Elaine Park vanished into thin air on Jan. 28, 2017, from Calabasas, the gateway to the Santa Monica Mountains located in Los Angeles County, Calif.
Elaine is a beautiful 21-year-old Korean-American young woman who is described as spunky, outgoing by those who know her. Before her disappearance, she had been looking forward to attending Pierce College. A young lady who loves performing in musical theater and dance companies. She has also worked hard to pursue her dreams as an actress.
Elaine has appeared in several roles in TV shows and some movies including Crazy Stupid Love, Role Models, E.R. Mad TV, and Desperate Housewives. Not yet a household name, she was certainly headed in that direction.
In a Hollywood Reporter article “Search for Missing Actress Intensifies as $250,000 Cash Reward Offered”, according to the family’s private investigator Jayden Brant located in Beverly Hills, Elaine’s case is classified as an “unwilling missing person” by authorities and foul play is suspected.
According to the FBI National Crime Information Center, as of Oct. 31, 2017, there were 87,643 active missing person cases in the United States. In Calif., there are 19,431 active missing person cases, with 1,829 classified as “Involuntary” and another 4,234 classified as “Endangered” within six categories of entry in the national database.
Elaine had stayed the night with her boyfriend Divine “Div” Compere. Compere is the son of Hollywood businessman Shakim Compere, who co-owns Flavor Unit Entertainment with Queen Latifa.
Compere told police that he and Elaine had gone to a movie the night before she mysteriously vanished and returned to his home at 1:00am that evening, taking Uber and later confirmed on surveillance. Compere also claims at approximately 4:00 am, Elaine suddenly woke up shaking and singing which he attributed to a panic attack. Surveillance captures Elaine walking to her car two hours later, not appearing distressed. Video also shows Elaine’s vehicle leaving Divine’s compound, near the 2600 block of Delphine Lane in the rugged Coldwater Canyon of Calabasas.
A resident of La Cresenta, Calif., Elaine was reported missing two days later when family became concerned she had not returned home, calls or responded to texts.
As reported in an NBC Dateline interview, “Mother Appeals for Continued Help in Search for Missing California Daughter,” Elaine’s mother Susan Parks said, “I called (police) and, because of her age, the police thought she had just not contacted me. So, I thought, OK, just wait one more day. But my fear kept growing. The official report was made Monday.”
Police had initially considered Elaine to be voluntarily missing until Feb 2, when Elaine’s charcoal gray 2015 Honda Civic, was found abandoned in a desolate area, approximately 20 miles away, along Hwy 1-Pacific Coast Highway just south of Corral Canyon Rd., in Malibu.
The vehicle’s doors were unlocked with keys still in the ignition. Personal belongings were found inside, including her keys, backpack, cell phone, purse, makeup, cash and laptop.
Police conducted a ground search with bloodhounds along the cliffs and shore but there was no sign of Elaine in the area
Elaine’s car was found along Pacific Coast Highway, near Corral Canyon.
“It’s suspicious in the way that we found her car, her cell phone and things, in the manner we did,” Glendale Police Sgt. Robert William told Dateline. “We can’t rule foul play in or out because plain and simple, we don’t have any evidence to do so.”
Authorities have said the boyfriend has been cooperative and not considered a suspect, but theories and suspicion abound on Internet sleuth sites.
At a news conference, Elaine’s mother Susan Park said, “It’s completely a mystery, unimaginable. How can someone just disappear without a trace?” Park has made numerous public pleas for help to find her missing daughter including an emotional plea and “time-limited” $500,000 reward offered for information.
Rolling Stone writer Neil Strauss, partnered with Incubus guitarist Mike Einziger to raise awareness wearing T-shirts with “Find Elaine Park.” Einziger, along with his wife Marie who live in the area where Elaine went missing. Appearing on KROQ, they asked the public for help to keep the search for Elaine going.
Marie Einziger, Incubus guitarist Mike Einziger, and Rolling Stone writer Neil Strauss – Courtesy KROQ
Now, with the $500,000 reward expired, along with lack of leads, Elaine’s family and friends are even more desperate to find her. The family has created a presence on social media with a Facebook page “Help Find Elaine Park” dedicated to the continued search for information that may help find her. Her mother has posted fliers and searched places Elaine loved to go, including the boardwalks. The family is doing what they can, but they need additional help.
“Missing person investigations can be quite complex, and one must always think outside the box during an investigation,” says private investigator and MissingLeads.com contributor Thomas Lauth. Lauth has over two decades private investigation experience on missing person cases and headquartered in Ind. “As important as it is to pound the pavement to obtain information, I can’t stress enough, the importance of engaging the public in the search for a missing person. Many crimes are solved by raising awareness, generating that one lead, and social media is a vital tool.”
