i. this is "nightline." >> tonight, psychic detective. >> i see death by knife. it's not a pleasant road. >> he says he investigates high-profile missing person cases with mental magic. >> you're grasping at straws, you don't care, you want your loved one back. >> is there something else in play? >> are you a grief vampire? >> we put his abilities to the test. "britney ever after." ♪ the unauthorized bio-pic chronicling the rise and fall then rise again of the pop princess. from her denim date to her hair-raising haircut and short-lived marriage to kevin federline. how this aussie actress got inside the mind of multi-platinum artist britney

spears. twin chic. twins taking their show on the runway with a double walk down the catwalk at new york fashion week. could they have a career modeling? or is this just a two-time thing? first the "nightline 5." >> jet to jcpenney presidents' day home sale. save up to 50% on bath towel, sheet sets, blenders, and more. an extra 20% off with your jcpenney credit card and coupon. sale ends monday. when you have a cold, pain from chest congestion can make this feel like this. all in one cold symptom relief from tylenol. the number one doctor-recommended pain relief brand. tylenol. >> number one in just 60 seconds.

good evening. the man you're about to meet is a self-proclaimed psychic detective who says he uses special mental abilities to find missing persons. for their relatives the stakes could not be higher. as abc's sunny hostin discovered even the world of psychics the truth is still elusive. >> visually i have almost a movie that a body was thrown over there. >> reporter: this man is on a search for a body. >> i see death by knife. >> reporter: troy griffin is a self-proclaimed psychic detective. >> i have in my mind a vision of where i think her body may be. >> reporter: troy says he uses his psychic powers to solve crime. >> i've worked on about 100 cases overall. >> reporter: sometimes charging up to $250 an hour for investigative work. and today he's taking on a missing persons case that gripped the nation. >> kelsey jean shelling disappeared on a trip to

southern colorado -- >> reporter: 21-year-old kelsey shelling, then eight weeks pregnant, disappeared after making a late-night drive from her home in denver to see her boyfriend in pueblo, colorado. her family never saw or heard from her again. four years after her unsolved disappearance, kelsey's mother laura is still searching for any signs of her beloved daughter. >> any time you can find anybody who sincerely wants to help, it means a lot. because people come and go very quickly. >> reporter: using troy's psychic intuition and some anonymous tips, they will be combing through this sparsely populated area of pueblo, colorado. where troy will try to clue in on any sign of kelsey. >> when i feel something, you'll see me stop, possibly sweat, anxiety. and that's a place of interest to me. >> reporter: before long, he says he's on to something. >> when i turn this way, my anxiety, what happens to me is i

feel like something's caught in my throat. >> reporter: they comb through the rocks and riverbeds at two points of different. troy appears to pick up a bunch of different energies. do you think it's possible that kelsey was here? >> i don't feel kelsey here at all. they must have drove by this trailer park. >> reporter: back at his office, outside of denver, case files litter his wall like a real gumshoe. >> in six years, 100 cases. do you know what the percentage rate is in terms of -- >> i would say that we're probably on the cases i work on, 18% to 20%. >> some people would say 20% is kind of low. >> when you look at murder cases and unsolved missing persons, there are very few percentage that actually get solved. >> reporter: believing and seeing are two different things. of the roughly 100 cases troy says he has worked on, he could not provide one example to abc news to verify his contribution on a police investigation.

the pueblo police department told us they have no official contact with troy and are unaware of his investigation. with laura, she as woman that four years in is still grieving. have you been able to contact kelsey? >> yes. >> tell me about that. >> when we contacted kelsey it was more just poll jits. i'm sorry, mom. i didn't mean for it to happen. laura's never going to have closure unless she finds something. >> you mentioned sometimes you work with the police department. how do they receive you? >> i'm lucky if i get 50/50. it really depends on what detectives believe in. >> i believe troy is the real deal. >> reporter: ronda is a former client turned friend and she turned to troy for help the day after her brother-in-law, danny shea, went missing in 2014. >> and we loved him dearly. and he said, i believe he is within a few minutes of your how

