Who doesn’t love a movie that ends in a tearful reunion between two people who haven’t seen each other in decades? And which of us has not fantasized about running into an old flame at a sidewalk café in Barcelona, picking up where you left off as though no time has passed?
Maybe you’re actively searching for someone right now: a missing relative, a long-lost love, or another person you want to reconnect with. If you have tried all the places they used to hang around, gone through their social media postings, and used online services like reverse phone number lookup, you may be wondering if it’s time to bring a Private Investigator on board to help.
Why Do People Search for Missing Persons?
Most of the time, people who go missing aren’t in hiding or witness protection; rather, the person looking for them simply doesn’t know where they are, and the missing person may not even know that someone is looking for them. Private Investigators are commonly hired to find:
- A birth parent, sibling, or biological child: More and more people are finding biological family members through DNA-based services like Ancestry and 23andme. However, these services can’t always provide location data or contact information for the person or persons they ultimately want to meet. If that’s the case, they’ll have some clues but will still need to do some searching. Occasionally people want to get more information about their biological family and the circumstances surrounding a pregnancy and birth before they meet face-to-face.
Star Quality Private Investigations is honoured to have been involved in many of these cases. Owner Adrianne Fekete talks about how this type of search ignites her passion for finding missing family members:
“I just recently reunited a son and his mother who found each other on Ancestry. The son now has young children of his own, and he wanted to understand more about his background. It turned out that the mother’s story was so different from what he was told. I’ve been fortunate to stay in touch with them and witness this beautiful reunion. It’s such a wonderful part of our job.” - The “one that got away”: We all have that one old love that we just can’t forget. We wonder what our lives would have been like if we’d moved to Spain with them instead of choosing the stability of a local partner with a job. Perhaps you’ve tried to find them through social media or other Internet searches, and now you’re ready to take the next step.
“A client wanted to find an old flame that they’d lost touch with long ago. He was 76 and she was 69, and they just got married!” SQPI Owner, Adrianne Fekete. - A family member who has disappeared due to mental health or substance use issues.“The outcome isn’t always positive in every case. Sometimes people don’t want to be found, or don’t want to reconnect. We had a family who was trying to find their daughter. She’d left because she had some problems and didn’t feel like she was supported by the family. We did find her living on the street, and she wasn’t interested in going back home. She’s not doing 100% well, but at least the family knows she’s alive and she knows her family is concerned about her.” SQPI Owner, Adrianne Fekete.
- An heir to an estate or the beneficiary of a life insurance policy: Surprisingly, not everyone knows that there’s money sitting in a trust with their name on it, but if you’re the executor of an estate, you’re obligated to find that person, even if the sum involved is small.
How Can a Private Investigator Help Find a Missing Person?
Each situation is as unique as the people involved in it; a good Private Investigator will recognize what the client is looking for and what they can reasonably provide for their client. Private Investigators take your search to the next level by:
- Scouring public and proprietary databases as well as court records for any relevant information
- Searching and cross-referencing social media posts
- Interview people who may know the missing person or may have seen them
- Tracking people in real time using photo/video surveillance and GPS
The SQPI Advantage
- Our Investigative Teams: Star quality Private Investigations hires only the “best of the best” former law-enforcement officers onto their Expert Investigations Teams.
- Our integrity: We find missing people without compromising safety and discretion. We will never put a client or a subject at risk for the sake of an investigation.
- Our experience: With over two decades in the field and an unmatched success rate, we are leaders in the Private Investigations industry.
- Our response time: We’re here 24/7/365, so you don’t have to wait to start your search.
- Our compassionate approach: We understand that missing people leave a huge hole and that starting a search for them is stressful and emotional. Your psychological safety is paramount to us. We’re here to listen and support you with your journey.
Ready to start your missing person search? Call us today, and let’s talk.