In Andy Nguyen’s report in the L.A. Times, “$250K reward offered in missing LaCresenta missing woman’s disappearance,” family private investigator Jayden Brant says, “It’s our strong contention that Elaine Park is an involuntary missing person and that foul play is involved in her disappearance.”
The passing months torturous for Elaine’s mother Susan, enduring having her child missing, one of the most traumatic of human experiences. With only the strength a mother could muster, Susan Park remains focused on finding answers, most importantly and no matter the outcome focused on bringing her daughter home.
Humboldt County, in picturesque northern California, is the home of the majestic Coastal Redwood forests with about 110 miles of breathtaking coastline along Pacific Coast Highway 101. Approximately 250 miles north of San Francisco, Humboldt is approximately 2.3 million acres of combined dense forests and public land with a population of only 134,623 people according to the 2010 census.
Formed in 1853, rural Humboldt County has a rich pioneer history and once solely inhabited by the Wiyot Indian tribe dating back to around 900 BCE. It borders the scarcely populated and heavily forested Trinity County with the rugged Klamath Mountains running north into Oregon.
Traveling through, one can quickly be taken back in time to a life of living off the land and part of the allure for many seeking a simpler way of life.
Dotted with hundreds of beautifully ornate historic Victorian homes, Eureka is Humboldt’s largest town. Also known as “Best Small Art Town in America”, an estimated 8,000 artists call it home along with students attending College of the Redwoods main campus. The well-known smaller college town of Arcata is about a 7.5-mile drive north past the magnificent Arcata Bay.
Neighboring Trinity County is 3,179 square miles of rugged terrain and the Klamath Mountains occupying most of the county and a popular area for backpacking, camping, and fishing.
Trinity is a place of splendid and inspiring scenery where there are no traffic lights, parking meters and local drugstore in the historic California Gold Rush town of Weaverville has been filling prescriptions since 1852.
Humboldt’s dark past
Known as “Bigfoot Country” where hundreds of sightings have occurred and people from around the world tell stories of the large, hairy, human-like creature lurking in remote regions of the northern California forests, stories of murder and missing persons have also been told for decades.
Long gone are the days’ hippies hitchhiked from across the country promoting love and peace in Humboldt County. Urban refugees and long-time residents can tell you the innocence of Humboldt is now gone, replaced by increasing violence, unexplained disappearances, and missing person fliers.
Emerald Triangle and Murder Mountain
Known as a Stoner’s paradise since the 1960’s, small business owners, students, artists, people seeking inner peace and those wanting to live off the grid, have been drawn to the beauty of Humboldt County.
Emerald Triangle, consisting of the Humboldt, Trinity, and Mendocino counties, is a mountainous and heavily forested area where marijuana growers cultivate California’s number one cash crop. In fact, much of the estimated 104 billion nationwide sales of marijuana is grown there.
This is where Humboldt County and the surrounding area become downright dangerous, even deadly. Old timers say Humboldt is no longer the home of the peaceful hippies and quiet homestead marijuana growers. Instead, Humboldt has become home for those wanting to make a fast buck trimming pot plants, bringing drifters and even the Bulgarian cartel to town. “It is a modern day green rush,” says Detective Chandler Baird the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.
While many are moving in, others are moving out. A once colorful mural on the side of the Co-op building located on E Street in Eureka is now fading along with the feeling of safety within the community. Known for strange disappearances, northern California has even been identified as the trolling ground of serial killers dating back decades, tourists are often warned not to venture too far out on their own. The beautiful, yet ominous fog covered forest has kept many secrets over the years.
Murder Mountain is one of those not so secret . . . secrets, approximately 84 miles south of Eureka, in southern Humboldt County. During the early 1980’s, the area got its name, in part, after serial killer couple James and Suzan Carson confessed to killing and dismembering a co-worker on a marijuana farm. The couple was charged with three homicides but remain suspects in as many as 10 more. Numerous disappearances and unsolved homicides have haunted the area.
Murder Mountain in Alderpoint, has a population of 186 residents but concern grows throughout Humboldt as homicides and disappearances appear to be expanding throughout the county.
In fact, a self-proclaimed vigilante group known as the “Alderpoint 8” have become community heroes after reportedly obtaining a confession from a person of interest and leading authorities to a gravesite of Garrett Rodriquez who had vanished in late December 2012 and creating a presence of order though some citizens feel the local group of men are using intimidation and committing crimes too.
Whether the threat is external or community members “on the inside” the threat to resident’s and visitor’s safety appears real. Either way, for every missing person and unsolved homicide, there is a family holding on to hope and waiting.
Numbers don’t lie
According to the FBI National Crime Information Center (NCIC), there were 87,180 active missing person cases in the U.S. as of September 30, 2017. In addition, there were 8,589 active Unidentified persons entered into the national database, most deceased.
