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- Skip
Tracing
- By: L. Scott Harrell,
CompassPoint
Investigations
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- “Skip tracing” is a term
that refers to the process of finding a person whose
whereabouts are unknown. This term is based upon the word
“skip,” which is often used to describe a subject who is
believed to be “skipping out” on his or her duties and
obligations such as a debt or court appearance. Private
sector investigations occur on behalf of a wide variety of
client-types:
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- • Family members looking
for long-lost relatives.
- • Friends looking for
persons with whom they lost touch many years ago.
- • Attorneys looking for
missing heirs in probate cases.
- • Creditors looking for
those who owe them money.
- • A bail bondsman looking
for a client who has failed to appear in court.
- • An insurance company
looking for a missing witness to an insured loss.
- • A parent looking for
their child who has run away or was abducted.
- • Private Investigators
looking for a scam artist or identity thief.
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- The list goes on and on
really.
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- Perhaps the most important
consideration to take into account when beginning a skip
trace assignment is to determine what type of missing person
you have. You must be able to answer the question, “Why is
the subject missing?” in order to develop a reasonable plan
of action and begin the investigation.
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- People are missing for a
great number of reasons, but these reasons typically fall
into one of two categories, intentionally or unintentionally
missing, which I then like to break down in to the following
subcategories:
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- People who are missing
intentionally typically know that they are being looked for,
or will be looked for, and are taking proactive measures not
to be found.
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- • The Fugitive
- • The Abductor
- • The Runner
- • The Professional Skip
- • The Recluse
- • The Assisted
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- Unintentional missing person
assignments typically involve people who would not consider
themselves missing and are often surprised that they are
being looked for.
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- • Long-Time-No-See
- • The Lost
- • The Typo
- • The Adoptee’s Search
- • John or Jane Doe
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- Understanding why they are
missing, or their motivations for hiding, enables the skip
tracer to put a plan of action in place to find the skip and
best use those tools and techniques which are appropriate to
the investigation. Imagination and resourcefulness
combined with unfailing perseverance are essential character
traits if a skip tracer is going to be successful;
understanding the tools available and how best to implement
them, doesn’t hurt either.
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