What is skip tracing?

I get this question often and it never really dawned on me that some people really do not know what skip tracing is. I guess I sometimes assume that everyone knows what it means. Thats what I get for thinking! Briefly, a person who has gone missing is what we refer to in the P.I. world as a “skip.” Tracing is collecting as much information as possible about the subject. Then we take that information and analyze, reduce, and verify. Put those two terms together and you get “skip tracing.”

There are many reasons a person may disappear. Bad debts, abusive home life and mental illness are just a few of the reasons why thousands of people disappear each year. Skip tracing investigators use a number of techniques to locate missing people.

Records that "skip tracers" use may include phone number databases, job application information, criminal background checks, utility bills, social security, disability, and public tax information. These methods do not break any law because the information is freely available due to the nature of the business, whether it is debt collectors, bounty hunters, or private investigators.

Skip tracing tactics may be used by debt collectors, bounty hunters, private investigators, attorneys, police detectives, journalists or as a part of any investigation that entails locating a subject whose contact information is no longer known. I just thought I would clear that up for everyone. Until tomorrow…

Just in case you are curious

Today I figured that I would blog about me. Is that a little self-centered? Nah! I originally wanted this blog to be just about my business, and everything that is involved in doing my job. However, I realized that it might be a good idea to add a personal touch to it as well, and let people know that I am much more than just a P.I.

If you peeked at my profile, you may already know that I am a mother of two children. My son is 12 years old and my daughter is four. That is a big age gap isnt it. LOL Yea it took me a while to decide if I wanted another one. I have been married for almost four years to another private investigator. He is who got me involved in this business. Before I met my husband, I was going to school to become a police officer. I changed my mind when I saw how much money he was making. No, I am just kidding! Even though money was a factor, I realized P.I. work would be much more fulfilling. In addition, I could make my own schedule.

I am the youngest of four children in my family. I have a brother and two wonderful sisters and I share a great relationship with both of them. Notice I did not say anything nice about my brother LOL. As for my parents, well my mother passed away from colon cancer in 2001 and my father and I do not share any kind of relationship. I have five nieces and nephews a cat and a dog.

I love the color pink, down pillows and blankets and I love comfort foods like chili and Mac and cheese. My favorite season is the fall and Halloween is my all time favorite holiday. I smoke Marlboro Reds *yes I know, bad habit* and I am addicted to energy drinks. If I do not have, my Caffeine and nicotine in the morning, your best bet is to stay away. I love to write and I hate doing laundry.

So there is a small peek into who I am, I hope you learned a thing or two.

Catching the cheater

Yesterday I posted the most common signs of cheating. I figured it would be a good idea to follow up with a post on different ways you can catch the cheater. First, I would like to convey a very important point. If you suspect your spouse is cheating, DO NOT CONFRONT THEM! In my experience when you confront your spouse, they will usually work harder to conceal the affair. Get the evidence you need first then CONFRONT!

So there are many ways that you can get some juicy dirt. Try a 136 Hour Digital Voice Recorder with Remote Mic hidden somewhere in the home or even in the car. A lot of cheaters will talk to their lover while driving and if you do not have access to cell phone records then this a good way to get the dirt you need.

A WORLD TRACK - REAL TIME GPS is a great way to see where your spouse is spending their time, but these units can be a little costly. We use these on ocassion to assist us with surveillance cases and they are effective.

If you suspect your spouse is having an online relationship with someone there are a couple of options to choose from. You can use a USB KEYSTROKE LOGGER or the EBLASTER 6.0 - EMAIL MONITORING SOFTWARE CD VERSION

Also did you know that just about anything can be turned into a hidden camera? Take a look at the CUBE ALARM CLOCK CAMERA
The alarm clock is just one example of what can be done with the tiny cameras available today.

Once you get the evidence you need it is up to you what you do with it, but do not be surprised when you do show your spouse the dirt you have, that they deny it is them. They will come up with as many excuses they can think of to make them not look guilty. I have heard things such as "It's someone that looks just like me!" or "that's my brother!" even though they do not have a brother! If you are married and plan to use the evidence you obtained in court it is very important to NOT confront them AT ALL. I know that sounds silly and very difficult to do but if you save what you have for court then you are more likely to get what you are asking for and deserve.