California leads the country in the number of missing person reports with 19,316 missing persons, compared to Texas that numbers 5,988, and Arizona with 2,281 active missing person reports.
Though California has captured national attention for the depravity of several serial killers throughout the decades, experts attribute the higher number of missing person reports is due, in part, to mandatory reporting requirements. California Penal Code 14205 states in part, all local police and sheriff’s departments shall accept any report, including telephonic reports of missing persons, including runaways, without delay and shall give priority to the handling of these reports over the handling of reports relating to crimes involving property.”
1993 Disappearance of Jennifer Wilmer
Many have gravitated to Northern California in pursuit of a new lifestyle in a climate where they can be the free spirits they are. Jennifer Wilmer, who went by the nickname Jade, was one of those bright free spirits who went searching for more in the redwoods of northern California, where she was last seen in 1993.
Jennifer Wilmer
Born April 13, 1972, Jennifer grew up on the bustling east coast in Long Island, NY, and attended the privileged St. Mary’s High School in Manhasset. A hard-working student, Jennifer had earned a full scholarship to St. John’s University in N.Y.C. a private, Roman Catholic, research university located on Utopia Parkway in Queens. Dropping out after only one semester, Jennifer expressed to family and friends she wanted to pursue her own “utopia” and enroll for classes at the College of the Redwoods, in Eureka, California. In 1992, a bright and beautiful 20-year old arrived in the seaside community of Arcata on a journey into the hippie counterculture.
Arcata is a town where the vibrant old souls of Haight Ashbury seemed to preserve the 60’s. The intersection of Haight and Ashbury streets is located in San Francisco about 200 miles south of the seaside town of Arcata. A place where the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, the Mamas & the Papas and the Fuggs help create a psychedelic subculture where youth and young adults throughout the country flocked. Following the likes of LSD guru Timothy Leary who coined the term, “Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out”, that is exactly what some did, even decades later.
Upon arriving in Arcata, Jennifer told her family classes at College of the Redwoods were full for the semester, so she opted to find work as a local waitress and rented space in a house with several roommates located in Hawkins Bar in scenic Trinity County, approximately 50 miles east of Arcata on California State Route 299.
There are two opposing reports for the day Jennifer vanished on September 13, 1993. One person reported Jennifer was last seen leaving her Willow Creek residence to go to a travel agency to pick up a one-way return airline ticket to New York her mother Susan Wilmer had purchased for her. Her family was desperate for her return, but she never arrived at the travel agency to retrieve her ticket.
Another report indicates Jennifer had been seen hitchhiking in the vicinity of Hawkins Bar toward Willow Creek to inquire about a job opportunity at a local farm. The distance is approximately 9.5 miles northwest of her residence.
According to High Times journalist Elise McDonogh’s article, “Humboldt County: Murder Mayhem and Marijuana”, even as far back as the late 1970’s people looking for work as farm hands and marijuana trimmers were warned of the dangers of accepting rides from strangers and the strange disappearances around Murder Mountain. Of course, few could imagine such dark evil lurking in such picturesque surroundings.
The Vanishing of Karen Mitchell
Twenty years ago, sixteen-year-old Karen Mitchell vanished on Nov. 25, 1997. Known as one of Eureka’s long-lasting unsolved mysteries, Karen was only five days away from her seventieth birthday, a high school junior who vanished in broad daylight.
Karen moved from Southern California to live with her aunt and uncle, Bill and Annie Casper who were well-known in the community. Annie still owns “Annie’s Shoe Store” where Karen had visited her aunt before disappearing on Broadway, in downtown Eureka, on her way to the Coastal Family Development Center where she helped care for children.
When it was discovered Karen was missing, law enforcement and volunteers from the community conducted ground searches and went door to door. Police followed-up on thousands of leads but no information has ever lead to her whereabouts. Karen’s disappearance impacted the entire community and her family has never given up hope they will find out what happened to her that fateful day.
Karen Mitchell
In a Eureka Times-Standard article in Dec. 2012, reporter Kaci Poor interviewed Dave Parris, then lead investigator of Karen’s case at Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office. “I will never forget her short hair, her beautiful eyes, and cheeks,” Parris said. “I remember5 the jewelry that she wore and the clothes she had on. I have never met Karen Mitchell – to this day, I have never met her—but when you go into her bedroom, read her college applications, talk to her family . . . you begin to know her.”
The day Karen vanished she had been filling out college applications and had planned to attend Humboldt State University. Described as a liberal and opinionated young lady, she loved politics, the environment, and children. Parris said, “You could tell she was going to be successful. She was going to be a person who would make a real difference.”
