When police departments run out of leads, they sometimes call on psychics like Suzanne and Jean McKenzie Vincent of Butler.

Producers from the Biography Channel also called the sisters recently to appear on "Psychic Investigators," a documentary series about crimes solved with a combination of detective work and psychic powers.

The episode will air Aug. 22.

The women said they have assisted police in about 10 cases and consulted about 20 families on cases involving their loved ones, including the 2006 murder of Blairsville dentist John Yelenic that is featured on the show.

Neighbors found Yelenic's body in April 2006 in the living room of his home. According to investigators, Yelenic was killed in a violent struggle, having been slashed with a knife and thrust headfirst through a window in the front door.

"I could actually feel his pain," Suzanne said. "I could feel his neck being slashed and feel him bleeding out."

Former state trooper Kevin Foley was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced in June to life without parole, which he has since appealed.

Yelenic's estranged wife, Michelle, had been living with Foley.

The crew filmed interviews and re-enactment footage with the Vincents and others involved in the case the weekend of June 18 in Blairsville.

"It was so surreal that we were reliving the pain, the anguish and the hurt for the families," Suzanne said. "But at least these people have closure."

The shoot went smoothly, according to associate producer Tanya Blake.

"I thought they were fantastic. They were very bubbly and seemed to know a lot about the case," Blake said of the Vincent sisters. "As far as I can tell, they really care about the people they're involved with."

Every case featured on the show is different, but this one stands out because it is so recent, Blake said.

"It just happened three years ago, so everything is still fresh in everyone's minds," Blake said. "It still really impacts a lot of the community."

The show combines the footage with as much archival information as possible, including crime scene photos, television footage, newspaper articles and coroner's reports.

"You have to keep to the facts. Before we even take a step further, we talk to the police first," said series producer Jacqueline Bynon, adding police must confirm all the details. "We always have to have both sides of the story."

Bynon said although law enforcement officials were skeptical at first, the sisters predicted the evidence that would convict Foley.

"It boiled down to a shoe print and DNA under (Yelenic's) fingernails," Bynon said. "The sisters noticed an imprint of dried blood that was missed during the cleanup. It was from a very specific, expensive type of shoe and it confirmed what the police had suspected."

Corporal Janelle Lydic of the Blairsville Borough Police Department was involved in the investigation and will also appear on the show.

Lydic said she was doubtful, but the sisters provided details they would have had no way of knowing otherwise.

"On this case, they came to us. We didn't go to them," Lydic said. "They gave us information that we used to further our investigation."

Lydic said she remains very skeptical, but acknowledges the Vincent sisters were helpful with the case.

"They must have something going on," she said. "I would use them again."

The Vincents both feel strong intuition and see mental images, although the exact feelings are difficult to define.

"It's not like someone just talking to you," Suzanne said. "It's like a language all its own."

The sisters do not seek out cases themselves or get paid for sharing their abilities, which they explain as a gift from God.

As children, their mother, Margaret, encouraged them to develop their skills as a way to help others find peace.

The sisters said they served as mediums between their mother and deceased grandmother and, although they considered stopping at the time of their mother's death, some of their mother's last words encouraged them to keep going.

"When she died, she told us that when she knew her mother was okay in heaven, it changed everything," Suzanne said.

They both said their goal is to provide grieving families with a sense of closure.

"If they want to seek us out, we'll give it a shot," Jean said. "If they're meant to call us, they'll do it, but we leave it in God's hands."

The sisters said when they tap into their abilities, the experience is emotionally, physically and spiritually draining. Because of the demands, they limit themselves to two or three cases per year.

"You get moving pictures in your mind, and it's like a jigsaw puzzle," Suzanne said. "We'll get similar, sometimes identical, things sometimes, and then sometimes different things. But it all matters because it helps the bigger picture."

However, they emphasized good detective work is what solves cases.

"Law enforcement is to be respected and admired," Jean said. "We just have one or two cases and they have file after file."

When they are not working on a case, the Vincents are content to focus on their personal lives. The sisters said they are proud to be from Butler and make an effort to stay near the area.

"We have to put our energies first into Butler County and then the surrounding counties," Suzanne said.