BARRINGTON, R.I. (AP) — A police chief in Rhode Island gives out some unorthodox advice for those who have lost a loved one: Seek a connection to the afterlife by meeting with a medium.

John LaCross, the police chief in the Providence suburb of Barrington, lost his 21-year-old brother Joey to suicide nearly 40 years ago. Seeking comfort, he began meeting with people calling themselves mediums, but it wasn't until 2000 that he met someone he says gave him evidence of an afterlife.

Years later, he met with another medium who he says correctly described his brother's timing and cause of death, do...