Houston Skip Trace Investigator
Missing
Persons Investigator
Missing Persons:
At the end of 2005 the Department of Justice reported 109,531 active
missing person cases. More than half of those reported were children
under the age of 18. Private investigators are frequently hired to find
official missing persons or estranged relatives or associates. Many of
these are not formally filed with law enforcement as missing person
cases. Most have simply lost touch, though some have chosen to
disappear for various reasons. Each missing person case is unique and
costs can range from several hundred dollars per case, to several
thousand dollars per case. If you have a proper name and proper
identifiers, such as date of birth, or social security number, your
chance of success is greatly enhanced. We are available to discuss your
case if you have a need for a competent professional investigator.
Skiptrace:
The term skiptrace (also skip trace) comes from the expression "to skip
town" meaning to leave in a rush, leaving minimal clues behind for
someone to "trace" the "skip" to a new location. People usually skip
town because of financial hardship, so the term is usually applied to
the task of finding individuals for collection or debt recovery. But
the term has also become synonymous with the finding of any missing
person.
If you have spent much time on the internet you have probably seen
websites that advertise "Find anyone for $35.00" or similar such
claims. These are almost without exception useless if not outright
scams. At best they will give you a list of old addresses, and many
times will provide addresses of anyone with the targets name. At worst
they will take your money and leave you nothing. Such searches will
likely just confuse, rather than clarify your search efforts.
We have the means to locate your party promptly and cost effectively.
We have been doing locates for our clients for the better part of 30
years. John McMahon & Associates subscribes to over a dozen
proven information resources, which enable us to cross check the data
integrity. While we use databases on nearly all locates, the missing
person is
usually located by further investigative inquiries. We have the
knowledge and experience to find your missing person. Whether you need
to locate an estranged relative, an old friend or
schoolmate, a
missing child, or a biological parent; we can help.
A few of the most common
locate services we provide to individuals are:
Debtor Locates:
These individuals can be the most difficult to locate. Odds are, if a
debtor owes you money, they owe others money. They frequently use false
or altered social security numbers and dates of birth. Debtors move
frequently and often misreport addresses and other identifying
information. Databases are either nonexistent or are littered with
inaccuracies and old outdated information. We have the experience to
spot valid identifiers and turn them into leads that help find the
debtor. These individuals are often found through relatives, neighbors,
and former or current co-workers.
Runaways: A
runaway is a minor who has the left the home of his or her parent or
legal guardian without permission, or has been thrown out by his or her
parent. If you want us to help you find a runaway minor, you need
provide a copy of an active missing person police report. Once we are
satisfied that you are the legal guardian we will
work directly for you. We will always liaison with the
investigating law
enforcement officer to share information, and to insure that the
recovery of the child is performed legally and everything is above
board. If you have not filed a missing person report, or can not prove
that you are the legal guardian of the child, we will be unable to help
you find the child. Once we are hired we start the process of locating
the child. Databases are frequently of little value, as children seldom
have credit or a history of public records. If the child is
believed to be traveling with an adult, we can track the adult in the
hopes of finding the child with him or her. Most runaway cases are
solved by old fashioned investigative techniques. We interview
witnesses including relatives, neighbors, friends, and friend's
parents. We develop informants whenever appropriate, and keep you
apprised
of the status of the investigation at all times. We comb the
neighborhood, posting
missing flyers, and if needed, we liaison
with media and law enforcement. We charge an hourly rate, mileage,
and expenses for these services, and unlike some locators, we do not
charge a finders fee when we find the child.
Friends &
Relatives: Relative locates are usually fairly
straightforward, provided you have a proper name and an identifier or
two. Long lost friends can be more difficult to find because often the
client has no identifiers. If the missing person has a unique name
and\or you know their birth date it will aid substantially in the
investigation.
Adoptions\Birth Parents:
Many of our personal locates involve adopted children, who as adults
decide to find their biological\birth parents. These can be very
difficult locates. Most adoptions are handled in secrecy and remain
secret for years if not decades. By the time the adult child begins to
search for their birth parents, witness's memories have
faded, scant records that may have once existed have been
lost, and some
witnesses have passed away. Others may be unwilling to talk for obvious
reasons. Unfortunately the biological father's name is seldom known. If
the biological father's proper name is known the chances are better
that he can be located. If searching for the biological mother there
are a number of obstacles. The biological mother may have used an
assumed name at the time of the adoption. Even if she used her real
name, chances are that she has married once if not more times, causing
name changes. Finally, as a word of caution, we always tell clients to
make sure they are constitutionally and emotionally prepared to learn
the truth. Sometimes the truth can be more painful that not knowing.
Your biological parents may be found, but may not want to speak with
you, in which case we are morally bound to honor their wishes. Worse
yet they may be deceased, incarcerated, downtrodden, or never found. As
long as you understand the difficulties of these types of
investigations, and are sure you are prepared to know the truth we
would be happy to discuss your specific case. Many of our adoption
locates have ended as happy stories, with a loving parent reunited with
a longing child. We will work with you fairly and compassionately to
help you learn the truth.
If you need help with a Houston skip trace or a missing
persons case call us at 281-890-5855 to
discuss your case.
Call Anytime For a Free
Consultation
Houston Skip Trace
Investigator
