Exclusive: NZ Private Investigator for Missing Persons
September 7, 2020 | Other
When People Go Missing
In New Zealand, it’s been reported that over 8000 people go missing each year. If not voluntary, people can disappear because of abduction, an accident, crime, or death… and the list continues.
As you know, these situations aren’t to be dealt with lightly. So in order to determine what amount and type of intensive efforts must be made, each missing person case will undergo an initial assessment to determine the level of risk.
High-Risk Features of Missing People:
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Poor mental health.
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Problematic relationships with family.
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Known to run away or disappear.
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Have received threats in the past.
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Physical or mental impairment.
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They have medical issues that require frequent care.
The Problem With Police-led Investigations
You’d be right to assume that police, as enforcers of public safety, would be best suited to take on a missing person case. But please note, this assumption does not carry out in reality.
Due to limited funding, police can’t take on every missing person as a case as they need to prioritise those that are high risk. Instead, if you report a person missing, the situation will need to tick many boxes before it becomes an official case.
In deciding what becomes a missing person case, police are less likely to search for those who are homeless or have left voluntarily. But that’s merely the surface of their assessment.
Should the length of disappearance not be considered concerning enough, searches can be denied until enough time passes. This fine line between ‘no’ and ‘go’ is extremely risky to juggle as the initial 72 hours of missing persons cases are most critical.
How Do Private Investigators Differ?
Since these investigations are funded privately, there is no restriction on any aspect of a missing person case. It doesn’t matter how much time has passed since they were last seen or what their circumstances are; all cases can be dealt with and made a priority.
So, what does a tracing investigation look like? And how does a private investigator go about finding a missing person? Well, it all begins with the first 72 hours - even so for cases where the investigator was introduced to the case later in the search.
All early information is crucial and will remain so for the entirety of the case.
What Happens in the First 72 Hours
To maintain the integrity of evidence, get immediate media coverage, and protect the missing person from danger, these hours are most valuable to a missing person investigation. To paint a picture of the importance, here is what to expect in the first 72 hours of a tracing investigation.
Initial Interviews
Firstly, whoever reported the person missing will be interviewed. Had more than one person been reporting the situation, interviews will be held separately.
During this questioning, an investigator will assess the level of risk for the missing person and discuss any potential witnesses of the crime scene/disappearance. These witnesses will be interviewed along with whoever was last to see the missing person.
Goals of the interviews:
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Identify the cause of the disappearance.
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Collect current photos and a detailed description of the missing person.
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Determine where, when, and by whom the missing person was last seen.
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Discover if there was any threat or suspicious involvement.
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Form a list of their family, friends, and colleagues for potential interviews.
Immediate Investigative Action
Should the investigator be involved from day one, they will immediately investigate any potential crime scene and thoroughly search all relevant locations.
Upon arrival, everything will be treated as evidence and anything that potentially holds the scent or DNA of the missing person will be collected for further examination.
Collection of Police Evidence
Police officers are witnesses too. What information they have is often as close you will come to that of the last person who saw the missing person. Thus, all police evidence becomes another vital resource.
Whether the investigator was the first responder or not, they will always contact the police involved to gain their knowledge and records of the initial scene.
To collect evidence, the investigator will interview the officers involved to obtain a personal account and any recorded details on the case. This information will then be tested against previously collected information to verify its accuracy.
Media Distribution
Of all people who have gone missing and later been found, the majority are located within the first 72 hours. What makes this possible? Mass public awareness and involvement in the search.
To create such a level of awareness, a missing person case needs media coverage. This requires the investigator to form a brief of the case and distribute it to media agencies and police departments across all relevant locations.
Resource Development
After the interviews, the collection of key evidence, and media distribution, the investigator will assess what other personal information and/or specialist service is required. This is very dependent on the situation.
For example, if a child goes missing in New Zealand, they will also need to contact CYFS for assistance. Should there have been previous custody issues between parents, the investigator may also need documents from the court.
Personal information often required:
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Banking records.
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Phone records.
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Access to social media accounts.
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Tracking and tracing of all digital devices.
Case Investigation & Interview Follow-up
The tracing investigation will continue to unfold and with close attention to determining all possible circumstances/results of the situation.
With the new information acquired from interviews, evidence, and resources, new questions are also bound to arise which will demand the requirement of follow-up interviews.
Three Months and Still Missing
If a missing person case reaches the three-month mark, they become identified as a long term missing person.
If it were a police-led investigation, you could expect the search to have been called off already as they simply don’t have the resources to continue searching beyond this period.
However, if the same long term case were led by a private investigator, you would adversely see efforts to maintain the search. You could also expect to see changes made in the tracing strategy which might include rewards for information or increased public awareness via social media and the news.
How to Report a Missing Person in NZ
If you’ve made all efforts to contact a person and fear their welfare is at risk or that they are missing, you should firstly contact the police. Once reported, you can then continue trying to make contact or locate the person.
If you believe the case is high-risk but won’t be taken on as such by the police, contacting a private investigator for guidance and assistance is the best next step.
How to Contact Our Private Investigators
As professional tracing investigators, you can trust that our expertise will enable assistance with all demands of a missing person case.
Should you fear someone is missing, keep calm and contact us today for a quick response and actionable guidance. Though our investigators are based in Auckland, we proudly service all of New Zealand.
