What is the right way to find a missing person? When it comes to professional investigators like those in law enforcement or in private practice, the answer may change depending on who you ask. It’s crucial to report a person missing with law enforcement so that information about their disappearance can be distributed regionally or even nationally, increasing the chances that they might be recovered. However, missing person cases also require the independence and personal attention of a private investigator to increase the chances of a missing person to be found. It can leave the families of missing persons wondering—what is the right way to find a missing person?
It is difficult to answer this question, because despite patterns among missing person cases in the United States, every single missing person case is different and will require different disciplines and methodologies depending on the circumstances of the disappearance. Families can find themselves split or unsure of who to trust to find answers in their loved one’s disappearance. The complicated truth is that this may not be a question of law enforcement or private intelligence. Missing person cases can have dozens of variables that require multi-pronged approach, and singular strategies can easily miss important details that could be lost forever.
When a loved one goes missing, the first step is calling the police and filing a missing person report. This ensures that an official file on the missing person has been started with investigating authorities. If the missing person is picked up by law enforcement, or their remains are discovered, the police are able to trace them back to the family and finally deliver closure in their case. Police and law enforcement have access to the nation’s best resources in intelligence operations and have the support of their colleagues in uniform as well as an administrative support staff. However, law enforcement may not have received comprehensive training required in a missing person search, or they do not have the adequate amount of man-power to meet the demands of their casework. As such, important leads can go unnoticed, or in the worst-case scenario, a search for the missing person never gets past the intake interview. That’s because missing person cases require swift, personalized attention that law enforcement is systemically not designed to give.
Private investigators are the second prong in the approach towards missing person investigators. The right way to find a missing person requires swift action, verified resources, and personalized attention. While private investigators may not have access to as many resources as law enforcement, they still have access to verified databases and other resources that allow them to develop leads in the missing person cases. With the help of those databases and their years of experience in investigations. Unlike law enforcement, private investigators are allowed to leave the jurisdiction where an investigation began in order to follow clues where they may lead. When an investigation would take law enforcement out of their jurisdiction, they may not be able to investigate. That means more leads and relevant witnesses are lost. Private investigators can follow up on leads as soon as they receive them, and increase the chances of the missing person being found. The case load of a private investigator is also a fraction of what police detectives typically carry, which means they are able to give the missing person case the level of attention that it deserves.
Utilizing the police and private investigators to search for your missing loved one is one of the best ways to cover all your bases. It’s the investigative equivalent to getting a second opinion and making sure that no one investigator will get tunnel vision with regards to the investigation. The right way to find a missing person is to have a multi-pronged approach in order to ensure that no valuable evidence or witness testimony will be lost in the process.
If your family is unsure of the right way to find a missing person, call Lauth Investigations International today at 317-951-1100 or visit us online at www.lauthmissinstg.wpengine.com.
The family of Kirsten Brueggeman has been anxious for answers in her mysterious disappearance for over two months. Kirsten was last seen walking away from the Irish Mutt, a local bar, after a night of drinking with her friends. Security cameras last caught her image around 2:00 AM on Saturday, January 2, 2021, walking through the YMCA parking lot at 501 North Shortridge Road, Indianapolis, IN 46219. After months without answers, the family is now offering a $10,000 reward in exchange for information leading to her safe return. Lauth Investigations International has started a GoFundMe on behalf of the family to fund an independent investigation into her disappearance. You can donate to that GoFundMe here.
Kirsten Brueggeman communicated with her mother, Lisa, on the day she went missing, telling her that she wouldn’t need a ride home from work because she intended to meet up with friends at a local bar, The Irish Mutt. Along with several friends, Kirsten left the bar around 12:15 in the morning after a night of merriment. After expressing a desire to go bowling, Kirsten was last seen by her friends headed in the direction of a nearby bowling alley. She was last observed on surveillance camera around 2:00 am.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police department initially reached out to the community in search of clues regarding the missing woman. As the old adage goes, “Someone knows something.” Police were in search of anyone who might have witnessed Kirsten’s movements at crucial junctures in the final moments before she was last seen. Prior to being seen on camera at approximately 2:00 a.m on the YMCA lot, other cameras recorded Kirsten walking south and then north on Shortridge Road.
After two months without any answers in her disappearance, Kirsten’s family has retained the services of missing person investigators at Lauth Investigations International. Lauth missing person investigators are in the initial stages of conducting an independent investigation into Kristen’s disappearance. Seeking the expertise of an independent private investigator is not dissimilar to seeking a second opinion when consulting doctors about a medical problem. Having a fresh pair of eyes, or two or three, look over a case is one of the best ways to develop new leads, objectively pursue all existing leads, and develop comprehensive strategies for searches in missing person investigations. Lauth investigators are comprised of former military and law enforcement personnel, and have 30 years of experience in missing person cases.
Kirsten Brueggeman is 5-foot-two-inches tall, weighing about 115 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. When last seen, she was wearing a black, waist-length coat, blue jeans, a gray stocking cap, and she was carrying a white backpack. Anyone with information about Kirsten’s whereabouts should call IMPD Missing Persons at 317-327-6160, or contact Lauth Investigation International’s anonymous tip line at 317-279-6082.
The family of missing UC Berkeley student, Sydney West is now offering a reward of $10,000 for any information leading to her safe return. The 19-year-old college student hasn’t been seen since September 30, 2020, at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California. In a statement released by the San Francisco Police Department, Sydney Is described as “at risk” due to depression.