Cheating is on the rise

Statistics say that 85% of women who feel their lover is cheating are correct and 50%of men who feel their lover is cheating are right. The current consensus of sex researchers is that 60% of married men and 40% of married women have an affair at some point during marriage. (The percentage of married women having affairs is continuing to increase; under age 35 both men and women are in the 60% range.) This means that affairs happen in a lot of marriages -- probably upwards of 80%.


Some of the signs of a cheating spouse are "tongue in cheek" while others are tell tale signs that commonly appear with a cheating husband or cheating wife. I am going to give you a few of the most common signs.

1. Mutual friends start acting strangely toward you. (They either know about the cheating or were told stories about what a horrible wife or girlfriend you are.)
2. Your cheating husband or wife stops confiding in you and seeking advice from you.
3. Sets up a new e-mail account and does not tell you about it.
4. They join the gym and begin a rigorous workout program.
5. Begins to delete all incoming phone calls from the caller ID.
6. He becomes "accusatory," asking if you are being true to him, usually out of guilt.
7. He insists the child seat, toys, etc., are kept out of his car.
8. Stops wearing wedding ring.
9. Suddenly wants to try new love techniques.
10. He/she suddenly stops having sex with you.
11. Shows a sudden interest in a different type of music.
12. He/she loses attention in the activities in the home.
13. He/she has a definite change in attitude towards everyone in the home.
14. Has a sudden preoccupation with his or her appearance.
15. The telltale sign of a cheating spouse? Having to ask that question in the first place.

Thought of this famous movie quote today..

Elwood: It's 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, its dark, and we're wearing sunglasses.
Jake: Hit it.

Do you recognize this very memorable quote from the 1980 Blues Brothers movie? Crap I just realized I was only 3 years old when that movie came out. I have probably watched this movie 15 times (maybe more) in my 31 years of life on this earth. It is weird how we calculate our years on this planet by movies or songs. They become part of our history, part of whom we are and who we have become. We grow up, have children and pass on a lot of our memories and crazy antics to the children who in turn will eventually repeat the cycle.
When the movie quote popped in to my head I tried to figure out why it came to me the way that it did. There was no trigger. However, as I sat here thinking about it I started having flashbacks from when I was a kid, I remember getting my drivers license and going to pick up my friend Gloria. When she jumped into the passenger seat of my rusty, beat up Dart. I looked over at her and said this movie line to her and her response was "Hit it"
My assumption is that these fleeting thoughts actually do have a purpose. They are there to reconnect us to our past and make us feel all nostalgic and fuzzy inside.
I am sorry about my ramblings tonight; I just had to put this out there for you all before I fell asleep. Tomorrow it is back to business, I have a child custody case to do and I will be here as soon as I can to let everyone know how it went.

I cant stand it when

A potential client calls and wastes my time. I do not want to sound arrogant or haughty but come on; I do not have an 800 number because I am a free counseling service. I am normally a patient person who really does take the time to listen and give suggestions but when everything I suggest is shot down with a reason why it will not work I happen to get a little annoyed.

These types of calls do not happen very often but let me tell you when they do I know right off the bat what I will be doing for the next hour and 39 minutes of my life. Therefore, to the caller that wasted my time and your own this is an open letter to you.

First, I WILL NOT break the law in order to perform an investigation for you. We have had a license to perform investigative work for over 10 years for a reason.

Second, I DO NOT have magical, mystical genie powers that allow me to hear your spouse’s conversations in his office, nor is it lawful to put a “bug” in his office. How in the hell am I supposed to get past security anyways? Sorry I gave up my invisible power for spider senses when I became a mommy.

Third, I WILL NOT flirt with your man for fifty dollars! I must confess that during my life, there was a time or two that I have been propositioned, but not like this. I am actually insulted that you would only offer me fifty dollars.

Finally, yet importantly do not tell me your life story, tell me how you just bought a new Mercedes and then balk at the price I quote you for a service you FINALLY agree to.

As you can see, I probably need to go to bed early this evening. It has been a long day and that phone call really pissed me off. I don’t know how I managed to be polite and professional through the entire thing.

