedly didn’t back down from her prediction, telling Courtney the doctors were likely missing the growth that she said would ultimately kill him.

“The experiences with Ms. Campbell and the information shared caused Craig to be at a very heightened, vulnerable state — psychologically, emotionally, and physically,” his widow said in the complaint. “After sharing with his family and friends the extreme fear of physically and mentally deteriorating as a result of cancer being throughout his body over the coming three to five months, Craig died by his own hand on July 23, 2022.”

While some allegations are evidenced only by the widow’s testimony, text messages between Campbell and Courtney show discussions about health issues, including his imagined throat cancer, according to the AG’s office.

“The loss of Craig has devastated our family, leaving an enormous hole that will never be filled. We don’t want this to happen to anyone else’s loved one,” Courtney’s widow said in a statement. “We want those who seek (psychic) services to beware. Beware of false information and false promises made by individuals that are not medically trained or licensed to speak on health issues.”

Campbell maintained that she never misdiagnosed or misled Courtney. But she reached an agreement with the state Attorney General’s Office that she will no longer advertise that her psychic services can “treat,” “heal,” or otherwise cure physical or mental illnesses, the release said.

Additionally, if a client has any physical or mental ailments, she must advise them to see a licensed professional for help.

This story was originally published December 19, 2022 at 3:30 PM with the headline "Psychic convinced man he was dying of cancer, Iowa complaint says. He died by suicide."