Lazy private investigators will just run a database, charge you for it and not verify the information. That is not at all how we work. Databases and internet searches are just starting points. Often, we don’t consider the locate valid until we have done a field visit or taken extra measures to verify the address is a good one.

We have done locate searches for more than two decades. Spencer has written extensively about how these are done, whether for tracking a defendant or finding a witness, to locating missing heirs. We take these assignments through various stages, always starting with the cheaper options first. Stable people are easy to find. Apartment leases and new addresses from creditors usually hit credit bureaus and databases within a month or two.

Spencer once found a missing heir to a $7 million estate when no one else could find him. The man was living in someone’s back yard. The address kept popping up but there was never a response at the chain-locked gate or to letters being sent to the house. Even surveillance couldn’t detect any signs of him. One day, Spencer was able to walk around the side of the back yard, call out to the subject and confirm it was in fact the missing heir.

We use public records, court filings, deep internet searches, genealogy web sites, license plate readers, etc. to find people. We understand that each case is different and no approach will be the same.

We also do missing persons searches looking for estranged loved ones. The San Francisco Bay Area has long been a destination for people who want to disappear. We have also traveled all over California to find people to reunite families. We are sensitive about working with families undergoing difficult times.

From the easy to find, to the most difficult absconder, we can help.