Those of us who relocate for these reasons generally have nothing to hide and
should be fairly easy to find. Conversely, people who move to avoid debt, legal
action, criminal charges, and child support responsibilities, are more difficult
to locate. Runaway spouses and children comprise a portion of the latter group.
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Basically, there are three ways you can find someone.
You can employ the old gumshoe methods, looking for clues by talking to
people and utilizing other local sources. You might get lucky right away and
find someone who actually knows where your subject is living. The experts
explain the techniques they use in "Missing Persons."
You can request copies of public records that might contain a current address
of the person you are looking for. You may discover identifying information,
like a middle initial, to help narrow your search.
You can use information you uncover to run a database search that will
accesses millions of records. This will cost you a few bucks but it is a very
fast and convenient way to get the most current information.
Professional investigators use a combination of interviewing people, checking
public records, and running database searches. Sometimes you may need to do one
thing to get the identifying information you will need - DOB, Middle initial,
SSN - to do something else.
You have one advantage when you set out to locate a person: most of us, being
creatures of habit, continue to work at the same kinds of jobs and continue to
gravitate to familiar surroundings. We stay in contact with family, friends, and
lovers. We drive, buy and sell property, get married, have children, file for
divorce. And when we move, we tell people where we're moving to. Those of us
with nothing to hide leave behind a fairly easy-to-follow paper trail.
On the other hand, there will always be irresponsible individuals among us
who commit crimes, skip on debts, and run away from domestic difficulties,
causing poverty, abuse, and neglect. These people often make a conscious effort
to avoid leaving behind a trace of their movements.
The more skilled one becomes at hiding out, the more he or she will employ
techniques that make it difficult for Locate Specialists, known in the trade as
"Skip Tracers," to find them. The address that may be occasionally given will
invariably be someone else's address. The telephone number provided will
predictably be listed in someone else's name. The "skip" probably does not carry
a driver license, voter's registration card, Social Security card, credit cards,
or any of the identification that everyday, law-abiding citizens tote around in
wallet or purse.
In this section, you will learn proven people finder skip-tracing techniques
the pros have developed and made a part of standard operating procedure over the
years. You will find out about some of the newest advances in the locate
business brought about by the advent of computer databases and the Internet.
Detailed information for those conducting adoption searches and
military-connected searches is provided, along with checklists and sample
interview questions to help speed up your investigation.
Order
a People Search. Experienced database search specialists will immediately go
to work for you, to quickly return real, meaningful results.
See our Sample Report
Please refer to
Public
Records
for listings, addresses, and telephone numbers of local, county, state, and
national public and private records depositories.
Three main sources yield the most information about an
individual:
(1) People who are or have been in contact with your subject. Your advantage:
most people are willing to answer questions posed in a straightforward and
friendly manner.
(2) Printed or written material, which includes directories, newspaper
reports, magazine articles, medical records, financial records, utility records,
employment and tenant applications, and all government records. These are the
records that will help you establish a "paper trail."
(3) Information Providers - database companies - who have access to both
written and computer-stored records and other data.
People Finder Locate Specialists
Make use of all three sources, but to an increasing degree, they rely on
Information Providers for name, phone, DMV and credit searches. These database
searches may turn up hundreds, and even thousands of names, especially if the
person you seek has a common one. It is always best to assemble and track down
as much background and identifying information about your subject as you can
before initiating any database search. Sometimes the simplest investigative
techniques, like calling directory assistance or talking to your subject's
co-workers, will net the quickest results.
The first thing you've got to do is obtain as much information about this
individual as you can. It would hardly be worth going to the state with just a
name and an old address. If you can obtain a birth date and a Social Security
number, of course, go with that. I know your next question is going to be 'How
do I obtain that information? When you're trying to find someone, each case is
different, each scenario is different. Remember, before attempting to find
someone, your goal should be to obtain as much information about that person as
you can."
Begin by writing down everything you know about your subject. Don't discount
any piece of information, no matter how trivial it may appear, because
frequently, seemingly unimportant information will provide the very clues you
seek. Think "stream of consciousness." Don't try to analyze or organize right
away - just write down whatever enters your mind. You can expand and flesh out
later on; organize your thoughts and findings. Pay special attention to your
feelings concerning these findings. If you are separated from a family member,
there are many national organizations and federal agencies that will help you
locate that person for free. This site provides you with links to the most
helpful sources of assistance.
Professional associations, labor unions, government licensing authorities,
school records-keepers, county court records repositories, any of these entities
can furnish information that could lead you directly to your subject. At the
very least, these sources might provide useful clues.
A questionnaire is provided.