Parris, who is now retired, says he still thinks about Karen’s case. Over the years, Karen’s disappearance has spurred many theories but the detectives now on the case have not received any new leads that have helped any progress on the case.
Initially, thousands of tips poured in that now take up over 30 volumes, that stand over six-feet high.
Parris recalls a tip he received from a former police officer. The officer had told detectives he had to slam on his brakes to avoid hitting a light blue 1977 Ford Granada that had slowed down to talk to a young girl who closely resembled Karen the day of her disappearance.
Despite tracking down 1,200 vehicles scattered across the West Coast that matched the vehicle description, no solid leads were ever found.
In 1999, Wayne Allen Ford, a resident of a nearby trailer park, walked into the Eureka County Sheriff’s Office with a severed female breast in his pocket and proceeded to confess to authorities that he had murdered four women during 1997 and 1998. Detectives interviewed the 36-year old truck driver, but he could not be tied to Karen’s disappearance. Ford was eventually charged with four counts of first-degree murder unrelated to Karen’s case, sentenced to the death penalty and currently serving time in San Quentin prison.
Another suspected serial killer and millionaire Robert Durst became the focus of authorities. A very private man, Durst is described as an enigma. Durst was known to love marijuana and his privacy, two things Trinidad and Eureka offer. Also known as the “Lost Coast”, a ghost-like Durst could live undetected. Though Durst had no financial worries of his own, he was known to hang out with transients, the down and out.
Reported in The Guardian, author of “A Deadly Secret” Matt Birkbeck writes in his book, that credit card receipts place Durst in Eureka the day Karen went missing and that Durst also resembles a police composite of a man who a witness claimed was seen trying to force a girl matching the description of Karen into a car. In addition, Durst was thought to frequent a homeless shelter where Karen may have volunteered and confirmed he was a customer at Annie Shoe Store.
Accused of killing his wife Kathie Durst in 1982 he was never charged. He was then suspected in the murder of friend Susan Berman in 2000 in Los Angeles, then later acquitted of the dismemberment murder of drifter Morris Black in 2001.
While Durst was thought to be in the area of Eureka at the time of Karen’s disappearance, police were not able to tie him to the disappearance of the young, bright girl who had her entire life in front of her. In fact, only more questions have arisen in recent years and speculation several Humboldt County disappearances and murders may be connected. But to who?
The Disappearance Sheila Franks and the murder of Danielle Bertolini
Danielle Bertolini
In 2013, beautiful 23-year old Danielle Bertollini moved to California from Bangor, Maine after the death of her infant son. She had hoped to start a new life in Fortuna approximately 17 miles south of Eureka.
Danielle talked to her mother Billie Jo Dick almost on a daily basis, so when she didn’t hear from her daughter, she filed a missing person report on Feb. 19, 2014. She immediately flew from Maine to California to search for her daughter, along with Deemi Search and Rescue where she was a volunteer. Danielle’s father Jon Bertollini who lives in Oregon also traveled to Fortuna to help search for his Danielle.
Danielle had last been seen getting into a car on the road leading to her house in the rural area known as Swains Flats, along Highway 36. A local, James Eugene Jones was questioned by police and admitted he had given Danielle a ride and was the last person to see her. Police soon connected Jones to the disappearance of another Fortuna woman Sheila Franks a week prior to Danielle’s disappearance. The connection between the two cases then raised questions as to other missing person investigations into disappearances of many missing women in the area.
Sheila Franks was a divorced mother and had been living with Jones prior to her disappearance. Jones claims on Feb. 2, 2014, he and Sheila were both at his house and Sheila had gone for a walk and didn’t return. Jones, a 43-year old sawmill worker, was now the focus of both investigations.
However, according to a 2016 Crime Watch Daily report, another connection had been discovered. Shelia’s sister Melisa Walstrom indicated Jones also knew Karen Mitchell. Melisa went to school with Jones and has known him all her life.
After Sheila’s disappearance, Melisa went through a storage unit where Jones had placed Sheila’s personal belongings. “In the storage unit I found my sister’s purse that had money, credit cards, it had a birth certificate, everything that my sister had that was important to her, she wouldn’t up and disappear and not take the money at least,” said Walstrom.
Upon making the discovery of her sister’s belongings in storage, it removed all doubt that Jones had to be responsible for Sheila’s mysterious disappearance.
A friend of Sheila’s confirmed there was trouble in her relationship with Jones and there were signs Sheila had been beaten by Jones a week prior to going missing. “She was like, “Well, Jimmy and I got into a fight and he punched me, gave me a black eye,” added Walstrom.
Police were no closer to answers, until Mar. 9, 2015 when a skull was found in a local riverbed along the Eel River. On May 25, 2015, Billie Jo Dick was notified the skull had been identified was that of her daughter Danielle’s.
