Thousands of people go missing every year. Currently, there are four reported missing people in Horry County alone. The four women are featured on the Horry County Police Department’s Facebook Page listed as missing persons as of late June 2018. Why do people go missing? There can be a number of reasons including drug issues, human trafficking, other types of foul play or to avoid or escape a person or crime. Unless the missing person is under 18, in which case their information will be quickly broadcast through the Amber Alert system, the case of a missing person can get pushed to the backburner. Law enforcement resources could be stretched thin by understaffing or other incidents such as violent crime, serious traffic accidents and drug overdoses can pull attention away from finding a missing adult.
If someone you love goes missing, what should you do?
First, you’ll always want to file a missing person’s report with local law enforcement. This creates official documentation that the person is considered missing by a family member or associate. Second, you can create an account with the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUS) online. They have a number of resources available that can be useful when you are trying to find a missing loved one. Third, hire a private investigator.
Why Hire a PI to Find a Missing Person?
You might be wondering what a private investigator can do that your local law enforcement isn’t doing or might be unable to do. We’ve got the answers.
- Investigator dedicated to finding your loved one. As mentioned above, local law enforcement might not have the resources to give an adult missing person case the attention it needs along with the other ways they serve the community. When you hire a PI, they are focused on finding your loved one.
- A PI can serve as a liaison between you and law enforcement. Your PI can send updates and new details or evidence to the police for inclusion in the missing person’s case.
- Private investigators can perform more in-depth searching, following up on possible leads and interviewing associates of the missing person.
- PIs are also skilled interviewers trained in a number of techniques to get answers from hesitant subjects, detect lies and get to the truth.
- Private investigators have access to databases and ways to search various types of records that the general public might not be able to access or might not know how to access. They also have connections with local hospitals, shelters and other organizations that can notify them if the missing person is sighted.
- A PI can respond faster to possible leads and follow up on incoming tips quicker than local law enforcement might be able to.
When someone you love goes missing, time is of the essence. Unfortunately, if the missing person is an adult, local law enforcement might not have the resources to give your case the prompt attention it deserves. Hiring a private investigator to help locate the missing person gives you someone dedicated to your case and increases your chances of finding your loved one quickly.