Local Search
Your investigation will most likely begin in the local area where the subject
was last known to reside.
"Your investigation has got to start with only what you have in front of you.
If all you have is an address and the name of a person, that's where you start.
You could go to the address, of course, even though you know the people you're
looking for are no longer living there. Maybe you've written to the address and
the letter has come back marked 'forwarded mail expired.' So the thing to do is
go to that address in person, knock on the door, introduce yourself, talk to
people in the house. Very often they'll have some information. It depends on the
time frame." - Mike Askew, Private Investigator
Check city and cris-cross directories at the
library or request a surname search from an Information Provider for that area.
You may come up with the address and/or phone number of a relative with the same
last name. Following is a link to an online reverse directory. Keep in mind that
nothing is as complete as the bound cris-cross directory at your local library.
If you get a match-up and obtain an address - even
if the subject has moved from that address - check the city or cris-cross
directories for the addresses and telephone numbers of nearby neighbors. Or
request this information from an Information Provider. The subject's occupation,
spouse's name, and even the name of the subject's employer may turn up.
Research property records at the county courthouse
to find out who bought the house or the name of the landlord. If the subject
rented the house, you may, by employing your best diplomatic skills, be able to
obtain a copy of the lease application or agreement.
Ask at the post office to see if the subject filled
out a change of address form, or ask an Information Provider to run a National
New Address Identifier, based on last name and previous address.
Interview neighbors. Sometimes a statement like, "I
don't know where they moved to, but a friend of ours said they thought it was
Boston," will be all you need to proceed with your search.
Look into marriage records at the county courthouse
where the subject last resided, or in the county where either the wife or the
husband resided. You may happen upon both sets of parents.
People to Interview
These are
people you can interview from leads provided from past employers, neighbors,
family or friends:
- Car dealer
- Mechanic
- Accountant
- Attorneys
- Stockbroker
- Hairdresser
- Insurance agent
- Religious affiliations
- Gardener/lawn care
- Veterinarian
- Hobbies & Interests
- Financial institutions
- Real estate brokers
- Medical providers
- Child or parental care
- Fitness club
- Travel agent
- Teachers
- Children
- Maids
Family Members Interview
You can find the names
of family members in city or cris-cross directories and phone books. Marriage
records list parent's names and addresses. Local newspaper morgues have
clippings of marriages and obituaries. All include names of family members and
spouses. Family members may not provide information without the use of a
pretext.
Check out
- Spouse
- Former spouses
- Mother
- Father
- Sisters
- Brothers
- Aunts
- Uncles
- Children
- Grandparents
- In-laws
- Others
Interview Questions
You need to find out: 'Do they have relatives? Do you know where they may be?
Have they been in contact?' You want to ask those types of questions
- Do you know subject?
- How long have you known the subject?
- How well did you know the subject?
- What kind of work does subject do?
- Where did subject work?
- Married? Spouses name?
- Any children?
- Did subject hang out with anyone in the neighborhood?
- Do you know where subject was born and came from?
- Do you know where subject's family lives?
- Do you know what kind of car subject drives?
- Do you know where subject went to school?
- Any children away at school?
- Do you know if subject belonged to any organizations?
- Did subject ever talk about serving in the military?
- Do you know if subject had any help around the house?
- Do you know where subject got married?
- Divorced? Where? When?
- Is subject religious?
- Attends what church?
- Any interests or hobbies you know of?
- Does subject have special medical problems or needs?
- Does subject own other property, boats, motor homes, airplanes?
- Any problems with drugs or alcohol?
- Problems with marital relationship?
- Problems with finances?
- Do you know where subject went?
Neighborhood Residents & Landlords
Check: Neighbor.,
US Postal Service, Landlords, Local hangouts, Friends, Local businesses
Talk to the neighbors. In each neighborhood there's always that one lonely
neighbor who looks out his or her window 18 hours a day. That person can tell
you how many people come and go to a house, what kind of cars they drive, where
they got their cars, what they had for lunch, and probably what they ate for
dinner. You just have to find the right source.
Names, addresses, and phone numbers of neighbors can be located
through cris-cross and city directories, or by database atlas search. Landlords
might be identified through county property records.
Tip: Trash and garbage placed
at curbside for pickup is no longer personal private property. Your subject's
relative's garbage may yield phone and other records and receipts that may help
you in your locate investigation.
Missing Person's Questionnaire
Missing Persons Form This very comprehensive form may help remind you of
information you may have forgotten or didn't even know you had. This is a
very good place to begin your investigation.
Order
a People Search. Experienced database search specialists will immediately go
to work for you, to quickly return real, meaningful results.
See our Sample Report
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