Here’s a scary fact: people in Canada go missing all the time. Whether the missing person disappears in mysterious circumstances, or he or she simply loses touch with family and friends, one thing is clear: A missing person’s case is always tough to handle. Quite often, people who have to deal with a missing family member or relative don’t know that they can get help. While the proper authorities can help to spread the word about a missing relative, they sometimes aren’t able to locate him or her. This makes a missing family member situation even harder. As a result, this is why many people turn to private investigators. A private investigator is a trained, licensed individual with the skills, resources and time needed to locate your missing family member or relative.
What Can You Do?
If one of your family members go missing, it’s difficult to know what to do or where to turn. Emotions run high and can cloud you and your family’s judgment. The most important thing is to act quickly. If you decide to alert the authorities, you must remember not to wait. The reason why is because the longer you wait, the more likely it is that your family member will leave you farther and farther behind. So, let’s take things one step at a time! Here’s what you will discuss with the police or a private investigator when it comes to your missing relative or family member:
A private investigator or police officer will need all the information you can provide about your relative. This information includes,
- Details about what clothing the family member wore when you last saw him or her.
- Any nicknames or alternate names the relative goes by.
- Description of the family member’s vehicle.
- A rundown of the situation surrounding the missing relative (did you have a fight? Did they go out to a nightclub and never come home? Etc.).
- Did the family member have any possessions on them at the time of his or her disappearance?
- Does the relative have any tattoos, birthmarks or other unique identifiers?
Overall, the most important thing to remember is that if you go to the police, or hire a private investigator, you will require the same information. It’s good to know what that information is before you speak with anyone. This will make the process of gathering details easier for everyone involved.
What Else Can You Do?
In addition to providing information to the proper authorities or a private investigator, there are a few other things you can do to try and locate your missing relative. While challenging, perusing the following avenues will help you to find the person and stop wasting precious time.
The first thing you can do is to contact all friends and family in the area your relative went missing. When more people are aware of the fact that your relative is missing, it increases the chances someone spots him or her. In general, the more people who know about your missing relatives, the better. When word travels, people you don’t even know will hear about your missing family member. They will also keep an eye out for him or her. Remember: when it comes to missing people, you want as many eyes on the situation as possible.
One of the other things you can do when it comes to locating a missing family member is to contact hospitals. We know, this isn’t an easy thing to do, especially when you’re already so worried about your relative’s wellbeing. However, there is a chance that your missing family member is hurt. Contacting hospitals might mean that you find your missing relatives within hours instead of days.
Missing Persons: Know the Law in Canada
After you provide all the information about your missing family member or relative, you need to let the proper authorities do the work.
What you can do is things like contacting hospitals or coroners in the area. You can even organize a search with your friends and family. However, in some situations, the family member doesn’t want to be found. This is particularly difficult to understand or accept. Therefore, you need to keep in mind that, yes—a private investigator or police officer can help you to find your missing relative. On the other hand, a private investigator or police officer will need to respect the missing relative’s wishes. This is especially true if your missing family member is an adult. If your missing relative does not wish to be contacted by you, a private investigator will tell you that he or she is well. In this situation, the private investigator will likely not tell you where you can find that missing relative.
When the Bread Crumbs Go Stale . . . Seek Out a Private Investigator
For many people, they do not get the resolution they want or need from law enforcement. The reason for this is because the police cannot gather enough information to find the missing person. In addition, many police precincts don’t have the resources to dedicate officers to one specific case. Many officers work in multiple different cases. This means if they can’t locate your missing family member or relative, the case gets cold.
A cold case can be more difficult to solve. So, why let the case get to that point? When it comes to missing relatives, time is absolutely an important factor in locating him or her fast. This is why you will want to consider hiring a private investigator. Having a licensed and skilled professional on your side will prove very effective.
Choosing the Right Private Investigator
When you decide to work with a private investigator, you’ve taken a great first step. However, not all private investigators use the same code of ethics. Some private investigators will claim to help you find a missing relative for very little money. After awhile, he or she will tell you that they need more money for the investigation in order to put in more hours. This just isn’t reasonable. A good private investigator will give you an honest assessment of time, money and how efficiently they believe they can solve the case.
Time
A private investigator will work quickly to try and find your missing relative or family member. A good private investigator will know how important it is to move fast. However, if you hire a private investigator after a case has gone cold, it will take them longer to find your missing family member or relative. Regardless, a good private investigator will have a good idea of whether or not they can solve the case, and how long it will take them.
Money
When you turn to a private investigator for help, you will need to pay for the services he or she provides. This might seem like a big problem, however, if you work with a good private investigator or private investigator agency, the chances of locating your missing relative increase. As is common in most areas of life: you get what you pay for. A good private investigator isn’t going to come cheap, but he or she will have a higher rate of success in the long-term. This is compared to a bad private investigator that tries to increase their initial quote in order to continue working on the case.
Efficiency
A good private investigator or private investigation agency will know what steps to take to move your missing family member case forward. As mentioned above, it is sometimes challenging for the police or other law enforcement to truly dedicate the time needed to really find your missing relative. When you hire a private investigator, he or she will dedicate as much time as needed to efficiently work the case. This means you increase the chance that you will locate your missing family member. It also means that a private investigator will find your missing relative sooner rather than later.
Knowledge is Power
One of the biggest benefits of hiring a private investigator is that he or she will have the knowledge required to locate your missing relative. Unless you work in law enforcement, you likely don’t have access to the right tools or even know where to start your search. In all honesty, the average person can only take a missing person’s case so far.
Hiring the right private investigator will save you time and money. After all, isn’t the most important thing to locate your missing family member or relative and make sure he or she is okay?
Do you need help locating a missing relative or family member? The Smith Investigation Agency can help! Reach out today with any questions or concerns. We’re happy to help.
Phone: 888-950-4113 or Email: Info@SmithInvestigations.com
About the Author
Whitney Joy Smith
Founder of The Smith Investigation Agency in 2014, Whitney Joy Smith’s extensive background as a private investigator is matched only by her passion for the role. A graduate of several respected institutions, including Northwest Florida State College and George Brown College, her early years in life were spent between Canada and the United States. This education, along with her formative years as a private investigator in various agencies, informed much of her knowledge of private investigative laws, regulations, and operating standards in both countries.
The recipient of numerous industry awards and accolades, including the Consumers Choice Award, Best in Ottawa, and many others, Whitney takes pride in working closely with her ever-growing agency to raise the bar, maintain compliance, and meet the investigative needs of clients. Whitney is active in various membership and supporting roles, including the CPIRC, CBN, CAPI, Canadian Women’s Chamber of Commerce, and many others. Her experience-driven, thought-provoking articles have been featured in everything from Readers Digest to Business News Daily, and she strives to continually redefine standards for those in the private investigative and security fields. Learn more about Whitney and the team at The Smith Investigation Agency today.