many, i see him surrounded by water. >> reporter: danny's vehicle had gone off the road on a dangerous stretch of road in colorado, found two days later by hikers, ronda credits troy with helping them find closure. >> it does cross your mind this is a little bit out there. it was desperation. >> reporter: psychic-based crime solvers are not a new phenomenon. remember the reality series "psychic detectives"? >> i could see a man that was running. >> reporter: they've even had their moment in the hollywood spotlight with hits like "the mentalist." >> nails, earth, he's building something. >> reporter: psychic readings, especially those in the public eye, have not been exempt from scrutiny. one tragic example, this 2004 reading on "the montel williams show" performed by famed psychic sylvia brown speaking to the mother of then missing girl amanda berry. >> i just hate that she's not alive. >> reporter: nine years later -- >> help me, i'm amanda berry! >> reporter: prior to her passing in 2013, sylvia brown

released a statement saying in part, "i have been more right than wrong. if ever there was a time to be grateful and relieved for being mistaken, this is that time." >> any real detail is very, very hard. >> reporter: still the damage is done. >> amanda berry's mother died thinking her daughter was dead. sylvia brown took a lot of flack for that. people called her a grief vampire. what do you say to the people that are going to say that about you? >> kelsey's mom, i didn't come out and say that she was dead. i waited for her mom to tell me what she thought. i don't say, you're dead, you're alive. i say, i have a feeling. >> you told her you saw how her daughter was murdered. >> uh-huh. i thought there was strangulation involved. >> what if you're wrong? >> it's probably time for me to consider a different career. >> reporter: troy says he's not taking any money from laura or any family members. he says he makes most of his money doing psychic readings. now for those of you who might still be on the fence, meet

famed skeppic joe nichol. >> i'm probably the world's only full-time, salaried, professional, science-based paranormal investigator. >> reporter: his office in buffalo, new york, is a shrine to cases he claims to have debunked over the years. >> people should realize, psychics cannot do what they claim to do. they have been reviewed by mainstream science and they can't do it. >> reporter: joe says what psychics do doesn't come from otherworldly ability but rather a series of mentalist tricks often referred to as retro fitting. >> that could be defined as after the fact matching. the psychic will say things like, i see water. i'm getting the number 7. they call these clues. >> what do you say to the skeptics? >> if you've never been in the people's shoes that i walk with, the people that i help and walk

away with closure moving forward, they're the ones who believed in me. >> reporter: it's twilight in rural colorado as the sun disappears into the night sky. so too do today's hopes of finding any answers. >> you seem like you're at a loss for words. >> i am. because it affects me. emotionally, personally. but you have to just continue to search. >> reporter: for laura, the long, painful search for the daughter who never came home continues. >> another trip home without kelsey. and no answers. i know if i give up, it just goes away and kelsey's forgotten. i have to try and keep hope to keep going. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm sunny hostin in pueblo, colorado. next, the entire whirlwind of britney spears' life in one bio-pic. from the serious to the circus. a look at her greatest hits and the former flames.

as after a dvt blood clot,ital i sure had a lot to think about. what about the people i care about? ...including this little girl. and what if this happened again? i was given warfarin in the hospital, but wondered, was this the best treatment for me? so i asked my doctor. and he recommended eliquis. eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots and reduces the risk of them happening again. yes, eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots. eliquis also had significantly less major bleeding than the standard treatment. both made me turn around my thinking. don't stop eliquis unless your doctor tells you to. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. if you had a spinal injection while on eliquis call your doctor right away if you have tingling, numbness, or muscle weakness. while taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily ...and it may take longer than usual for bleeding to stop.

seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots. plus had less major bleeding. both made eliquis the right treatment for me. ask your doctor if switching to eliquis is right for you. you knmegared omega-3s... but did you know your eyes, your brain, and your joints really love them too? introducing megared advanced 4in1... just one softgel delivers mega support. hey, need fast try cool mint zantac. it releases a cooling sensation in your mouth and throat. zantac works in as little as 30 minutes. nexium can take 24 hours. try cool mint zantac. no pill relieves heartburn faster. our powerful relief now in pill form. it's the one and only cold & flu caplet that has a maximum strength formula

with a unique warming sensation you instantly feel. power through with theraflu expressmax caplets.