Jones has had criminal charges for drugs and a conviction for domestic violence but despite compelling connections between the two women’s disappearances, no arrest has been made. While police say Jones is not a suspect, he does remain a person of interest.
We are still left with questions. Are these disappearances connected? And, is there a serial killer still operating in the shadows of Murder Mountain?
One person believes the theory of a serial killer has merit.
Indiana Private Investigator probes the dark side, another disappearance
Christine Walters
Thomas Lauth, an Indiana private investigator who has spent over 20-years investigating missing person cases, has delved into the dark side of Humboldt County on several occasions.
Nov. 14, 2008, another young Wisconsin woman vanished during broad daylight in Eureka. Five months before her disappearance, 23-year old, Christine Walters had been attending college at the University of Wisconsin in Deerfield, and the future seemed bright.
Christine, a vivacious young woman, wanted to explore the world. In July 2008, Christine planned a 3-week summer trip to Portland, Ore. She had intended to continue her college studies upon returning to Wis., but instead, Christine decided to abruptly move to Humboldt County with friends she had met during her trip.
In a 2013, Times Standard article, Christine’s mother Anita Walters said, “I believe she was too trusting of the people she met in California. She didn’t know the people and didn’t understand the culture out there.” She added, “And I know there are a lot of young adults who go there to disappear and don’t want to be found. I honestly believe that is not the case for her. If she said that now, she would be totally brainwashed. Her and I were very close.”
Initially, upon moving to Calif., Christine’s calls were upbeat. She had made many friends and connected with individuals who were part of Green Life Evolutions, a group that has since been described as a potential cult and since disbanded. At the time, Green Life had two locations, one in Eureka, another in Blue Lake, approximately 16 miles northeast of Eureka.
Christine’s phone calls home went from happy and upbeat to concerning. On October 28, 2008, Anita recalled a phone call where she asked her daughter to return home for a while. Christine told her mother she wasn’t ready to return because she was on a “journey” and needed to follow her “path.”
Christine Walters
One-week prior to her daughter’s disappearance, on November 7, 2008, Christine had been part of a Ayahuasca tea ceremony, using a South American hallucinogen. There were approximately 20 individuals who participated in the cleansing ceremony, led by a Shaman named Tito Santana.
Cleansing ceremonies have been used for centuries. It is said William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg called it yage, but it goes by many names including hoasca, natem, shori, Vine of the Dead, Vine of the Soul, and Spirit Vine to name a few.
Participants describe the experience as mystical and a psycho-spiritual psychedelic trip that can bring visions, self-realization and commonly violent purging, or vomiting.
According to those at Green Life, after the ceremony, Christine stayed with other participants and rested but left by herself the evening of Nov. 11, 2008.
The following morning, a couple found Christine on their front porch on Tompkins Hills Rd., approximately 20 miles away from where she had been staying in Arcata/Blue Lakes. She was naked, cold, hungry, thirsty, with extensive briar scratches all over her body.
Christine was taken to St. Joseph Hospital. Humboldt County authorities interviewed her due to her injuries but found her evasive when recounting what had happened to her. Instead, she claimed she had “walked a long way” and claimed there were demons who could hear her and were trying to get her. Upon Christine’s release from the hospital, she went to the Red Lion Inn in Eureka and called her mother several times from the hotel expressing paranoia and fearfully expressing there were people that were going to find her no matter where she went.
On November 14, 2008, Anita Walters agrees to fax Christine a copy of her driver’s license and social security card, so Christine could go to DMV and access her bank account. At approximately 1 pm Christine dropped the hotel keys onto the front desk and walked out wearing her pajamas.
The owner of Copy Co. Printing at I Street in Eureka stated Christine arrived there at approximately 3:30 pm wearing her pajamas and slippers, hair disheveled, claiming she had lost her wallet but acting very paranoid and looking over her shoulder. She asked for directions to DMV located approximately 1 mile from the copy center and departed. She has never been seen again.
Her family has struggled, only wanting answers. “We want Christine to know we love her dearly and miss her very much, and we pray every day for an answer as to what happened to her. Someone must have seen her and certainly, there is one person that has the answer, so please help us,” said Anita Walters.
“This has been one of the most baffling cases I have seen in my twenty-years of investigating missing person cases throughout this country,” says Thomas Lauth of Lauth Investigations International headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind. “With the mysterious disappearances of so many women in Humboldt County, we can never rule out there may be a serial killer operating in the Humboldt County area, but we are always hopeful someone who knows something will come forward and provide these families some peace that only answers will bring.”
Kym L. Pasqualini is the founder of Nation’s Missing Children Organization in 1994 and National Center for Missing Adults in 2000, serving as CEO until 2010. Kym has spent 20 years working with government, law enforcement, advocates, private investigators, and national media, to include expert appearances on CNN, MSNBC, FOX, John Walsh, Lifetime, Montel, and Anderson Cooper.
