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

Image of a pioneer’s tombstone in the Australian out-back, Valentine Smith © 2022 The Missed Foundation [i] calculates that for every...

AI – The Tipping Point to human redundancy in investigations and beyond

The first police unit on scene took down basic initial details and commenced a land search of the navigable roads and tracks for some hours.

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

PART TWO OF A FOUR PART SERIES INVESTIGATIVE RESPONSE – THE GAPS IN THE FIRST 120 HOURS   INTRODUCTION:   “If it looks like a duck and...

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

Sometimes when I am discussing missing persons cases, I am asked what is the longest a person has been missing, or similarly what is the...

(Adapted front cover image of Tom Patterson’s 2022 book of the incredible story of Mark May) If there ever was one book that could be...

CREDIT: MATT PALMER - https://mattpalmer.co Our Trip to Craigs Hut. By Pastor Christopher and Yolanda Eckels[i] Edited by Valentine...

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

Often, in order to strengthen an unsupported opinion, a ‘Reckonologist’ will use an expression of “They reckon”.

Out of the Forest is a unique tale of survival. A young man is raised in grim circumstances, facing adversity in the most atrocious of ways.

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?

The incident scene is born through a set of circumstances. It explodes into life and then immediately begins to die until there is virtuall

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”...