If a legal adult voluntarily leaves their residence and doesn't provide their family or friends with any contact information, the police will likely not dedicate much time searching for the individual, especially if foul play isn't involved. Many private investigators offer services that will aid a client with being reunited with a missing person.

How a Search Begins

An investigator will require pertinent information about the person who is missing, including where they previously lived, their former place of employment, and what their daily routine was like.

A photograph of the person being sought and a list of their social media profiles will provide an investigator with the baseline information they need to recognize the person, if they were to come across them. An investigator will use a combination of office and field strategies, to aid them in their pursuit. An investigator may charge an hourly rate and require that a retainer is satisfied, prior to formally beginning a search.

How Services Are Rendered

A client and an investigator will form an agreement. The agreement will outline how a search will be conducted. Billable hours are tabulated while a search is underway. An investigator may begin their job by making phone calls and performing internet searches.

Networking and background checks may reveal where a person has been spending their time or whether or not there is a legal issue involved that could have potentially prompted the missing person to move away. Once an investigator has a lead, they will delve further into the investigation and may perform surveillance steps.

Surveillance includes conducting observations in a public setting. Each photograph or video footage that is captured will be shared with a client. Interviewing witnesses may also be conducted during an investigation. Anyone who was close to the missing person or who spent some time with them immediately before the individual went missing may have some key information that will help solve the case.

How the Outcome May Unfold

It isn't a crime for someone to quietly move away and stop all contact with those who they formerly knew. An investigator cannot make a missing person agree to meet with the person who initiated a search. When an investigator is initially hired, they will let a client know that there are no guarantees that they will discover all of the information that a client is seeking.

An investigator will remain discreet throughout their sleuthing steps and will not reveal to the missing party that they are being tracked or that a specific person has requested their services. To learn more, contact private investigative services.