Methods to Finding Missing Persons
Nowadays, a people search often begins on a computer. But even though
private investigators have access to professional databases the general
public does not, we have to hit the streets from time to time to locate missing
persons, interview witnesses, serve subpoenas, and find information that
exists in the streets, not online.
I have built a reputation for locating hard to find individuals to the point where
the majority of my business is now mostly skip tracing and process serving work.
My success comes from dogged determination. I set goals and decide I am not
going to give up until I find the person. To me, there is nothing like the excitement
that comes from accomplishing something difficult. There are no words that
explain the exhilaration one feels after you see someone you have just spent
several days searching for.
Skip Tracing Requires Determination and
Confidence — No Room For Cowards
After gathering data on the "Subject" online, I check their most recent address
in person. If they are not there, sometimes there is someone else there I can
talk to. I find that talking to people provides me with the best information. An
ex-girlfriend / boyfriend or roommate; family; and neighbors can be great
resources.
Never overlook a landlord. Searching for a suspect, I once spent an entire day
checking on different addresses, talking with his family and friends, but it was
talking to a landlord at the first address that paid off. The first address had been
at an apartment complex. I stopped in at the leasing office and talked with one of
the property managers. She had no information on him, but asked for my phone
number in case she saw him. The next day, she called me. She found out the
suspect had a brother who worked at a nearby warehouse, and that the suspect
drove a black pickup truck and would pick up his brother after work every evening.
A lot of landlords won't give up information on a tenant for privacy reasons, but
many will, especially if they don’t like their tenant very much.
If the first home does not provide any results, I go on to the next, and the next if
necessary. What I have found out about checking addresses is that a family
member is living at one of the addresses. Another thing is that people often give
out a false address that is near their real address. Usually it is the same street,
but with a different house number. If no one at the house knows your target,
then knock on the neighbors’ doors. If you have a street number of 116, then
check out 161.
Another technique I sometimes use is calling the target, telling him or her what
was going on, and explain that it wasn’t going away. I then ask if we could meet
on their schedule. Many times, people are happy they have some control over
the situation, and they set a day and time to meet.
In Conclusion
While it is often true that most people feel more inclined to talk with a police
officer than a private investigator, there are a few things a private investigator
can do to set themselves up for a successful conversation such as never being
confrontational, being polite and respectful, and dressing professionally.
And as a final thought: You can also use some elicitation interview techniques.
I will sometimes talk as if I know the Subject, and say something like, “Did he
ever get that job at the ABC Company?” The person you are talking to might
respond with, "No, he is still working at Mike's Auto Shop." You never know until
you try.
Brian Blackwell Investigations
