Missing Person

Never Returned – A Missing Person Case

All names mentioned in the case file below have been changed in order to protect the identity of our client. We have been granted full permission by our client to publish this file.

Kate called the New York office of AJ Sterling & Associates on a Thursday afternoon. She was in the midst of a truly heartbreaking situation. Kate explained to us that she and her ex-boyfriend James had a three year old child together named Aaron. Kate was the custodial parent, while James had visitation rights during the weekend. Three weeks ago, James took Aaron for the weekend and never returned. The efforts of local police had thus far returned no leads, and Kate was becoming desperate. James’ friends and family vehemently denied having any knowledge of Aaron’s whereabouts, and claimed that they had not seen or spoken to James in weeks. Kate was starting to believe that she may never see Aaron again.

The manager assigned to Kate’s case decided to begin the investigation with an analysis of James’ cell phone. After Kate supplied us with the number, we were able to obtain a log of James’ phone calls for the past few months. Upon examining the call log, our investigator noticed that in the weeks leading up to Aaron’s disappearance there was an increasing amount of calls to a cell phone located in Vermont. With the Vermont cell number in hand, our investigator proceeded to find a name and address for the cell phone owner. There was finally a break in the case! Although Kate did not recognize the name or address, there was nevertheless a strong possibility that James had taken Aaron to this particular location in Vermont.

The next day two field investigators were deployed to stake out the Vermont address. Kate supplied the investigators with fairly recent pictures of Aaron and James, so identifying them wouldn’t be a problem. She also supplied them with a description of James vehicle, a black 2001 Ford F150 pickup truck. When the investigators arrived at the scene they saw a red Toyota Camry parked in the driveway. Also, there was no sign of activity in the house. However two hours after they arrived, the investigators saw exactly what they were looking for: a black 2001 Ford F150 pickup truck pulling into the driveway. In the following moments, the investigators recorded Aaron, James, and an unidentified female exiting the pickup truck and entering the house. With Kate’s permission, the investigators quickly contacted local authorities and called them to the scene.

As a result of our investigation, Aaron was safely returned to Kate. James wasn’t charged with kidnapping; however he was stripped of all visitation rights. Furthermore, Kate placed a restraining order on James that kept him away from her and her son.

“Artie, I can’t thank you enough for the incredible work you did for me earlier this year. While it was extremely difficult to learn that my husband of 10 years was cheating on me with another woman, you provided the hard truth with the utmost professionalism. Your accountability and trustworthiness were a huge relief in a time of utter shock and disbelief. Thank you for helping me to recognize the lie I had been living in, and allowing me to move forward in my life”
Lauren
Brooklyn, NY
“I always wondered what happened to Fran, my high school sweetheart. Recently widowed, I wondered how I could re-connect. A friend suggested that I call a private investigator and I was fortunate to find John at AJS. Although my information was limited, he was able to find Fran within a week. It turns she was also recently widowed and our relationship resumed where we left off. Fran and I are now happily married and living out our golden years in Florida. Thank you John!”
Maury
Boca Raton, FL
“A few months back my ex-girlfriend told me she was going to NY on a business trip, but when I ran into her co-worker the same day he told me to enjoy my short getaway with Kristin! I hired AJS to follow her and they did an incredible job documenting her stay in NY, or should I say her stay in NY with Chad. It turns out Chad was an old flame that she had been seeing behind my back for quite some time. I wish I had a picture of her face when I popped the surveillance video into her DVD player! Thank you AJ Sterling for providing me with the truth!”

Chris
Dallas, TX
“From the bottom of my heart, thank you AJ Sterling for giving me my life back. Four years ago, my ex-wife was awarded sole custody of our two children. There were countless nights that I went without sleep, not just because I had lost my children, but because I knew they were living in a house with an alcoholic mother and her abusive boyfriend. Just when I felt that all hope was lost, AJ Sterling provided me with the physical evidence I needed to win back custody of my two beautiful children. The three of us are living happily together now because of the excellent work you did for me. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!”
Victor
Bronx, NY
“Thank you for helping me bring my daughter home! Six months ago my only child ran away with a boyfriend that the family did not approve of. Based upon a close friend’s recommendation, I turned to Artie at AJ Sterling for help. He and his team diligently pursued every possible lead and within 4 days had one of my daughter’s friends confess where my daughter and her boyfriend were staying. While those were the 4 most excruciating days of my life, Artie helped keep me at ease and gave me confidence that my daughter would be returned home to me. I honestly can’t find the words to thank you enough… you are truly a life savior.”
Nancy
Middletown, NJ
“For years I spent time searching for my biological mother, but due to the limited resources available I consistently hit a dead end. After yet another online people-finder search produced zero results, I turned to the true professionals at AJ Sterling for help. I gave John what limited information I had regarding my biological mother and within hours John e-mailed me with a narrow list of possible candidates. After calling the second number on the list, I was shocked to discover it was my biological mother on the other end of the line! We have been e-mailing back and forth for the past two months and plan on meeting in person in the near future. I can’t thank you enough for giving me a missing piece of my life back. My only regret is not coming to you sooner!”
Alicia
Garden City, NY