It had been a bad year and most people knew that Lorenzen Wright had financial problems; his Atlanta home, estimated to be worth just over $1-million, was seized in January and his Eads, Tennessee home, worth at least $1.3-million, was repossessed in May.

During his 13 years and 778 games in the NBA, the 6-foot-11-inch power forward out of the University of Memphis had played for five different teams – averaging 8-points per game – his best performance was while he was with the Hawks. But despite talk of finding another team, Wright didn’t play at all last season.

He was last seen on July 19 leaving his ex-wife’s home around 2 a.m. According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, police say that a recorded call from Wright’s cellphone to 911 operators caught the sound of what could have been several gunshots from more than one weapon before the call ended.

The dichotomy of Wright’s financial problems versus the sound of multiple gunshots on a call from Wright’s cellphone are the main factors causing the uncertainty in the determination of the cause of death. The importance of the determination comes down to money and a question of whether a crime was committed.

If Wright’s cause of death was suicide, whether over money or any other personal problems, any insurance payments to surviving family members – including his six children – could be lost. Many insurance companies have very narrow parameters when paying a claim if the insured committed suicide. In some cases, no money is ever paid.

On the other hand, if the insured is murdered, there is usually a “double indemnity” clause which pays the benefactor twice the face value of the insurance policy. So, determining exactly how Wright died will make a difference in the insurance money that will go to his children.

Prior to becoming a private investigator I was a reporter in Texas. I once covered a story in which the county medical examiner had determined that the shotgun shooting death of a successful business owner in a Dallas suburb was a suicide. The family didn’t believe that their beloved husband and father – who had died from a shotgun blast to the abdomen – had committed suicide.

So, the family asked for a separate investigation.

And yes, despite what would seem to be a cumbersome, if not awkward way for someone to commit suicide – it can be done and is, in fact, done more frequently than one might think.

But in this case the shotgun blast had resulted in a large hole just beneath the man’s sternum – a strange place for a self inflicted shotgun wound. The man’s wife was not convinced it was suicide. She thought, given the late hour and the location – right behind their store in a strip mall – that it was a robbery gone horribly wrong.

Following the funeral, after the family and friends had all left the graveside service, the wife allowed the funeral director to raise the casket bearing her husband’ body back up from the grave and have it taken for another autopsy. Indeed, the medical examiner brought in from another state determined that the shotgun could not have been fired by the husband due to the proximity of the weapon and the angle of the shot in relation to the gunshot wound.

The county medical examiner amended the “cause of death” and the family was awarded double the face amounts listed on the victim’s insurance policies.

It was later discovered that a longtime employee – slightly intoxicated, angry and trying to take his own life with the shotgun in back of the store – accidentally fire the weapon, killing his friend and longtime employer. The employee told the police that he had returned to the store late that night to found his employer, lying fatally wounded, in the alley in the back.

It isn’t that police investigators and medical examiners aren’t good at their jobs; it’s that they are often overworked and go with the most logical evidence right in front of them at the time – because they have nine other cases waiting in the wings.

By contrast, private investigators take the time – that the police don’t often have – to sift through the evidence and, on occasion, even discover new evidence which can turn a case around, free an innocent person or find the real perpetrator of the crime.

I’m not paranoid; I’m a parent – and an investigator. And I’ve seen too many cases like the “Magic Jeff” case – the former youth minister from a Kennesaw, Georgia church named Jeffrey Alan Wasley, 39, who was sentenced to 20-years in federal prison this week in Atlanta.

A security guard from a local Target store reported Wasley to police when a little boy said “Magic Jeff” wanted to help him tuck in his shirt in the restroom of the store.

When they searched his home, police discovered over 17,000 images of child pornography on Wasley’s computer. The pornographic images that police found included images of six boys in the restrooms of several Metro Atlanta Target and Walmart stores.

Wasley did not fight the charges, though he did try to kill himself when police decided to make the arrest. Wasley barricading himself in his garage, cut his wrists and neck and stabbed himself multiple times.

He had also left an apologetic note to his wife and children. Police say that, in addition to the pornographic images, they found the manuscript of a novel he was writing about a child molester who had been abused as a child.

