Some people who ask us to find someone are owed money. More often, they are looking for a brother they have not heard from in years, a parent they lost touch with, or a person they met online who has stopped answering. Skip tracing is the name for that work.
What skip tracing is
Skip tracing is the process of finding a person whose current whereabouts are unknown. The term comes from someone "skipping" town, but most of the people we look for did not skip anything. They moved, changed numbers, married or simply drifted out of touch.
The work is research. An investigator gathers records tied to the person, compares them, and works out which address and contact details are most likely current. Most of it is done from a desk, so it does not depend on where you or the person live. We take skip tracing cases nationwide.
Who asks for it
Family members. Siblings, parents, adult children and other relatives who have lost touch. This is most of our skip tracing work.
People met online. Someone wants to know where a person they have been talking to actually lives, or whether the details they were given are real.
Estates and heirs. Occasionally, someone needs to locate a relative named in an estate.
What to have ready
The more you can tell us at the start, the better the odds. Useful details include:
Full name, including any middle name, maiden name or nicknames
Date of birth or an approximate age
The last address you know of, and roughly when they lived there
Old phone numbers or email addresses
Names of spouses, partners, parents or close friends
Photos, usernames or social media accounts
You do not need all of these. A name and an approximate age can be enough to start, especially if the name is not a common one. Very common names with little else to go on are harder, and we will tell you so at the consultation.
How it works
Gathering records. Public records and investigative databases available to licensed investigators.
Open-source intelligence (OSINT). Tools and techniques for searching publicly available online information: social media accounts, usernames, photos, archived pages, and the connections between accounts on different platforms. People who are hard to find in records often still leave traces online.
Cross-checking. Records often conflict. An old address can sit beside a new one, and two people can share a name. We compare sources to work out which details belong to the right person and which are most recent.
Field checks, when needed. If the research points to an address in our area, we may confirm it in person after discussion with the client. Field work is not included in the search fee. It is agreed and billed separately before it starts.
Reporting. You receive a written report with what we found and how confident we are in each detail.
We report what we find, and then talk with you about next steps. In some cases, after that discussion, we make the first contact on your behalf. We do not take a case if the person to be located may be at risk from being found, including when a protective order is in place to protect them.
What it cannot do
Not every search ends with a confirmed current address. Some people leave very little record: they rent informally, use prepaid phones or stay off social media. Records also lag behind real life, so a recent move may not show up yet. When the evidence points to a likely address rather than a confirmed one, the report says so.
Thinking about a search?
If free online searches have not turned anything up, read more about our skip tracing service or contact us for a free, confidential consultation. Just the Facts Investigations, LLC is a licensed Texas private investigation firm based in Austin, available nationwide.