With the warm weather quickly approaching, and with it all the family gatherings, graduations, and wedding ceremonies, oftentimes the conversations will come around to memories of past experiences, and with them occasionally about people we have lost touch with. Most times it is just a matter of losing track of them. Sometimes it is about the “one that got away”. Sometimes it is someone that you need to contact for a legal reason – maybe to put some closure to a situation or perhaps to give back that item you still have of theirs. Whatever the reason, it may not be as easy as you would have hoped it would be. That is when you reach out for help, which we are happy to provide under most circumstances.
The first thing you need to do when ready to try to find someone is to collect as much information as possible in order to help us to find them. Any information is helpful. The last known address, phone number, email, or username on social media. Photos (as recent as possible) and any names of relatives and dates of birth are great as well. Often we search through our databases first, and then on to social media to see what we can find. All these discoveries help lead us in the direction of the person you are looking for.
Now understand that when looking for someone, there are two types of cases: the “commercial” and the “non-commercial”. I will explain the difference and what that means for you.
First, the “non-commercial” case. Say you have lost touch with an old girlfriend from high school. You haven’t seen them in years, but never stopped thinking about them. The last you knew she lived in Jamaica, Queens, but the family had since moved away. Now you find yourself wanting to reach out to her to hopefully reconnect. You’ve tried her old phone number, but it is no longer in service. You have no idea that she has moved to Hartford, Connecticut. We would, based on the information that you have, try to find out where she is now. However, since there is no “legal” reason that you need to find her (which I will explain next) if we do locate her, we would need her permission to give her information to you. You see, she may or may not be interested in “reconnecting” with you, for whatever reason, and therefore we must legally respect her privacy. What we will do in all situations is to reach out and ask the person if they would allow us to give their contact information to you once we locate them. If they say yes, we will then give you the information and the rest is up to you. Hopefully, Cupid is on your side and you can get back in touch and maybe reconnect again.
However, in some cases, the person may not be too enthusiastic about sharing their location/contact information with you, at least not yet. We have had several cases like this in the past. Here is an example: We had clients in Trumbull, CT hire us a few years back. The couple and their adult child had a falling out and the child left. The parents were understandably worried and upset and wanted to reach out to the child to try and work things out and continue their relationship. The child, however, being an adult, can choose if they want the parent to know where they are or not. We have had situations where we locate an adult child and they are less than excited about reconciling quite yet and do not want their parents to know where they are. These are always tough on both parties. We usually suggest some options to both sides. Sometimes we have had the parent write a letter to them and we will deliver it. Other times we have called the parent on our phone and had the child speak with them. Sometimes the child is not open to either one, so we report back how they appeared to be and that they are not quite ready to reach out to them yet, but hopefully, things will change in the future. The last is never easy, but since the child is an adult we need to respect their privacy – usually we strongly encourage the parent to write that letter and then we will mail it in hopes that the child will change their mind. You never know. It has worked quite well in the past.
The second type is the “commercial” case. This is when you are trying to locate a person for a legal matter. Here are a couple of examples of legal matters: We had a case recently where a man needed to serve his estranged wife with divorce papers. He had not seen her in several years and he wanted the marriage dissolved so he could get on with his life. The last he knew of, she was living in Woodmere, NY, but she had long since left that location and had “disappeared”. We were able to locate her so that he could give her address to a process server to serve her with the papers.
Another example is when we helped locate the owner of a residence. We often help real estate brokers track down the owners of an abandoned property in order to offer to purchase that property for an interested party. We had one not too long ago in Cedarhurst, NY where the home had been vacant for many years. We managed to track down the relative of the deceased owner and put them in touch with the real estate agent to make an offer on the property that they did not even know existed. That was a win-win for both sides.
We also help law firms when they have a client that neglected to give their new contact information to their lawyer when they moved. That happens quite a bit when it is a very long, drawn-out case. We once had a law firm contact us about a case that they were handling for a client for almost six years before it was finally settled. When they tried to give the client the good news, they could not find him. They told us the last known address was Cambria Heights, NY but we found them to now live in Ridgewood, NY. So having the last known address was an important piece of information to use in that situation.
Another situation that we have handled for law firms is the “lost heir” cases. When a lawyer is hired to assist someone in creating their last will and testament, they are then responsible to contact the heirs named in the will if they do not come forth right away. Some wills could have been written decades earlier and those people have lost touch with the people in the will. That is when we need to find them and put them in touch with the lawyer. We had a case not too long ago where a very wealthy person had left a sum of money to their handyman from 10 years prior when they were living in Westport, CT. The family had long since lost track of the person after the deceased had moved and the complex had been torn down and rebuilt by the new owners. It was now our job to locate the handyman. We eventually did, through a great deal of research. When we finally tracked him down in Stratford, CT he could not believe it. He said he always treated all the tenants with respect and at first he didn’t remember who the person was. But he was so touched that he had made such an impression on the deceased that, as he put it “just knowing that I made a difference to him meant so much, I don’t need anything else”. But he was really happy when he found out that he inherited some money to put toward his children’s education. It reaffirmed to him that doing the right thing and doing a little bit extra to help someone really does matter and that sometimes you can be rewarded when you least expect it.
So now that you understand the difference between “commercial” and “non-commercial” person searches, you should now know what to expect when you meet with a private investigator. Understand that every case is different and comes with its own set of challenges when it comes to locating someone. After you have tried it yourself, it is best to contact a professional when you find that you cannot find them on your own. Those online services may sound great and offer you the world for a cheap price but remember that many of our clients have been given outdated or wrong information. So rather than take a chance with your hard-earned money and waste more time, let a professional help you. Hopefully, we can help you find who you are looking for and make someone’s day in the process.
Investigreat, LLC is a recognized full service Private Investigation Agency that is fully licensed, insured and bonded, handling cases all over Connecticut as well as Queens NY, Brooklyn NY, Bronx NY, New York City, Staten Island and Long Island NY. Adam, along with his wife Terri, have been working cases for Legal Teams, Insurance Companies, Private Businesses, Municipalities, School Systems and general investigation services for the public since 1992.
Investigreat, LLC | Private Investigators serving Connecticut, Long Island City, Jamaica NY, Brooklyn NY and Queens NY | Office Numbers: 860-899-1710 or 718-412-1845 | Text: 718-309-1269
*Please note – This blog is our opinion and not meant to be construed as legal advice or insurance advice. Always consult an Attorney for legal advice and consult an insurance professional for insurance information.