The Life

The Provincial Capitol Building of Siquijor Province in Siquijor Town where the governor, vice-governor and provincial board have offices.

The Family That Never Existed: A Siquijor Island Investigation

When a Boston man lost $12,000 to a fake Filipino family, our on-ground investigation revealed why, even with evidence, he couldn’t break the scammer’s spell. The call came from a concerned retiree in Boston. The client was an older gentleman with special needs, and he had been sending money to a Filipino family for months

Leah Price

27536

It was supposed to be a simple background.

In a private investigator’s world, things aren’t always what they seem to be. It was December, holiday cheer all around. I was bracing for the holiday lull that sometimes comes in the investigation industry, when my phone rang. A guy named Randy told me a story that was the same as all the others, and

Steve Morrow

27363

The Persecution Rests

The state of Alabama charged a mother with capital murder of her child. Her family, her church, and her attorney believed she was innocent. So did I. By the time I met Amanda House (all names have been changed), she was eight years into her awful sojourn through the Alabama legal system, with little hope

Susan Lehmann

27190

How I Won An Epic Public Records Battle

Getting public records through FOIA requests can be a long slog. Be patient, stick to your guns, and you may one day prevail. My neurosis? Fear of losing. There I was in a trough of despair a couple years ago, staring at a possible ugly personal and professional defeat. A fourth attorney had just turned

Mike Spencer

27149

The End of Civility

In an era when it’s become normalized to assume the worst about each other, spew hatred, and threaten violence, serving papers feels dangerous. One night last spring, my husband and I were engrossed in conversation with our visiting son when we were interrupted by someone ringing the doorbell and pounding on our front door. Startled,

Susan Lehmann

27101

The Case That Haunts Me

Investigators love to share success stories. But maybe we should talk more about the cases that veer wildly off course. We PIs love to tell stories about challenging cases and successful “solves.” And why not? We lead interesting lives, and sharing success stories is great for business. I learn a lot from my peers’ notes

Ben Lopez

27045

The Toughest Kind of Investigative Interview

A veteran criminal defense investigator reflects on why she’s willing to represent clients who’ve been charged with harming a child. My client Juan had been sitting in jail for more than two years, awaiting his day in court. He was charged with molesting his 11-year-old soon-to-be stepdaughter. He avowed his innocence. But, as I always

Kathryn Lestelle

27012

Watch Your Six

Some habits formed on the force have to change in the private sector. Others stick with you forever. Even when you do everything right, sometimes things can still go south rapidly. You can end up fighting for your life in the blink of an eye. I was a brand-new cop (two months on the job).

Dave Honiss

26866

Is That a Real Job?

When this private investigator fields the inevitable question, she answers it gracefully — by thinking of the exchange as a dance. Every time somebody asks me what I do for work, a kind of dance ensues: The person’s eyes widen, and then they ask a question — usually something like, “Is that a real job?”

Anaïs De Castro