For many families of people with Alzheimer’s and dementia, a loved one going missing can be deadly. WINK News spoke with Tara Jean-Baptiste, an Alzheimer’s and Dementia Community Teachings national trainer about tips to help you find your lost family member.
부산흥신소Tracing lost loved ones is an intricate process that involves sifting through legal documents and public records. It’s also a personal journey that often requires determination and perseverance.
Gathering Critical Information
One of the first things you should do is gather as much information on your loved one as possible. You should write down their physical description, clothing and any other details that may help you locate them. Try to remember specific aspects of their personality, such as idioms or hobbies.
You should also enter their information into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, which is an invaluable resource. The database allows law enforcement, medical examiners and families to upload information on people who are missing and helps to reduce the number of related cases.
Another important step is to search your loved one’s social media accounts. This can be difficult, but it is worth the effort. Make sure that you create a page or profile with their name so that it will be easier to find. You should use a searchable heading, such as “Missing My Loved One John Doe.” This will help you to rank higher in search results.
You can also find information on your loved one by searching online news archives. This is particularly helpful if they passed away in a unique or unusual way, such as a suicide or in a natural disaster. Often, stories like these will make the local news and can provide clues to their whereabouts. You can also visit websites such as Google News Archives and US News Archives to look for old newspaper articles that may contain useful information.
Identifying Their Last Known Address
The death of a loved one doesn’t necessarily mean the end of their online, credit or financial presence. If the deceased person’s death hasn’t been reported to the proper authorities, their credit and assets may continue to be used by identity thieves, debt collectors or other unauthorized parties.
Identify your missing loved one’s last known address. This can be done through people searches, genealogy websites and local resources like libraries and phone books. Consider contacting former employers or financial institutions to see if they have records of life insurance policies, 401(k)s and retirement accounts. You can also run an asset search for a deceased person through the probate court, though this is a time-consuming process.
If the missing person attended a church or other place of worship, you can ask members to spread the word about their disappearance. You can also reach out to their friends and coworkers on social media or through platforms like CaringBridge and Lotsa Helping Hands, if they have been using these to communicate with each other.
Check public and state records, such as bankruptcy, marriage and divorce and criminal records. You can also look into professional licenses, such as those for cosmetology, nursing, counseling, therapy and law, to find out where a missing person worked. You can also request federal records through the Freedom of Information Act, although this can be a lengthy process.
Identifying Their Property
When it comes to tracing lost loved ones, assets can also be a good place to start. Look for financial statements and legal documents in their desk or filing cabinet at home, as well as their bank accounts and brokerage accounts, property deeds, timeshare ownership, insurance policies, and safe deposit boxes. If they prepared an estate plan, this may provide a clue to where some of these assets may be located.
You should search their home thoroughly for anything of value, including digital assets such as cryptocurrencies and other NFTs stored on computers, external hard drives, USB sticks, and so-called “digital wallets.” These can be difficult to find and often are password-protected.
Another resource is the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators’ free website that allows you to conduct a search by state and name to locate any insurance or other assets a deceased person might have. You can also contact your loved one’s previous employers to see if they have any life insurance policies on file.
In addition to these resources, many private investigators can unobtrusively gather important information without the subject’s knowledge. This can help you to make contact in a more timely manner and find the answers you need. If you’re unsure where to start or have questions, consult with an experienced professional at Beau Dietl & Associates.
Identifying Their Assets
When tracing lost loved ones, it’s also important to look for assets they may have left behind. Often, this includes checking with their bank and insurance companies to see if there are any outstanding policies or investments that haven’t been turned in. Reaching out to their most recent employer can also be helpful for finding information on life insurance policies, pensions and 401(k)s they may have paid into at work. Finally, searching through their home is another important place to start. Checking in their desk or other places they stored paperwork for their accounts can be a treasure trove of clues.
For example, that drawer full of tangled, tarnished old chains could contain one rare item worth thousands of dollars. The same can be true of a closet filled with dusty memorabilia or the box on the dining room table that contains their checkbook and bills. It’s also a good idea to review their computer for online records and e-mails that can provide valuable clues about the institutions they used to hold accounts with.
In addition, reaching out to the town probate clerk or register of deeds can be a great starting point for finding any property they owned in the past. These resources can also be helpful in locating any real estate that hasn’t been claimed after death, as well as any rental properties or businesses they might have owned or co-owned.