A veteran (or dinosaur) in the field of missing persons, Kym is considered an expert in the field of crime victim advocacy and continues to work with media advocating for crime victims.
People go missing every day, and because of the complexity of a missing persons’ case under the eyes of the law sometimes it may be necessary to hire an independent missing persons investigator to get the job done. At times an independent missing persons investigator can step in on a case when law enforcement can help no further, since missing persons’ cases are often considered ‘cold’ by and sometimes not even classified as ‘missing’ by the police.
According to Todd Matthews from the National Missing and Unidentified Persons Systems (NamUs), a national database for missing persons, on average, about 90,000 persons are missing in the United States of America at any given time. With the odds of one of your loved ones being in that number it’s important to know how to hire a missing persons investigator to assist in their safe return home. Luckily, if you are already in such an unfortunate situation yourself you can use this guide to make the right choice and hire a reliable independent missing persons investigator.
Chances are your first instinct may be to check the telephone directory. However, this may not be a good idea as there are a few distinct traits that a missing persons investigator must have, which you wouldn’t be able to tell just by looking at an ad. We suggest you look into a few other places instead, such as a clerk at your county’s police department, speaking with a criminal defense lawyer, the duty agency at your local FBI, or simply asking a friend or family member for a recommendation.
Now, we mentioned that there are certain traits that a reliable independent missing persons investigator should have. Here is a quick breakdown of some of the most important traits that you should look out for when doing your research and interviewing prospective investigators.
Missing Persons Investigator Licence
Because of the varying laws in different states, it’s also important to know whether or not the investigator is licensed since some states don’t require an independent missing persons investigator to be licensed anyone could claim to be an investigator without actually being legitimate. Ensure that the person you are researching has a licence as it is further proof of their credibility.
Educated in Criminal Justice
It’s imperative that a missing persons investigator not only have some education in criminal justice but also possess a degree to prove it. According to PrivateInvestigatorEDU.org the best degrees to look out for are:
Associate of Arts in Criminal Justice
Associates of Science in Legal Studies
Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement
Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration
Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration – Human Services
Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice
Flawless Record
Another requirement is that an investigators’ background is clean, meaning that they have no criminal record, there hasn’t been any disciplinary actions filed against them, nor have they had any complaints with previous clients. This is important because most investigators would want to honor their good reputation and work extra hard on your case to make sure that their record remains intact.
Works from an Office
Working as an independent missing persons investigator requires a lot of energy, it involves dealing with panicky relatives and emotional loved ones. Because of this, the job can be very exhausting and must be done in a professional environment for maximum efficiency.
If an investigator is working out of his basement it’s hardly likely he can manage the stress of such a task. It’s also safe to assume that he or she has the necessary resources to handle the job. If the investigator was serious about finding missing persons they would have rented an office.
Accomplished
We also recommend that the investigator who you choose to hire has a history of solved cases and a good reputation in the field, as this could increase the chances of your case being solved since. There is a flip side to this, however, as there are some investigators who won’t take a case because just like the police they believe it’s a ‘cold’ one.
If possible, you should seek references and testimonials from other families and non-profit organizations for proof of their achievements. What’s even better is if one or more of their solved cases has made it to the news, then you’ll know that they’re serious about their job.
Good Personality Traits
A great way to tell if you have the right investigator is by their personality traits. Not only should a good independent missing persons investigator have the knowledge and know-how of the trade, but he or she should also have an excellent personality.
Things to look out for are trustworthiness, friendliness, honesty, creativity, passion, and persistence. There is no point in hiring a slimy investigator or one who doesn’t put his all into the job because then you’ll end up paying someone who helps you less than the police when often times the reason why you had to turn to an investigator was because the case was out of the authorities’ hands.
Some of these traits can be picked up during your interview with the investigator, while others would only be apparent by speaking with their previous clients or the person/s who recommended them to you.
Professional Habits
Finally, an independent missing persons investigator must show certain professional habits in order to be considered reliable. Simple things like returning calls promptly and updating you on the progress of the investigation is a just a couple things that are expected from a professional independent missing persons investigator.
Again, you could save yourself the trouble by asking these questions to the person who referred the investigator to you instead of finding out afterward that their working habits are unprofessional.
Another important thing to focus on is how specific the investigator is when it comes to billing. A trustworthy investigator will always make sure that a contract is drafted and that there is full transparency when discussing payment. Be sure to have a lawyer look over the contract if you must and make sure that there is nothing questionable in the fine print.
