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Insight into Investigations
The term ‘lost’ or ‘missing’ creates a mind warp of confusion; just think about it, ‘a lost person can be missing and a missing person can be lost’, alternatively, a person may be missed by others and reported so, but the ‘missing person’ may know exactly where they are, and so they are technically not lost.


The Importance of Professional Private Investigation Services
When you need to find someone in Australia, the task can feel overwhelming. Whether it’s for legal reasons, personal closure, or historical research, locating individuals is rarely straightforward. That’s where professional private investigation services come in. They bring expertise, resources, and ethical standards that make all the difference. But what exactly makes these services so crucial? And how can you ensure your case is handled successfully? Let’s dive into the key

Enigma PI
4 min read


Private Investigation Techniques: Unveiling the Work of Private Investigators
When you think of a private investigator, what comes to mind? A shadowy figure tailing suspects in a trench coat? While Hollywood has certainly glamorized the profession, the reality is far more nuanced and methodical. Private investigation techniques are a blend of art and science, requiring patience, skill, and a deep understanding of human behavior. Today, I want to take you behind the scenes and reveal what really goes into the work of a private investigator, especially w

Enigma PI
4 min read


Part Three: Missing Person Response - Gaps uncovered
PART THREE OF A FOUR PART SERIES Victimology and Witness handling INTRODUCTION: Criticisms, no more criticisms – with over fifty years in policing and investigations, the last ten years almost solely concentrating on missing persons, I have identified gaps in most cases. However, I am generally not overly critical, why? Because I understand reality and the limitations and pressures in which police work. I also understand that it is the front-line officer who is usually the t

Valentine Smith APM
6 min read


Part Two: Missing Person Response – Gaps uncovered
PART TWO OF A FOUR PART SERIES INVESTIGATIVE RESPONSE – THE GAPS IN THE FIRST 120 HOURS INTRODUCTION: “If it looks like a duck and...

Valentine Smith APM
6 min read


Part One: Missing Person Response - Gaps uncovered
PART ONE OF A FOUR-PART SERIES INTRODUCTION: Criticisms, no more criticisms – with over fifty years in policing and investigations, the last ten years almost solely concentrating on missing persons, I have identified gaps in most cases. However, I am generally not overly critical, why? Because I understand reality and the limitations and pressures in which police work. I also understand that it is the front-line officer who is usually the target for criticism, which is often

Valentine Smith APM
6 min read


Gunfire – In ‘The High Country’
Murdered or Lost - clarifying the missing? (Three years down the track) There have always been ‘lone wolf’ stories of mostly men who...

Valentine Smith APM
6 min read


We might as well be on the moon
CREDIT: MATT PALMER - https://mattpalmer.co Our Trip to Craigs Hut. By Pastor Christopher and Yolanda Eckels[i] Edited by Valentine...

Valentine Smith APM
11 min read


Paradoxical undressing
Paradoxical undressing is one of those strange things that an investigator can come across, more especially in the depths of winter.

Valentine Smith APM
4 min read
![Murder and Missing Persons - It is not just about ‘Reckonology[i]’](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/93549e_2311d4fa984b4d519f79fc7f6fe9a5f0~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_333,h_250,fp_0.50_0.50,q_30,blur_30,enc_avif,quality_auto/93549e_2311d4fa984b4d519f79fc7f6fe9a5f0~mv2.webp)
![Murder and Missing Persons - It is not just about ‘Reckonology[i]’](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/93549e_2311d4fa984b4d519f79fc7f6fe9a5f0~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_514,h_386,fp_0.50_0.50,q_90,enc_avif,quality_auto/93549e_2311d4fa984b4d519f79fc7f6fe9a5f0~mv2.webp)
Murder and Missing Persons - It is not just about ‘Reckonology[i]’
Often, in order to strengthen an unsupported opinion, a ‘Reckonologist’ will use an expression of “They reckon”.

Valentine Smith APM
3 min read


Birdwatching - for bodies (Observations of wildlife to locate human remains).
As we get older some of us get great pleasure in ‘observing', from watching people in the street, to dog’s territorialising the park

Valentine Smith APM
13 min read


Footprints in the Wilderness
Why do any of us feel rejuvenated when we go into a forest, sit on a quiet ocean beach, or even visit an urban park?

Valentine Smith APM
3 min read


“Cold Case Challenges” Missing in Action, Lost Boys in the Wilderness
The incident scene is born through a set of circumstances. It explodes into life and then immediately begins to die until there is virtuall

Valentine Smith APM
7 min read


Losing Track
How many times do you think, hear or say, “I’ve lost track of where I am” or maybe it is more a case of “I’ve lost track of my thoughts”...

Valentine Smith APM
9 min read
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