The parental anxiety of sending young adults out into the world is further exacerbated by the pandemic for many with children going off to college. While many parents are dealing with even less contact with their children in these times, Sydney’s family remained close with her while she attended college literally across the country. The missing UC Berkley student was actually very familiar with the town, having lived in the Bay area most of her life before moving to North Carolina. After her family was unable to contact her in the days following her last confirmed sighting, they reported her missing both in North Carolina and San Francisco. After four long months, her family is desperate for answers, prompting them to offer a financial reward for information leading to her safe recovery.
The missing UC Berkeley student has been described by her family as “a bright, kind, caring, talented, and athletic young woman,” who played volleyball and wrote music. Her disappearance was described as uncharacteristic of Sydney, who never would have disappeared without letting her family know where she was going. Sydney’s great aunt told Dateline, “We know someone must know something. We certainly hope it leads to her return. We have received multiple leads for which we are grateful. We hope someone who was on or near the Golden Gate Bridge the morning of September 30th who may have seen something will come forward with information. We need her home safe.”
In a prudent move by the family of the missing UC Berkeley student, Sydney’s family has opted to hire a private investigator to conduct an independent investigation into her disappearance, concurrent with that of law enforcement. The family has reported that they continue to receive tips about her disappearance, but nothing has “panned out as credible.” They also continue to utilize social media as a tool for spreading awareness about Sydney’s story. The “Find Sydney West” Facebook page has garnered more than 8,000 followers, and is populated by posts from friends and loved ones praying for her safe return home.
Sydney is described as being 5’10” tall and weighing 130 lbs. She has blonde hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a sweatshirt, dark-colored shorts, and slip-on blue Vans shoes.
Anyone with information on Sydney’s whereabouts is also asked to call the San Francisco Police Department 24-hour tip line at 1-415-575-4444, text a tip to TIP411
Randy Taylor, 48, was convicted of killing Alexis Murphy, 17, in 2014
The family of Alexis Tiara Murphy, 17, finally have some semblance of closure after 7 years of searching for her—though the circumstances were devastatingly tragic. Alexis left her home in Shipman, Virginia to visit the nearby city of Lynchburg. She was last seen on surveillance video at a Lovingston gas station. After seven long years and multiple searches, her remains were finally discovered on a Lovingston property on December 3, 2020.
It wasn’t until February 5, 2021 that the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond was able to positively identify the remains as belonging to Alexis Murphy. In the wake of this tragic development, her family released a statement about their devastating loss, “While we have been grieving the loss of Alexis since 2013, we remained hopeful that she would be found alive and well. Alexis was the fashionista, athlete, and joker of our family; we were blessed to have loved her for 17 years, and her memory will continue to live on through us all.”
The original search conducted outside Lovingston in 2013 involved helicopters, canine units, and volunteers searching for any sign of the missing teenager. While they searched, police poured over the surveillance video from the Lovingston gas station. Police were able identify a person of interest on the surveillance video, Randy Taylor, 48. Taylor was arrested following the discovery of one of Alexis’s hairs in his camper. Despite Taylor’s insistence that he only knew Alexis for a brief time when she offered to help him buy marijuana, Taylor was convicted of her murder in 2014. In a statement, the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office stated “With the comprehensive investigation, successful prosecution by the Nelson County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, and the recovery of Alexis, this case is now no longer active.”
Have you seen missing mother, Crystal Marie Fry? For months, her family has been searching for answers following Crystal’s disappearance amid distressing circumstances in her personal life. After 90 days with no case progression, the family has turned to the missing person investigators at Lauth Investigations International to join the search for Crystal.
Crystal Marie Fry, 31, was last heard from on November 11, 2020. At the time of her disappearance, Crystal was living in Baltimore, MD with her boyfriend, the father of her two youngest daughters. On November 11, Crystal contacted her mother, Teresa Silverman, to explain some of the details of what she called the “worst three days of her life.” Crystal claimed someone had kicked in her front door, damaging it in the process, so she would be staying with the father of her oldest daughter until it could be fixed. It was during this time that Crystal reportedly claimed to be “afraid for her life.” The following day when she was expected to turn up to her mother’s home to explain more about the break-in, Crystal never showed up.
When she spoke to Lauth investigators, Teresa described her daughter as a beautiful mother who was always stepping up to help out, “She’s caring. If anything’s wrong, she steps right in and tries to help take care of people. She loves her girls to death.” Teresa advised Lauth Investigators that Crystal would never have gone this long without contacting her children, claiming that holidays and special occasions were very important to her. Crystal also shared passions for baking and cooking with her girls, who have been missing their mother for over three months.
The last person she was known to have contact with was the father of her oldest daughter, when she told him she got a flat tire on the way to his residence. In the weeks following their last communication, Teresa Silverman hit the streets, trying to find the location of her daughter’s last residence when she didn’t respond to messages. After days of searching, they were finally able to locate the townhouse where she had been staying in Baltimore where her car was parked out front—one of the tires still flat.
Since she reported her daughter missing, Teresa says her perception of law enforcement’s efforts to investigate Crystal’s case have been beyond disappointing, reporting difficulties getting updates on the case and a general feeling of apathy from police. Now she has contracted Lauth Investigations International to conduct an independent investigation concurrent with law enforcement to ensure that no lead is unexplored in her daughter’s disappearance. “The circumstances under which Crystal went missing are troubling, and our team is exploring multiple leads in her disappearance,” said lead investigator, Thomas Lauth. Lauth has over 30 years of experience investigating missing person cases of all types and is considered one of the country’s foremost experts in missing persons.
Crystal Marie Fry is 31 years old, is 5 feet 7 inches tall, weights approximately 135lbs and, has blue eyes and brown hair. You can donate to the GoFundMe for the independent investigation here.
Anyone with information please contact the Baltimore Police Department at 410-396-2221 or call 911.
