The easiest time to solve a problem like a missing person is within the first few days. Any amount of time added means that leads become harder to follow up, and eventually cases can go completely cold.
You’ve probably seen a lot of police and crime dramas that reference cold cases, or maybe documentaries that delve into some of the bigger mysteries that have made the mainstream media.
But a cold case doesn’t have to be something really dramatic, it might just be someone that you’ve lost a connection with, and over time you’ve no also lost any means of getting into contact with them.
So, can a private investigator help? The answer is yes, though that doesn’t always mean solving the case.
Cold Case Cracking Methods
There are a lot of things that a private investigator can do to go over a cold case, whether it’s someone legitimately missing or just a person you’ve not stayed in touch with, and you can’t track them down.
As a starting point, private investigators are experienced in finding people, and so they might be able to just offer some fresh, educated perspective on a case, and identify angles of enquiry that may have been overlooked previously.
But there is more they can do as well. PIs use a wealth of different tools and methods in their regular work, and some of these might help to track down someone, or at least track down a contact that may have more information.
This can include in-person work, such as surveillance and interviewing witnesses, but these days there’s a lot of online work too.
Social media is available to everyone but there are ways to use it to get the most information, and there are other resources you might not have considered too.
Hiring a PI to help you with a cold case could set you on your own path to resolving it – or in some situations, the PI may be able to track someone down for you and solve the entire thing.
Don’t Expect Miracles
However, it’s really important that you don’t expect miracles from a private investigator when it comes to a cold case. There’s a reason it’s gone cold in the first place.
PIs are highly skilled at their jobs, and the good ones know all the tricks to hunting down a person, finding out where they’ve been living, and identifying their most recent contact details.
Yet some people just can’t be found. If it’s been too long, or the person keeps a very low profile and has moved around a lot, there might not be anything that even the best PIs could do.
And you also have to remember that a private investigator has a duty of care with the subject of the case too. If they find them, they can’t then hand you their contact details. They can pass yours on, but if the person is ‘trying’ to be missing, they may choose to not contact you.
Still, it’s worth exploring whether a PI is in a position to help, if you’ve got a cold case for finding someone.
At EJM Investigations we’ll always be upfront with you about your chances of success, and the costs involved for different levels of work. Give us a call on 01772 334700 if you want to know more.