Hunter Investigations, LLC» Missing Persons

Runaway Teens

Holly Hunter — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 14:05:43 +0000

One of the most difficult times a parent will ever face is to find your teenager has run away. If this has happened to you and you are uncertain as to what to do except wait for a phone call or hope for your child's return, quit waiting and become proactive. First, remember it is illegal for a child to runaway so go to your local law enforcement, file a runaway report and a pick up order. It is important to take a photo with you and ask that your child's image be scanned into the system. All fifty United States are on board with 18 or higher as the legal Age of Majority. If you are uncertain as to what parameters your State has set the law summaries in US Legal Law Digest have hyperlinks that reference each State's Statute. Second, make a list and start calling all their friends, the parents of their friends and your own family members. Let them know your child has runaway, that you have filed appropriate reports with the local authorities and they are looking for your child. Be firm but nice when you tell them that you will not abide by your child's friends harboring or giving aid; these acts are considered offenses against the law and you will prosecute the offenders. This usually gets the attention of friends and family who do not want to take your call or offer no help in your search. Third, call the school your child attends and report the incident to the attendance office and the principal. If you have online access to your child's teachers email all of them. Next, pick up the phone and call Hunter Investigations 770.667.7467. As a licensed private investigative firm we are able to investigate this crime and will work with families to find their runaway children. That's also something each State agrees on: aside from law enforcement licensed private investigators, not common individuals, must be used to investigate runaways and missing persons. For a related article go to: www.safepassagetransport.com/news/ and scroll to the article dated October 1.

PARENT ACTION CRISIS KIT

Holly Hunter — Thu, 15 May 2008 22:45:04 +0000

Every Parent that is responsible for the care and well being of a minor child needs to assemble a Parent Action Crisis Kit for each adolescent in their care. The PACK, as SafePassage refers to it, is an assemblage of pertinent and vital information about each of your children. SafePassage recommends that parents prepare a PACK for each child and select a secure location to store your child’s PACK. Store it where your child will not stumble across it, but make sure you have quick access to the PACK in case of an emergency. A PACK is the tool that you grab when your child has been in an accident, has runaway or has gone missing. If you didn’t begin assembling a PACK when your child was born begin now. It doesn’t matter what kind of crisis that involves your child, if you have a PACK already assembled and updated, you don’t have to risk remembering the wrong intimate details associated with your child. A SafePassage Client shared with us that they had a medical crisis with one of their twins late one night. They explained how they argued in front of the EMTs about which twin was allergic to the medication which was about to be administered and nothing could be confirmed because the doctors office was closed. They said they wished they had known about preparing a PACK as that would have alleviated the anxiety of indecisiveness. They said that a PACK would have kept them in control during the crisis and would have enabled the EMTs to administer appropriate treatment immediately.

In the case of a missing or runaway adolescent each moment of time that is wasted on assembling information results in more of a head start for your adolescent. According to Promise House, a long standing not-for-profit agency in Dallas, Texas, more than 1.5 million teenagers go missing in the United States every year; more girls than boys run away; and of those that runaway ten per cent will not return home. If your teenager goes missing, your PACK will jump start an investigation with local law enforcement or a licensed private investigations agency.

The process to assemble a PACK for each child may take a couple of hours, but in the long run it will be well worth the time spent. SafePassage recommends that parents use a standard size plain manila envelope so that you are able to make a check list on the front of the envelope and supporting documents will be contained inside. This way in a crisis situation anyone can look at the front of the envelope and at a glance know exactly what are the contents in your PACK.

The three most important things that should appear first on the top of each PACK is the name of your child, their cell phone number and the name and cell phone number of the friend they are closest to and spend the most time with. From there SafePassage recommends the following information be contained in each PACK:

Names of parents, siblings and current address;
Copy of birth certificate; Drivers License or Permit; Passport; School ID;
Recent photograph not more than six months old;
Photographs and description of the vehicles they are permitted to drive;
Vehicle tag numbers; VIN numbers;
Copy of vehicle registration, tracking devices or remote locating service associated with the vehicle;
Medical and automotive insurance;
Names and phone numbers of doctors; dentist, orthodontist, chiropractor;
Blood type, height and weight;
Current medications, allergies, diseases or conditions;
Therapist, Educational Consultant and a brief therapeutic history if any;
Hospitalization history;
Cell phones – print a copy of the pages your teenagers monthly cell phone statement;
Names, addresses and cell phone numbers of, close friends, the person your teenager is dating and photographs of them;
Names, addresses and cell phone numbers of friends parents;
Names and addresses of relatives that your child has a close relationship with;
My Space and Facebook account information;
Name and address of their Schools, guidance counselor, coach or teacher and parent volunteers who are affiliated with your child’s activities;
Extra-curricular activities and the locations and times of the activities;
Local hangouts such as coffee shops, shopping malls or teen centers;
Job – if your teenager has a job list the address, phone number and manager;
Credit Card, Bank Card, Check Card account numbers and photocopies of these cards front and back;
Finger prints – some parents have these from school safe kids programs.

If you have adopted children include:

Adoption information, final adoption papers and the name and addresses of biological parents if known.

If you are divorced include:

Divorce custody documents;
Addresses of custodial and non-custodial parents;
Address of child if different;
Custodial Arrangement;
Pending Custodial Changes;
Siblings and their respective addresses.

Some of our Clients have duplicate PACKs for each of their children because their life situation demands it. Decide what is appropriate for your family, assemble what you need and set aside time to keep the PACKs current.

Remember to update each PACK once a month with copies of cell phone records and any new friends or hangouts. From there, any time your child has a change in their personal appearance such as they get piercings or tattoos, change their hair color or personal appearance make a note of it on the PACK and if you are able to obtain a photo include it in the pack.

At least once a year, even if you don’t think anything has changed with your child pull out the PACK and go through it. A SafePassage Client told us that they had missed some pertinent information on one child and that if they had not set aside a time to review their PACK they may have left it incomplete. Be smart; make a PACK.

Hunter Investigations

admin — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 13:39:33 +0000

Private investigators are retained for many reasons, but there is one common thread. There are questions that need to be answered. Often tough questions involving confidential, emotional or family issues; questions that require discreet professional assistance:

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

We also provide transport assistance for at risk youth and troubled teens – SafePassage Adolescent Services:

Safe and secure transition for at-risk teenagers
Compassion for families in crisis
Respect for struggling teens in our care
Arrangement of all travel details
Integrity and confidentiality for all clients
Quick response to your call
Peace of mind during your time of crisis

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.