Following his prison sentence, Wasley will be on the probation for the rest of his life. He admitted to the charges from the beginning and has agreed not to appeal the sentence in the future.

But back to the matter at hand.

I’m certainly not saying that parents who allow their kids to go to into public restrooms alone are bad parents. Not at all. Heaven knows, when you’re in the middle of a meal with the family at a restaurant or you’re trying to grab some groceries with the kids in tow and get out of the store in time to get home and make dinner, you just get sidetracked sometimes. And, of course, when your child needs to go, it’s usually right then!

So, you say “fine” and give a quick look as to the general location of the restroom – and let them go. It’s a fairly common occurrence. No problem, right? Besides, kids want to be “grown up” and they want to go to the restroom alone because they feel it makes them more “grown up” – because they see the older kids and adults do it. It’s perfectly logical in their young minds.

But, as the parent, you have to keep in mind that these people – like “Magic Jeff” – are out there…and not just out there “somewhere else.” They are out there in your neighborhood. They infiltrate family settings and public venues where children play and learn. And they lay in wait – for that innocent child. Our job as parents is to remember to be vigilant.

So, go the restroom with them. I use to make it seem to my little boy that I just happened to be going at the same time. Once I saw the room was clear, I’d just happen to finish up before him and let him know that I would be “right outside” the door. Even though it was only a minute or two, it gave him a sense of being on his own, without really being on his own.

Let a friend or sibling go with them. There is safety in numbers. Of course, you still keep an eye on the door to see who comes and goes.

Finally, report anything suspicious. If some guy steps out of the ladies room – let someone know…right then! If you notice a guy just loitering in the men’s room, report it…right then!

And let me be perfectly clear and absolutely “politically incorrect” about this; I’m not concerned with, nor could I care any less at all, whether child molesters were once victims of child abuse. I don’t care about their excuses – those are issues for therapists. My concern is the safety of my kids – and getting these “pervs” off of the street – or out of the restroom, as the case may be.

The sabotage was not directed at a corporate vehicle: the blacked-out surveillance van or the Jeep with the dark-tinted windows, it was my personal vehicle that the saboteur targeted.

Little did that saboteur know that shy of a James Bond incident this episode would not keep me down for long as I have Isinovi and Joel in my rolodex. Who are these people you ask? They are my mechanics. Once my car was safely delivered to IC Auto Tech in Atlanta, Joel confirmed the sabotage, repairs were made in their state of the art, high efficiency garage and I was on my way in short order.

Isinovi races motorcycles on the weekends, which, of course, means they have a garage devoted to the maintenance and service of many makes and models of motorcycles as well as cars and trucks. They have been in business for more than 20 years and are honest about their diagnostics, and charge a fair price for the cost for repairs. Even though these economic times are tugging on peoples purse strings Isinovi and Joel have not changed their honest policy or their pricing.

If you reside in town or if you’re just passing through; if you are in need of automotive repair or just maintenance take your vehicles to Isinovi and Joel, you’ll be glad you did. Tell them Holly sent you, or not; they’ll still treat you right.

If you suspect your vehicle has been sabotaged or tampered with in an inappropriate manner, call us in our offices here at Hunter Investigations and we will be glad to investigate: 770.667.7467.

Oh, by the way, I do know who sabotaged my car and consider yourself warned: you’ll be meeting the Sheriff up close and personal very soon.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, according to Wyles, indicated there are approximately 15,000 sex offenders State wide. Does this mean that there are 5,000 sex offenders living under the radar unwatched and unmonitored? Honestly, I’m appalled that the State of GA has no more concern than to allow nearly one-third of this populous to just do whatever they want. What this tells me is that of the gentleman living down the street, the yard man who cuts your grass or the woman cleans your house one of these could be a convicted sex offender “living incognito” as the article says.

This doesn’t say much for the GBI and their attempt to keep up with these offenders, but what about the State you live in? Do you know who is living next door to you? Do you really know about the guy you sent to clean out your mother’s gutters? Do you know what the statistics are for incognito sex offenders living in your area? Do you have total peace of mind about your friends and coworkers?

