I wanted to share a personal story that some folks out there may be able to relate to. Were you raised by a single parent and never knew your birth mother or father? Did you ever suspect that you may have other brothers and sisters or other relatives out there that you are not aware of?

In today’s world, family dynamics are different for everyone, but the reward of finding a long lost relative or even a relative you never thought you had could change your life.

My story starts when I was about 30 years old. I was an only child and was raised by a single mother. I had never known my father, only the limited information that my mother had provided me. After my mother had given birth, she lost contact with him. As I grew older into adulthood, I began wondering what it would have been like to know my father. Using a friend that was an investigator, I was able to locate my dad operating a small business in California. I eventually met my dad at which time he mentioned he had a son and daughter a little younger than I was. After a short visit with my dad, we lost contact with each other. I believed he didn’t want his family knowing about me at the time, but at least I had closed that chapter in my life.

Fast forward 20 years as I was approaching retirement. One day I was just sitting on my couch and googled my father’s name, only to find his obituary. He had died just 6 months before I located this information. I looked closely at the obituary and it showed the names of my brother and sister which I had never obtained!  I was ecstatic and, of course, overwhelmingly curious. Using some of my investigative techniques I acquired through my 25-year law enforcement career, I was able to locate and make phone contact with them in two different states.

After about a year of trying to get together from three different states, my brother and sister and I finally met up with each other, and it was definitely one of the best days of my life. Let’s just say that I consider myself to be the luckiest guy in the world because my brother and sister are the most fun loving and down to earth people I have ever met. Since this time our relationship has grown deeper and our families have grown closer. Because I was able to open that door, I have had the opportunity to meet more of my family! This experience was a life-changing event for me as you can see.

The point of my personal story is to not only share with you the great joy I now have from locating my brother and sister, but also to emphasize not to wait until your 50 years old to start your search. My brother and sister and I always discuss how much lost time we had and how many great memories we could have shared if we would have discovered each other at a younger age.

Many of you have similar stories or have been unsuccessful at finding the person(s) you are looking for using the most common social media websites or the inexpensive “background searches” websites. I highly recommend that you do your due diligence and make an effort to locate the person you are looking for through conventional methods. Many people will reach a dead end or give up because of the time required to do a thorough and detailed search. This is where the experience and expertise of a good Private Investigator comes in. At Resolve Investigations we can assist you in your search, whether it be for a missing person or a long-lost parent, grandparent, sibling, child, or other relative.