Texas: No bodies found after 'psychic' tip

Police who raided a farm in Texas where a woman claiming to be a psychic said many bodies were buried found no evidence of even a single killing.

Captain Rex Evans, of Liberty County sheriff's department, said there was no sign of any bodies on the property, near Hardin, 70 miles north-east of Houston. Officials have switched the investigation to the self-styled psychic, who had said many corpses, including those of children, were at the house.

A quick search on Monday night had turned up nothing. But the tipster called back on Tuesday morning to say deputies had the wrong house. The officers did find blood on a back door and detected a foul odour coming from the house, leading to the search warrant. But the blood was explained by an apparent attempted suicide at the house two weeks previously, and the smell was attributed to rubbish.

Joe Bankson, a lorry driver, told The Houston Chronicle that he and his family had lived at the house for three years. "I haven't killed anybody," said Mr Bankson, 44, who was reached by the newspaper while on the road in Dallas. "And I have a lot of friends, but I haven't helped anybody bury any bodies."

On Tuesday, news outlets and Twitter had claimed that up to 30 dismembered bodies had been found. They later apologised.