If you can not answer yes to all of these questions then pick up the phone and call Hunter Investigations 770.667.7467 and let us find the answers for you. We have a staff of trained investigators who will find answers to your questions and help you regain peace of mind.

To read the full article Offenders Incognito by Randy Wyles: if you are local pick up a copy of aboutU Magazine or go to www.aboutuonline.com.  

But don’t fool yourself – that “tradition” is most often a “right of passage”. 

You remember.  Think back – Prom Night.  Remember?  Yep!  That’s right, and now your little angel is about to leave her warm, cozy and protected nest to go to the Prom with “what’s his name”. 

Now are you worried?  You should be.  But I may have a few ideas that will ease the tension in your neck and keep you from making that white-knuckle fist when you see “what’s his name” begin to salivate at the sight of your sweet, innocent little girl playing “dress-up” in grown up ladies’ clothes.

First, be direct.  You can still be polite (although, who cares at this point, right?).  When the boy walks in the door, as your little angel is putting the final touches on her make up for the evening back in her room, just grip his hand like a vice and smile.  Then in a low, soft tone look him directly in the eye and say, “I’m so glad you’ll be escorting my daughter tonight.  She means the world to her mother and me and I would do anything to protect her.  So, I can rest assured that nothing…nothing will happen to her, right?”

At this point, casually lead him over to your collection of firearms in the gun case and show him your favorite weapon, making sure to point out its stopping power.

“I find the Glock Model G36 Compact .45 ACP with a Single Stack Magazine, like the one I’m holding here, (pull back the slide and let it slam shut for full psychological effect) performs most effectively, especially when using 230-grain Hydra-Shok rounds.   Traveling at 900 feet  per second, it’s just a bit slower than say, my 9mm, but, WOW!  What stopping power…unbelievable.  It’ll drop a full grown man…like one your size…dead in his tracks.”  Be sure to chuckle so he thinks you’re really crazy enough to pull the trigger.

Then, just before your little angel makes her grand entrance, tell him you’ll need to make a photocopy of his driver’s license…just to have on file.  I usually let them know that, as a private investigator, I’ll be running a background check on them when they leave – just routine, ya’ know – and if it’s clear then there won’t be any problems. 

Finally, look at them both and say, “No drugs.  No drinking.  And no sex.  Got it?  Now, you two have a nice time.”

She’ll be embarrassed that you were so brazen.  He’ll just be in shock.  And the likelihood of them sneaking off somewhere to have sex will drop dramatically…because all he’ll be able to think about is that Glock and your cold as steel eyes.

Do you think I’m joking?  Not hardly.  Nothing is more precious than that little girl who is suddenly all grown up – or so she thinks.

Don't kid yourself - drug smugglers, slave traffickers and international terrorists are all pouring over the border like flood waters over a collapsed dam…and they look like everyone else. They're hiding inside the wave of illegal alien workers seeking jobs, American dollars to send home to Mexico and the freebies we as a nation give them – from free healthcare to automatic citizenship for their babies born on American soil – delivered by that free healthcare.  And while the hemorrhage of "giveaways" is bad enough, the growing threat of criminal activity and terrorist sleeper cells is worse.  Remember, many of these people aren't from Mexico – they're from other parts of the world that we are fighting against in the war on terror.

Border security is a serious unilateral problem – our problem – but one the U.S. Government is too busy posturing over while the Mexican Government fuels it like gasoline on a bonfire.  Democrats and Republicans alike see the 25-million illegal aliens now in the U.S. as potential new voters, while American Business salivates at the hand-wringing thought of cheap labor.  All the while, criminals from third world countries are operating freely in the U.S.  At the same time, Mexican President Felipe Calderón visits the U.S. and thumbs his nose at U.S. citizens by addressing groups of Mexicans living here and telling them that they are helping the U.S. economy.

During his April 2008 visit to Dallas, Calderón told about 125 advisers to the Institute for Mexicans Abroad, an advisory board to the Mexican government, "The American economy cannot run without Mexican labor, which contributes to the prosperity of this country.  Then he added, "It's not my dream to spend the rest of my life seeing how Mexicans risk their lives crossing the river or the desert to find opportunities."