Semen Detection Kits

Yes you read the title correctly. There is such a thing and it is something my company used to offer to clients. We do not get very many requests for it, because I don't think many people are aware that such a thing exists. Basically, *without getting all scientific on your ass* what these kits do, is detect Acid phosphatase which is in semen. By mixing certain chemicals together and adding it to a suspected "stain" the chemicals react with the Acid phosphatase and turn a pretty shade of purple. If there is no acid detected no color will appear. I personally do not think that the tests are 100% reliable but we have heard from past clients that they worked just fine for them. You can buy these tests all over the Internet and some of them actually come with a fancy UV light for "faster test results."

I find it kind of weird that a person would go to the extreme of testing a dirty pair of under ware for bodily fluids. Its actually pretty gross if you ask me. Maybe thats why we never really sold any kits. Alot of people probably agree with me on the weird/gross factor. Sure the tests you can buy are reasonable in price, versus the thousands of dollars you will probably spend on a private investigator. Honestly, if you are looking into buying one of these kits or hiring a P.I. then you probably already have your answer!

Who woulda thunk it??

In the P.I. business we often deal with GPS technology. Its great when you lose a subject in traffic and you can pick them back up in minutes by simply logging into a computer system that works in conjunction with Google Earth. So a fellow P.I. friend of mine sent me an article this afternoon and I just had to share it with everyone here. Check this crazy thing out!!
At the Air Force Research Laboratory near Dayton, Ohio, civilian researchers and military developers have set a 2015 deadline for the first battlefield ready, lethal generation of Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs).

The first armada of tiny flying death machines will be the size of small birds and will be able to operate several days without recharging. On the heels of these lethal mini-drones, bug-sized swarms of GPS-guided soldiers will flitter, slither and creep into enemy war zones to spy, provide real-time intelligence reporting, and, when ordered to do so, kill adversaries.

"It may look like a futuristic arcade game," says Aamer Madhani for the Chicago Tribune, "but it's a scene from an official Air Force animated video: Bad guys of indiscernible origin being shadowed, from a careful distance, by small robotic drones designed to resemble birds and insects.

When one of the bad guys opens his apartment door, a tiny robo-bug, looking like a garage door opener with wings, sneaks in to spy. In another scene, a bug—the Air Force calls them Micro Air Vehicles, or MAVs—creeps into a sniper's roost and delivers a deadly shot to the back of his head. It might sound far-fetched. But top Air Force officials believe that MAVs could be a significant part of the Defense Department's arsenal in the not-so-distant future.

Some resources for everyone to check out

Today I would like to add a few useful resources to my blog so that visitors have the opportunity to see first hand some of the tools I use while I am doing my job.

Please note: I am not promoting or making money off of any of these links, they are just really useful tools.

First place I want you to check out is a place called PIPL
Punch in a name and it will pull up a list of any place that person is listed on the web. I have had some pretty good luck finding people with this tool.

Second, have a look at BRB Publications
There is a wealth of free public records at this website. It is useful for finding ownership info on homes, jail and court records.
And last but not least, take a look at Mellisa Data
There is a ton of free resources available there. Have fun with these tools, I will post more later when I have more time.

Much better day so far

My little girl is feeling much better this morning, must have been a 24 hour bug. She is acting more like herself, and hasnt thrown up once today! My body on the other hand is hurting from sleeping on the floor next to her all night long. I had to break out the Motrin and Vicodin this morning as I sucked down an energy drink.

So its Sunday, and usually our phone doesnt ring very much on this day. I think people must assume that we are not open on Sunday's but little do they know our office is home based and we are here 24 and 7 (just about). So we typically use this day to catch up on housework, shopping, and just laying around not doing much of anything. I have plans to go purchase my daughter some school clothes today since she starts her first day of pre-school on Tuesday. Yippeeeee a few hours of freedom for Mommy!
I have created another blog this morning and I swear this is going to be my last one! I thought it would be a fun idea to make a site dedicated to the Wonkey side of the news in the world. I just like the word Wonkey LOL So here it is if you would like to check it out Wonkey News
There isnt much there yet but soon it will be filled with all sorts of useless, funny information!