Conclusion
Hiring an independent missing persons investigator is an important decision, which is why it’s important that you get the right person for the job. If you’ve ever lost someone you loved then you know that emotional distress can be overwhelming. With these tips and suggestions, you should have no trouble making the correct choice and hiring an investigator who will ease some of your concerns.
Have you ever hired a missing persons investigator before? Do you still have any questions? Let us know in the comments below and we’ll be sure to get back to you.
Ryder Johnson was 20 years old when he disappearance on January 17, 2016. Johnson was last seen leaving his job at Eldora Mountain Resort at about three in the afternoon. After several weeks of searching for the young man, search crews and rescue teams have only been able to locate Johnson’s car. The car was found the night of January 17 parked at Gross Dam Road in Southwest Boulder County. Ryder’s cell phone and Identification for the Eldora Ski Resort were found near the vehicle. Rescue crews searched Gross Reservoir and Walker Ranch immediately after Johnson was reported missing to no avail. There have been no new leads in the Johnson case. A boot with a severed foot inside was found on June 1, 2016, however though DNA testing it was determined that the foot does not belong to Ryder Johnson. His parents have established a $100,000 reward for any new information that helps find Johnson or leads to an arrest if foul play was involved. The reward expires on the one-year anniversary of Johnson’s disappearance, January 17, 2017.
Ryder Johnson: Physical Description
Age: 20 years old
Height: 5 feet 10 inches
Weight: 155 lbs.
Race/Appearance: Caucasian
Gender: Male
If you have any information regarding Ryder Johnson’s disappearance contact the Sheriff’s office at: (303)441-4444
Option 1: Establish a Reward for Information
According to Professor Alexandra Natapoff of Loyola Law School
offering cash rewards for information in criminal cases is on the rise. Professor Natapoff has stated that she is unsure whether or not rewards actually produce results. According to BBC, only about two percent of rewards are claimed. However, rewards do increase the media attention surrounding the case, which in itself can help provide law enforcement with needed information. William P. Barrett, a writer for Forbes, stated in his article “Economic Stimulus: More Cash Rewards To Solve Crime” that rewards do have one practical advantage,
The U.S. Constitution’s Fourth Amendment puts limits on the ability
of governmental agents to collect information, including a requirement that most searches need prior judicial approval after a showing of ‘probable cause’. But there is almost no limit on the use by government of information voluntarily provided by private citizens.
In regards to the Ryder Johnson case, The Johnson family created the reward in hopes of receiving new information. The police are no longer actively searching for Ryder Johnson, even though the case remains open. The police will investigate new tips, but they do not have a dedicated team looking for leads.
Option 2: Hire A Private Investigator
The National Crime Information Center reported 84,961 active missing persons cases at the end of 2015. Persons under 21 years old make up 49.5% of these cases. Police Departments across the United States are overwhelmed with missing person cases in addition to homicide and larceny cases. Local law enforcement only have so many resources to devote to all of these areas of crime, so in order to ensure your case is being given the full attention it deserves hire a Private Investigator to take a look at your case.
Private Investigators Can:
Conduct mobile or stationary surveillance
Perform convert operations
Collect additional evidence admissible in court
Dedicate more time to your case
Provide support and information to families
Option 3: Generate Media Attention And Community Engagement
Media attention can be extremely helpful in generating tips about missing persons. Keeping the media engaged in your loved ones story can be challenging, but it is important to keep people aware of your loved ones case. Community engagement is another avenue for generating important leads in your loved ones case. More people in the community may have information in the case, and providing them with a way to contact a tip line or come forward with information is important. Local searches also require volunteers; engaging your local community can produce helpful volunteers. Setting up a Facebook page is another way to spread awareness and information about your loved one. These are just a few of the steps you and your loved ones can take to help law enforcement find your loved one.
If you have any information regarding Ryder Johnson’s disappearance contact the Sheriff’s office at: (303)441-4444
On Tuesday, September 16, 15-year-old Nisa Mickens and 16-year-old Kayla Cuevas were beaten to deathin the streets of Brentwood, Long Island. Police believe Kayla was targeted for kidnapping by gang members planning to use her for sex trafficking.
Rob Mickens, Nisa’s father, had dropped Nisa off at Kayla’s house to hang out at 6:30 p.m. and that was the last time he’d see his daughter alive. When Nisa’s father returned to pick her up a few hours later, the girls were nowhere to be found.
The family began searching the area for their missing children, but it was a passing motorist who spotted Nisa’s body in the street outside of Loretta Park Elementary School at 8:30 p.m.. Police discovered Kayla’s body late Wednesday afternoon in a wooded area near her home. Kayla’s cell phone was found near Nisa’s body. Investigators suspect gang members attempted to kidnap Kayla, but Nisa tried to defend her friend and fight the kidnappers off.
“My daughter is very resilient. She worries about other people before worrying about herself, “ said Nisa’s mother, Elizabeth Alvorado.