The Mexican president also talked about how sad it is back in Mexico to talk with so many Mexican citizens about their family members who are in the U.S., illegally of course, and not at home in Mexico with their families.  In fact, during the Dallas visit, Calderón admitted he had family members living and working illegally in the U.S., then had the audacity to joke that he would not reveal their whereabouts until after the U.S. overhauls its immigration laws. 

The way I see it – when a head of state has people, family or not, in a foreign country illegally – those people are often called “spies” and are arrested, tried and convicted of espionage.  Besides, if they miss Mexico and their families so much, why not go back? 

As easy as it is to get here it’s even easier to go back.  All one need do is turn one’s self into the nearest U.S. Immigration or Border Patrol official and one would get a free ride back home to Mexico at the expense of the U.S. taxpayer.

Keep this in mind; brutal drug related crimes continue on both sides of the border – deep into the U.S., as well as in Mexico – as illicit drugs and smuggled slaves flow into the United States side by side with a steadily growing number of illegal aliens and terrorists – and the toll in lives and money spent to combat this problem is incredible.  Last year alone, more than 300 Mexican law enforcement officials died in the line of duty in the war on drugs in Mexico, while, throughout Mexico, over 3,500 civilians have been murdered as a result of drug related activity – an average of 200 per month in the border town of Jaurez alone. 

In response, Mexican President Calderón  has mobilized more than 30,000 Mexican troops to hot spots across Mexico, including border towns like Juarez, to stem the tide of what the Mexican government calls “drug gang” violence.  But there are a couple problems with this; first, these aren't "gangs", these are organized crime operators – highly skilled and ruthless and without regard for borders – and, second, often the very military that has been sent to defend the people of Mexico against this activity is, in fact, working with the drug lords and smugglers.  In fact, over the past two years, the Mexican military has actually crossed into the U.S. – invaded sovereign U.S. Territory – over 200 times and even engaged in gun battles with U.S. Law enforcement as the Mexican soldiers aided smugglers into the U.S. with drugs and slaves.  Want more? How about this – Right now the CIA estimates 50,000 slaves are being moved into, out of or simply being forced to work within the U.S. at any one moment…in jobs ranging from farm labor to prostitution – often using under age girls.  Sound like the warring factions and corruption we see in places like Iraq and Afghanistan? 

Now, if those countries bordered our country how tight do you think our border security would be?  And if those people were kidnapping our innocent girls and forcing them into prostitution rings while recruiting our young men into their organized crime cells do you think we would stand for it?  So why do we tolerate it when it comes to Mexico?

Of course, Congress is funneling $1.4 billion to Mexico as part of an anti-drug assistance package to help in the fight.  But is it enough?

In a recent article in The Dallas Morning News, reporter Alfredo Corchado revealed no less than six military style training camps set up and run by Mexican drug cartels, most within a few miles of the Texas border.  The camps, often temporary by nature or set up on private land, train cartel recruits made up of Mexican army deserters and, shocking as it may sound, American teenagers.  These camps teach commando style attack tactics similar to what we've seen in confiscated footage of Al Qaeda terrorist training camps.  These Mexican drug cartel terrorists operate freely on both sides of the border, like a bad “B” Western movie, killing civilians and law enforcement agents at the rate of thousands per year. 

In fact, if you were to extrapolate the statistics with regard to murders in Mexico at the hands of the Mexican drug cartels it would dwarf the number of American soldiers killed in the Middle East since 2001 – as I said, just in the past year or so, over 3,500 civilians have been murdered in drug related crimes. 

Make no mistake, this is a real war with real consequences and to allow the 2,000 mile border between the U.S. and Mexico to operate like a sieve is placing countless American lives in danger and the American way of life at risk. But we’re supposed to turn a blind eye?

You might open that "blind eye" with a simply criminal background check.

Why is she spending so much time with a new best friend?

Why are his business trips suddenly so frequent?

Where is our star witness?

Attorneys rely on private investigators to gather factual information for court cases. A witness needs to be located or interviewed to help win a case. The activities of an individual may need to be documented to protect children. There are many reasons our clients rely on our services. Based in Atlanta, GA, Hunter Investigations LLC is a full service investigative and consulting agency providing services to attorneys, government agencies, insurance firms and individuals located throughout the country. We get to the heart of the matter quickly and cost-effectively – saving you time and money. To address your issues you need experienced investigators with the right tools and training.