Nothing worse than

hearing your child cry in the early morning and you look over and she is throwing up all over the place. I felt helpless for her and I kind of freaked out a little bit because at that very second I didnt know if I was really awake. Last night she complained of having a sore throat and she felt a little warm. We gave her some motrin and she fell right to sleep. She did wake up once at like 2:30am to use the potty, and she was crying a little because her throat was still sore and she was cold. I guess I saw this coming, but of course I was in denial. So here I sit today trying to help my sweet little girl feel better. The only thing she has eaten thus far are 3 cherry popsicles. Thats ok, because I am afraid to give her solid food in case her stomach cant handle it. Her fever remains but I know thats the body's way of fighting off an infection. I cant for the life of me figure out how she caught this bug. She hasnt been around anyone except me and her father in a few weeks. We will get through this together and by together I mean I am sure everyone in the house will get sick and be miserable within the next few days UGH!!

I have often thought about writing a book

If you have ever known or associated with a private investigator you know that we all have a lot of interesting stories to tell. Enough stories in fact to be able to fill a book, that people would actually buy. For example, I will never forget the woman (who I will not name to protect the innocent) that would call us on occasion to have us debug her house and her body. Apparently, she thought that someone or something had implanted tiny DVD recorders into her homes walls. As time went on she insisted *since we could not find anything in the walls* that the DVD recorders were implanted in her body somewhere.

And of course there was the woman who was convinced that her adult niece was being held captive in the basement of her father’s home in Wisconsin. We work in Michigan so we had to contact an investigator in Wisconsin to go do an alive and well check on the niece. When he arrived to check on the niece, she informed our investigator that her aunt was mentally unstable and never wanted to hear from her again. The police actually got involved on that one and in the end we had to tell our client that if she continued to contact her niece that she would file a personal protection order on her. Talk about insanity!!

Alot of cheating men today

We have had an unusual amount of phone calls this morning from women suspecting that their husbands are cheating on them. We get these call a lot but not like today. Maybe there is something in the air or water that is causing this epedemic. Typically it is usually the men that we get calls from. Its amazing to me sometimes the stories I hear from these callers. It feels good to know that they entrust me with such a sensitive topic. I will not go into great details, but I will say that some of the things I hear are rather personal.

The reality of it is.....

In this business you will not always make money. While we do background checks for people and businesses we also get hired to locate people. Sometimes it is a long lost love or someone who skipped out on a debt. We have to use our best judgment when it comes to locating people because there have been times when a person looking for another individual actually has bad intentions. We have to really listen and get a feel for what the potential client is planning on doing with any information we obtain.
Most of the time we will take on a locate job and instead of directly giving the client the information collected, we will contact the person being searched to get their permission to release their contact information. There has been an occasion or two where the located person doesn’t want to be contacted by our client and we have to in turn explain to our client why.

This morning we received a phone call from a gentleman claiming to be looking for the mother of his child. He had a certain tone to his voice that made me feel that he was planning on doing something bad to this woman in question. When I explained to him our business practices he wasn’t very thrilled. He tried to pressure me into directly giving him the information once it was found. After contesting this idea several times the man changed his mind about locating this woman. I used my judgment and didn’t get the sale but in turn I probably helped an innocent woman from being hurt or killed. Just something to think about…

Good morning sunshine!!

Wow I got hit in the eye with a big fat bucket of sunshine this morning! I was kind of irritated because I could have probably slept in for another hour. Oh well, here I am barely awake. The weather here in Michigan has been nice and crisp and you can feel Autumn rolling in rather quickly. Soon it will be time for apple picking and pumpkin carving which I find a lot of joy in! Fall is above all my favorite season and dont get me started on Halloween. This year my sister asked me to help put on a haunted hayride for a club that they belong to. That should be a lot of fun!!

I am trying to come up with a good costume that will scare kids but not make them pee their pants in the process. I dont want them to have nightmares for days. I found a nice website that has a lot of costume ideas I plan on checking it out more today and coming up with something that is gross, scary, grim and spooky. I will let you know what I decide...

Hello & welcome!

Hello and welcome to my blog. My name is Jennifer and I am a private investigator in the state of Michigan. I am just learning the ins and outs of blogging so please bare with me while my brain absorbs everything it possibly can.

I would like to take this opportunity to explain exactly what this blog will be about. In a nutshell it will be about everything but mainly it will be about Private Detective work. During my ramblings I will also review products, give some insight into my crazy life as a mom and home business owner, give advice and tell everyone who has the guts to read this blog, stories about some of the cases I do. It should turn out to be a very interesting read!