When you think about locating a witness, you might automatically assume the witness is trying to intentionally evade a subpoena server. However, this is not always the case. Sometimes, a witness is called to court…unaware they are a witness. This was the case of an 88 year old elderly man who was involved in a car accident on the Chicago roads. Of course, he knew he was involved in the car accident, but he wasn’t aware there was an open case. He was being sued!
A Call to the Private Investigators
RGH Investigators were called to find the elderly man. Shortly after the accident, the man moved back to his small hometown in Mexico. The hometown had limited internet connection and communication to the outside world. This made it very difficult to track him down. Our investigators had to use some traditional techniques to find his most recent location. We began by looking into his most recent past getting to understand where he lived and who he regularly communicated with. We found and interviewed a few of his old neighbors. With their assistance, we found the small town in Mexico and reached out to him. He informed us that he was now living with family in Mexico.
We explained the details of the situation. He was being sued for the car accident in Chicago and was being called as a witness. With the help of family and friends in Mexico, we were able to set up a Zoom call so he didn’t have to travel back to America. We uncovered that the person in the other car T-boned the elderly man’s vehicle. Fortunately, no one was injured. The elderly man was unaware of the open case, was not evading the subpoena, and was truthful and honest with the details he recalled.
Legal Cases Are Fluid
Uncovering and putting together the details of a case can change directions quickly. And it did in our case as well. We were fortunate that we found the elderly man in Mexico quickly. Sometimes, finding a witness can take time causing the case to become stressed and change direction again if the witness isn’t found. That’s why our private investigators work as fast as possible using technologies and proven effective techniques to uncover the truth.
Challenges of Locating a Witness
When locating a witness, private investigators face more than just fading memories or misunderstandings. Oftentimes, a witness is reluctant or fearful to appear in court. They may not want to be involved as a witness because they may think they will be arrested or charged with a crime. Finding and talking to the witness can be emotionally draining for them. Our private investigators work to make the witness comfortable by letting them know the reason for contact, and recalling details of the situation.
A witness may also have a change of residency. If it’s a change of address in the same state, or even in another state, finding the individual is achievable with the proper records. However, it proves to be more challenging when the witness moves to another country, like in the case, the witness moved to a small town in Mexico living with family. Sometimes witnesses are homeless or live a nomadic lifestyle.
Methodologies Used to Locate a Witness
Lastly, a private investigator uses resources such as public records, databases, social media, law enforcement, and other methods, to determine where the witness is located. We also have a few other methods that we can discuss with you. Remember, even if the witness is not in Illinois, we have the resources to track them down. If you need to locate a single or multiple witnesses, contact RGH Investigators at 312-981-8770.
