The True Missing Person Story of “R”
At Sunset Blvd. Investigations (SBI) over the decades, we have learned that finding a missing person in a state as densely populated as California can often feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. One case we worked on recently seemed to epitomize this inconvenient fact.
We were hired by a father in Seattle, Washington who was attempting to locate his adult son. Due to confidentially concerns, we will refer to him as “R.” R, had at one point in the not-too-distant past, lived a relatively normal life; living with his long-term girlfriend and their child while maintaining a steady job as a carpenter at a construction company. Eleven years ago R suffered an aneurysm. His doctors were fortunately able to recognize the symptoms and an emergency operation ensued saving R’s life, however, the aneurysm had altered the neurochemistry of his brain.
After recovering from surgery, R’s behavior became increasingly erratic. He lost his job, his house and soon found himself living on the streets of Seattle. He subsequently began attending a fundamentalist Christian church, and was subsisting largely on donations from friends, family, and members of his church group. As his obsession with religious symbolism and his personal mythology grew, he became fixated on traveling back to the place where he may have been conceived in Southern California. Members of his church group helped finance a train ticket from Seattle, Washington to Southern California, and R set off on his journey. R maintained periodic contact with his family through text messaging. Shortly after arriving in Glendale, California R’s back pack and most of his belongings, including his cell phone were stolen.
R was stranded in Southern California, with no supplies, no money, and no means to communicate with his family back in Washington. When R’s Father contacted SBI’s investigators in May, he had not heard from his son in nearly two months and was beginning to fear for his safety.
The task before us was daunting: we had no means to contact R or trace his location reliably and he had an almost 2-month head start. We initially began speaking with R’s friends and benefactors from his church group, some of whom had been in contact with him more frequently than his father. Next, we conducted a series of on-foot patrols around R’s last known location to see if we could spot him or at least talk to someone who had. Our efforts were unfortunately fruitless, but we remained undaunted.
At this juncture we designed a missing person’s flyer for R, complete with a photo and physical description, and began distributing it to Sheriff’s departments and state parks in Los Angeles and surrounding counties. Shortly thereafter, we received a call from a park ranger in Ventura County who had met R about one week prior. Since Ventura was North of where R initially disembarked from the train, we deduced that he was moving north on foot possibly hitchhiking, perhaps in an attempt to make it back home to Washington. With this knowledge we began the second phase of our search. We started distributing flyers to every sheriff’s department and homeless shelter between Ventura and Seattle. Since we knew R was hitchhiking and likely camping out in between legs of his journey, we also reached out to various state and local rest stops as well as commercial truck stops in order to distribute R’s flyer and information.
As it turns out however, R was not heading North as we had initially believed but had stayed in the Southern California region. A sheriff deputy observed our flyer and reached out to R’s father. The deputy had made contact with R at a state park in San Clemente. Finally, the big break we had been hoping for! R’s father caught the next flight to Orange County California along with R’s son. They travelled to San Clemente to the area where the ranger had spotted R. After speaking briefly with a couple of local homeless men who pointed them in the right direction, they found R sitting peacefully at the end of a pier, gazing out on the ocean. After several months, numerous missing person flyers, and many trials and tribulations, R was at long last reunited with his family. Shortly thereafter, R’s father arranged for him to take a train back to his family’s home in Seattle. He has since made it home where he is reconnecting with his father and getting some much-needed rest and relaxation.
Reuniting R with his family was difficult, and at times seemed next to impossible, but we were able to close this case chiefly through employing a diversity of tactics at every step of the way. Distributing flyers, calling local authorities, and searching on foot were all necessary steps toward finding R, but only in conjunction with one another. Had we chosen to employ just one or even two of these tactics, no matter their scope and frequency, our search would have likely ended in failure. Only through constantly analyzing his movements and adapting to different investigative methods as the situations demanded, were we able to overcome the odds.
Frequent and effective communication was equally important. Speaking in depth with the client laid the necessary groundwork for our investigation, but it also proved to be a launchpad to other channels. Keeping an open mind and frequently checking in with the client, we also reached out to R’s extended family and members of his church group who were able to give us valuable insights into R’s character, beliefs, and goals, some of which were unknown even to his father.
As the investigation progressed, we began to converse with various park rangers, transit officials, and truck stop managers. Maintaining a respectful and efficient rapport with these professionals is what ultimately allowed us to catch up with R. Of course, with a case as wide-ranging and multifaceted as this, communication within our team itself was also of the utmost importance. With multiple analysts tackling distinct, yet often overlapping elements of the case, regularly communicating our progress and pitfalls was necessary to make sure we were working as effectively as possible.
All things considered, this was an emotional rollercoaster of a case and a memorable experience for everyone involved, but it was yet another collaborative effort with a successful conclusion for the team at Sunset Blvd Investigations. We wish R and his family the best, and hope they find peace and solace in each other’s company in the days to come.
Our investigative team at SBI is always there for you. We are just a phone call or an online message away from being of assistance to you. Please view our blog link for information needed to locate your loved one at: https://www.sunsetblvdinv.com/services/missing-persons/
Meet our investigators: https://www.sunsetblvdinv.com/team/
Professional Memberships:
- The Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA) https://thepbsa.org/
- Southern California Fraud Investigators Association (SCFIA) https://scfia.org/
- World Association of Detectives (WAD) https://www.wad.net/
- California Association of Licensed Investigators (CALI) https://www.cali-pi.org/
- California Narcotics Officers’ Association (CNOA) – https://www.cnoa.org/
Need a private investigator?
Sunset Blvd. Investigations, Inc. provides seasoned and effective private investigation services for clients throughout the United States and Internationally. Our combined 80 years as law enforcement officers coupled with our private investigative experience distinguishes us from all other investigation businesses. If you’re in need of a private investigator, we’re here to assist you in any way we can.
Call today at 888-406-0149 to contact us and request a consultation!
Need a private investigator?
Sunset Blvd. Investigations, Inc. provides seasoned and effective private investigation services for clients throughout the United States and Internationally. Our combined 80 years as law enforcement officers coupled with our private investigative experience distinguishes us from all other investigation businesses. If you’re in need of a private investigator, we’re here to assist you in any way we can.