Nisa was in the eleventh grade and played basketball for her high school. Her birthday would’ve been Wednesday. She’ll be remembered by her family as a girl who gave her life trying to protect someone else’s.
A heartbroken Alvarado told ABC 7, “She hugged me before she left and thats rare for her. And she hugged me twice and I’m not thinking anything of.”
While the case of Nisa and Kayla’s murder is particularly brutal, the circumstances surrounding them are not unique. According to the FBI, human trafficking is the third-largest criminal activity in the world. It’s an industry that generates over $32 billion a year and overwhelmingly victimizes girls.
A joint study of human trafficking by the University of San Diego and Point Loma Nazarene University found there are 8,830 to 11,773 underage and adult sex trafficking victims per year in San Diego County alone. 98% of these victims were female. The study also found that victims came from all racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. According toDoSomething.org, an organization aimed at young people and social change, the average age range of a teen entering the sex trade in the U.S. is 12 to 14-years-old.
Not every case is like Nisa and Kayla’s. Even when trafficking victims escape, the damage can have long lasting effects. In a storyfiled September 15th to CBS News in Dallas, a 14-year-old girl recounted her story of being forced into prostitution. As one of the youngest girls in North Texas to ever discuss her victimization publicly, she has chosen to keep her identity a secret.
The girl says she was lured into sex trafficking after using an app called Tagged. Her soon-to-be traffickers convinced her to come hang out by offering to smoke marijuana with her. What she thought was a way to fill a bored afternoon quickly turned into a horrifying trek around Texas.
One man and two women gave the girl drugs before trying to sell her for sex online. They took her from Dallas to San Antonio to Austin all the while posting escort ads on the internet. Stuck without a car, the perpetrators told the girl she would have to prostitute herself to pay for a way back home.
“I couldn’t go nowhere. They had a car. I didn’t know where I was at,” she told CBS Fort-Worth.
“We know that statistics show about 400 underage girls in Dallas are sold each night,” Alicia Bush, the founder of a Frisco based nonprofit that work with victims of human trafficking, said in the same article.
“We’re finding out these girls need long-term residential care,” says Bush. “This is a lifelong journey of healing and that’s really what’s important to us.”
Nefarious activity will always take place when there’s money to be made and people willing to disregard the lives of others. In 2014, a report by the Urban Institute estimated that the underground sex economy ranged from $39.9 million in Denver, Colorado, to $290 million in Atlanta, Georgia. Pimps and traffickers interviewed for the study reported taking home between $5,000 and $32,833 a week.
Human greed and indifference to the suffering of others certainly played a role in the disappearance, rape, and murder of 17-year-old Britanee Drexel in 2009. Drexel, a New York native, was staying in a Myrtle Beach hotel against the wishes of her parents when she crossed paths with 16-year-old Da’Shaun Taylor.
Taylor took Drexel from Myrtle Beach to McClellanville, South Carolina. Fox News reported that FBI agent Gerrick Munoz testified in court that the FBI believes Taylor, “showed her off, introduced her to some other friends that were there…they ended up tricking her out with some of their friends, offering her to them and getting a human trafficking situation.”
Drexel’s disappearance had remained a mystery for years until a “bombshell” confession from an inmate serving a 25 year involuntary manslaughter conviction named Taquan Brown. Brown told investigators,
“He saw Da’Shaun Taylor, then 16 years old, and several other men “sexually abusing Brittanee Drexel.” Brown then said he walked to the backyard of the house to give money to Taylor’s father, Shaun Taylor. But as Brown and Shaun Taylor talked, Drexel tried to make a break for it. Her escape attempt was in vain, however, and one of the captors “pistol-whipped” Drexel and carried her back inside the house. Brown said he then heard two gunshots. The next time Brown said he saw Drexel, her body was being wrapped up and removed from the house. Drexel’s body has never been found, but Munoz said “several witnesses” have told investigators she was dumped in an unspecified McClellanville pond teeming with alligators.”
Human trafficking is a global industry that generates billions of dollars and impacts millions of people every year. Sometimes the victim is saved and returned to her mother, like in the case of the 14-year-old in Dallas. Other cases, like Brittanee Drexel’s, linger until a jailhouse confession years after the fact. And in other instances the tragedy of a case is immediately revealed, such as in the deaths of Nisa Mickens and Kayla Cuevas.
David Schroeder, Blog Writer, Lauth Investigations International
Police were no closer to answers, until Mar. 9, 2015 when a skull was found in a local riverbed along the Eel River. On May 25, 2015, Billie Jo Dick was notified the skull had been identified was that of her daughter Danielle’s.
‘probable cause’. But there is almost no limit on the use by government of information voluntarily provided by private citizens.
