Croiset
was said to be a psychometrist - a person who can read information
from a held object. He said he became aware of this gift while
a youth working for a watch repairer. On one occasion he held
a ruler belonging to his employer and saw events which he related
to his employer and which his employer confirmed were accurate.
After World War II, Croiset was sometimes consulted by Dutch police
authorities in cases involving missing persons, or murder. On
one occasion he was said to have examined the property of a murdered
woman, and provided accurate information relating to her murder,
and also gave the name of her murderer. The name matched a man
who was being held in connection with the crime. He gained a reputation
as a reliable consultant in the area of missing persons, and his
fame extended beyond the Netherlands, as anecdotes about his abilities
came to be discussed in other countries.
He also gained a reputation as a healer, and would allow people
to visit him in his clinic for healing sessions. In 1966 he was
invited to Australia to aid in an investigation relating to the
disappearance of the three Beaumont children, who had disappeared
without trace from a beach in Adelaide, South Australia. Although
police were sceptical, his expenses were paid by a wealthy businessman
interested in the case, and public pressure was such that Croiset's
views were considered.
During his short stay in Australia he attracted widespread publicity
but failed to find any trace of the missing children. In the mid
1970s he was invited to Puerto Rico to find the two missing children
of a local businessman. He concluded that the children were no
longer on an "earthly plane" and could offer no clues. Also around
the same he was called upon to locate a missing woman in Scotland,
and once again failed to provide any clues.
His reputation became tarnished in his later years by his well
publicised failures. However he achieved one more notable success
when invited to Tokyo, Japan in the 1970s to locate a missing
child. Within 24 hours he had provided a description of the location
in which her body could be found, and when her body was found
after following his instructions, all details seemed to match
exactly with his prediction.