pop culturists know britney spears has provided as much interest offstage as on. scintillating relationships and offbeat haircuts raised tons of fan speculation. now we can relive it all through upcoming unauthorized lifetime bio-pic. here's abc's nick watt. ♪ ♪ hit me baby one more time

>> reporter: that is one of the biggest-selling singles of all-time. and britney an idol ever since mickey mouse clubhouse days. later won the heart of the late '90s power denim power couple. her debut album one of the best selling everybody by a teenaged artist. ♪ you drive me crazy ♪ i just can't sleep i'm so excited i'm in too deep ♪ >> reporter: ten years ago, almost to the day, britney spears shaved her own head in a california salon. the implosion of an interplanetary pop princess. recreated in "britney ever after" premiering saturday night, where else but lifetime. natasha basset is britney. having tried to get inside her head, what do you think she was going through? >> i think she got into something at a very young age that almost cannibalized her. >> reporter: she went all red

leather raunchy. ♪ i'm not that innocent >> reporter: oops. an early smash, britney was just 18 years old. >> seeing her as sort of a prisoner of celebrity, she can't go anywhere, can't do anything without having protection, you know. it's like living in a glass box. >> you're not trashing her in this? >> no, no, absolutely not. this is a love letter to britney. >> reporter: but still a totally unauthorized bio-pic. a spears spokesperson telling us, britney will not be contributing to the project in any way, shape or form, nor does it have her blessing. >> how did that play in the back of your mind? >> it's always difficult to play someone who's still with us and can view the work you're doing. you just want to do them justice. >> reporter: in the pantheon of stars given the lifetime movie treatment, whitney, anna nicole smith, aaliyah, most have passed. >> for me in the sense because it was unauthorized i didn't find it as challenging.

i didn't have to stay true to exactly what's going on. it was impressionistic. >> guess what, mama? i'm married. >> reporter: this is natasha bass basset's actual audition tape. >> our idea wasn't necessarily to find a carbon copy of her, it was to find an actor who could embody her essence. >> i don't think we resemble each other a great deal. >> reporter: bassett is australian. >> i want to be alone! >> how did you do the louisiana accent? you're from sydney. >> i played her interviews all the time. the minute i found out i was playing britney spears, i went into her accent right away. >> reporter: also studying britney's more difficult days, like this 2006 "dateline" interview. >> you have to realize that we're people. that we just need privacy. and we need our respect. >> if it was a darker time in her life i'd just be crying every time i watched an interview.

>> reporter: 2007 vmas performance, another sign something was very wrong. >> i had no desire to recreate that moment. there's no way i could. i decided that it really was a feeling. and if we could come at it visceral, feel what she's feeling, then it would be interesting. >> it's right here. >> reporter: the movie centers on spears' relationship with justin timberlake, played by nathan keys. >> it's young love, star-crossed lovers, romeo and juliet. it's a story we can all relate to. >> excuse me, can i see the playback? >> reporter: potential career suicide for a young actor. >> what? i look horrible! you saw me like that! >> i did have my doubts at first. but it was when i read the script that i decided, no, i have to do this film, i want to tell this story. >> why? >> because it's a showing of strength. i think it's a feminist story at its core.

♪ i love rock 'n' roll >> reporter: feminist phoenix. from this -- ♪ i love rock 'n' roll >> reporter: to hell. the timberlake breakup. >> it's not what you think. >> you and me, we're done. >> it's not like that, justin! >> reporter: the kevin federline marriage. >> he makes me so happy, i want to spend the rest of my life with him. >> reporter: remember, spears isn't cooperating. you made the movie without using any of her own music. >> that's right. we couldn't. we got the rights to songs she had performed. ♪ i love rock 'n' roll >> ah. >> we have the girls who auditioned for britney sing 80 love rock 'n' roll" in the audition acapella. >> this movie hasn't come out and already people have strong opinions. >> of course, of course. i mean, the two of the most iconic pop stars of all-time suddenly the subject of a film, and they're so beloved. >> there was a section of the internet that is already, having not seen it, saying, i hate this, this is awful. >> i stay away from it. >> reporter: some tweets, #rip,

