Are Skip Tracing and Missing Persons the Same Thing?
There certainly are some similarities in techniques our private detectives apply, when solving skip tracing and missing person cases. However, there are also subtle differences requiring more adaptive approaches. We unpick these considerations drawing on the deep experience we have of both situations.
Intentionally Missing Versus Accidentally Gone Astray
Skip tracing – as opposed to finding missing persons – tracks down a missing debtor who ‘skipped’ town. We hand the information to our client after we verify where they have gone. Then it’s up to them to appoint a lawyer, or a specialist debt collector to recover their money.
Hence it follows skipped debtors have no desire to be found by creditors, although this does not necessarily mean they want to lose their friends. In fact their friends, even family may never know why they relocated suddenly. To them it is as if life continues as normal.
But missing persons are often in a different category. They seldom plan their departure because circumstances come on them suddenly:
1… A child finishes school and rebels against their parents’ wishes. A power struggle follows. The young adult feels trapped and spontaneously runs away.
2… Two adults in a relationship find this crumbling as they quarrel increasingly frequently. One day on a whim one packs their suitcase and storms out the home.
3… An elderly person starts showing mood changes as dementia bites. Their short-term memory fails, all they remember is the past. One day they simply wander off.
Hence missing people seldom have a plan for the future when they suddenly vanish. But some 95% have a strong longing to return, although they don’t know how.
Skip Tracing, Missing Persons and the Desire to Be Found
In a sense missing persons are easier to find than skipped debtors, because they seldom cover their tracks thoroughly. However, their disorganized departure seldom leaves few solid clues behind. Finding them may require more intuition than solid detective work.
QLD Covert Investigations Has the Private Investigator You Need
QLD Covert Investigations assembled the best team of private investigators in Queensland. That’s because we handpicked both categories of detectives needed for skip tracing, and missing person assignments.
Send us a confidential email on our private network server to access our team of investigative specialists. We are running a special offer. If you phone our operations manager on 0401 553 551 now, we won’t bill you for an initial telephone consultation.