Hunter Investigations LLC provides state-of-the-art surveillance and information procurement. Our investigators receive specialized training in all areas of investigative work from interrogation and interview techniques, to “on location” crime scene investigation and forensic investigation. We have been providing investigative services for over a decade to help people like you get answers and solve problems.

Contact Hunter Investigations today for a free confidential consultation by one of our experienced investigators – we're here to help. Phone: 770.667.7467

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SafePassage Adolescent Services ® is a division of Hunter Investigations LLC, which is licensed by the State of Georgia. Our firm is bonded and insured. SafePassage has gender specific trained agents available to meet the needs of parents in crisis. Call us to learn how professional assistance can reduce your stress and help you resolve an adolescent crisis.

You see, I don't know about your day, but my day was just fine.  In fact, it was very pleasant outside - a bit cool for June, I thought.  Considering it's June in Georgia and it was the "day of the Mark of the Beast", one might have thought it would've been hotter than two hells.  But I guess, like most things, it depends on your outlook.  For example, it was interesting to me how, more people seemed concerned today about it being 06-06-06, than, say, the ongoing and very real threat to our security as a nation.  It came to mind – the thought, "Where are our priorities?" – after something I experienced today.

I happened to go through Belmont, Georgia…just east of Gainesville…traveling down Highway 60.  I missed a turn and needed to make a u-turn, so, I swung onto Dixieland Farm Road in front of the Cross Plains Baptist Church.  A railroad track parallels Highway 60 there, so the turn makes an immediate track crossing – like we've all experienced in rural America from time to time.

I noticed a freight train slowly approaching from on down the track a bit as I crossed over.  I like trains, so, being in no real rush, I pulled into the parking lot of this small, country church surrounded by century old oak trees.  It was a Norman Rockwell painting; sitting next to a quaint little church nestled among those towering old oaks, waiting to watch a slow moving train, the sky a beautiful, clear…well, sky blue and the air fresh and crisp as the train slowly ambled by and the engineer blew his horn for the unprotected crossing and waved at me. 

As the train lumbered past, I glanced over at the cemetery next to the old church.  One marker, a large, stately stone with some kind of red and blue color enhanced sealed on it caught my eye.  The print was large and I could see the name Edna Lee Stephens.  Born in April 1948, died – September 11, 2001.

Wow, I thought.  In the midst of that horrendous day her family had their own tragedy to bear. 

I squinted and looked further.  Wait a minute.  I got out of my car and walked over.  The seal, etched into the granite memorial for the ages, was made up of an American Eagle, shrouded by an American flag hovering over the Pentagon with the words "United In Memory" carved around it. 

Ms. Stephens had been a victim of the "9/11" attacks. 

She was at the Pentagon that day. I don't know in what capacity and I couldn't tell how long she had been there.  All I knew was that she left family behind, including children. The foot stone there was inscribed with the word "Mother".

The news this week was filled with details of 17 college age terrorists arrested in Toronto, including one from Georgia Tech, along with two more students from Atlanta a couple of months ago. 

It all became clear to me.

The "Beast" isn't in the numbers "666".  The "Beast" is walking the streets, roads and back alleys like everyone else.  And not just a dusty road in Afghanistan or a back alley in Baghdad…but Spring and Peachtree streets in Atlanta, as well.  

People spend way too much time complaining and wearing their politics on their sleeve.  "Should we be in Iraq or Afghanistan?"  "Did the Bush Administration do the right thing?"  "Are Muslims actually terrorists who use religion as both a shield against prosecution and bad public opinion and as a weapon against innocent people?"  Personally I believe the answer to each of those questions is, "Yes".  

People need to grow up.  They keep their eye on the ball.  The big picture here; on September 11, 2001, on a bright, clear morning like today, 19 cowards killed some 3,000 innocent people, including Ms. Stephens.  If they had it their way, those kinds of cowards would kill the rest of us.  We need to never forget that.  I can assure you that Ms. Stephens’ family hasn't forgotten.