who told lifetime it was okay, a hate crime, trash, cringe-worthy but i still really want to watch it. >> will you read them after it airs? >> no. i don't really need to know if the people hated what i did. >> it's more about who britney spears is as a human being. not just a performer. >> surprise! >> it's a raw, human story that was played out in public. thankfully with a happy ending. >> yes. otherwise, i don't think we would have done it. >> if the head shaving was the final scene? >> it would be a cliff hanger. >> reporter: britney now has a residency in vegas and stability. yesterday the actual 10th anniversary of her public meltdown, she posted this on instagram. those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. how do you think she will feel if she sees this? >> i think she's going to love it. >> do you think britney will

watch herself? >> i hope so. i hear she's a fan of lifetime. >> one, two -- >> reporter: i'm nick watt for "nightline" in west hollywood. next, these two are too cute. how the twins went from youtube sensation so runway models. there's no party like a lobster party, and this is the lobster party. red lobster's lobsterfest is back with 9 irresistible lobster dishes. yeah, it's a lot. try tender lobster lover's dream and see how sweet a lobster dream can be. or pick two delicious lobster tails with new lobster mix and match. the only thing more tempting than one succulent lobster tail, is two. is your mouth watering yet? good. because there's something for everyone, and everyone's invited. so come in today.

i'm gonna take mucinex sinus-max. enough pressure in here for ya? too late, we're about to take off. these dissolve fast. they're liquid gels. and you're coming with me... you realize i have gold status? mucinex sinus-max liquid gels. dissolves fast to unleash max strength medicine. let's end this. [ rear alert sounds ]," by willie nelson ] [ music stops ] again ♪ just can't wait to get on the road again ♪ [ front assist sounds ] [ music stops ] [ girl laughs ] ♪ on the road again ♪ like a band of gypsies we go down the highway ♪ [ beetle horn honks ] no matter which passat you choose, you get more standard features, for less than you expected. hurry in and you can lease this 2017 passat s for just $199 a month. plus a $500 presidents day bonus.

♪ ♪ the hydrogen fueled mirai. its only emission is water. toyota. let's go places.

♪ strummed guitar you can't experience the canadian rockies through a screen. you have to be here, with us. there's only one way to travel through this natural wonder and get a glimpse of amazing. and that's with a glass of wine in one hand, and a camera in the other, aboard rocky mountaineer. canada's rocky mountains await. call your travel agent or rocky mountaineer for special offers now.

you might if you have kids. to want it. all right, let's sell it on letgo. we'll take it. it's time to snap, post, chat and sell. it's time to letgo.

finally tonight, the only thing cuter than a baby on a fashion runway is two babies on a fashion runway. >> who's your best friend? >> my sister. >> who's your best friend? >> she is. >> reporter: from youtube sensations to runway stars, the mcclure twins are double the trouble. 3 afterare 1/2-year-old sisters making their debut at new york fashion week. donning matching jordan brant jumpsuits for the rookie usa fashion show. the duo strut their stuff holding hands. alexis taking a pause to

appreciate the limelight. alexis and ava gained internet fame when they realized they looked the same. >> does she look like your face? >> yes. >> alexis learning ava was just a little bit old. >> just one minute older. >> just one minute older! >> the video tallying over 2.5 million views. the twins sat down with robin roberts of gma. >> do you have fun? do you like doing the videos? >> yes. >> cute as ever, perhaps even showing a little flair for fashion. >> they love jewelry, i can see the. >> the tiny models took a break from their busy schedule to dish on their fashion weekday buy. >> we did so good yesterday! >> it was american philosopher eric hoffer who said, children are the keys to paradise. thank you for watching abc news. as always we're online at abcnews.com and our "nightline" facebook page. thanks for the company, america. have a good weekend. good night.