Child Abduction | International Kidnapping

Child Abduction | International Kidnapping

by | Mar 8, 2020 | Case Studies

Case Study | Child Abduction | International Kidnapping |

When you child goes missing, every moment is agony until they are found, and a private investigator is an ideal candidate to bring you answers.

Child Abduction | International Kidnapping

When you child goes missing, every moment is agony until they are found. 

Imagine if your child hadn’t simply wandered away in the grocery store, but had been kidnapped and flown across an ocean away from you. A desperate mother in a Western European country experienced that nightmare when her American husband kidnapped her two children and fled the jurisdiction with them in tow, launching an international missing child case.

The Investigation

The mother initially made all the correct moves, including contacting law enforcement and filing a report, reaching out to the American embassy and accomplished lawyers in her jurisdiction, and searching for organizations that are knowledgeable about these cases.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation became involved when news arrived that a non-custodial American parent had kidnapped the children. The mother waited, but did not receive any updates about her children. Taking initiative, she reached out to the Committee for Missing Children, which provides resource and supports parents in crisis when their child goes missing. This was how the mother found Lauth Investigations and learned that our CEO, Thomas Lauth is one of the nation’s foremost experts in missing children and adults. After interviewing the mother, family members, and other relevant witnesses in the case, Lauth investigators were able to contact the father’s family in America. After some surveillance, investigators were able to locate the children in North Carolina after only two days—six weeks after the onset of the investigation.

The Solution

The children were eventually returned to their mother after legal proceedings to determine each parent’s legal rights with regard to custody, resulting in the court ruling in the mother’s favor.

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Infidelity | Fit Philanderers

Infidelity | Fit Philanderers

by | Mar 8, 2020 | Case Studies

Case Study | Infidelity | Fit Philanderers |

 Infidelity cases are common in private investigations, because people often show their true colors when they believe no one is watching.

Infidelity | Fit Philanderers

Infidelity cases are common in private investigations, because people often show their true colors when they believe no one is watching.

Lauth was contacted by a Client who believed his wife was having an affair. The pair had grown distant over the years, and they had not shared a marital bed in over a year. While the Subject assured the Client that she took her vows seriously, the Client suspected her distant behavior was the result of something more illicit.

The Investigation

Lauth investigators spoke with the Client to gather information about the Subject’s daily habits and schedule. What was her daily routine like?

What were the stores and establishments she frequented in their community? Investigators then began surveillance of the Subject in order to identify any regularly recurring characters in her daily life that could be potential lovers. Investigators infiltrated a weekly fitness class the Subject regularly attended with her best friend, who is female. On more than one occasion the investigator overheard them discuss plans to meet up later in the evening or go on vacation together with their husbands. One day, during surveillance, the investigator observed the Subject meet an unidentified male in a shopping center parking lot. The Subject entered the vehicle and remained in the vehicle for an hour before reemerging. The investigator memorialized these events in the form of photographs and video. Subject continued these rendezvous on a weekly—sometimes daily—basis. Due to the fact that the unidentified male Subject had tinted windows in his truck, investigators were not able to capture what transpired inside the truck’s cab, even with a telephoto lens.

The Solution

Through additional surveillance, Lauth prepared a report that concluded that not only was the Subject involved in an extramarital affair…

…but that her lover was the husband of her best friend, with whom she regularly attended the fitness classes. Lauth’s report contained data regarding the time, location, and circumstances of these adulterous assignations, as well as photographs and video of those events.

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Corporate Theft | Oil Manufacturer

Corporate Theft | Oil Manufacturer

by | Mar 8, 2020 | Case Studies, Case Study Corporate Theft, Corporate Theft

Case Study | Corporate Theft | Oil Manufacturer | 

Employees are the fuel that drive success in a company, but what happens when employee theft stalls the corporate engine?

Corporate Theft | The Case

Employees are the fuel that drive success in a company, but what happens when employee theft stalls the corporate engine?

Lauth Investigations International was called upon to investigate suspicions of theft within a local oil manufacturer. An equipment manager had voiced concerns about unusual gas spillage near the valves where employees filled the tanks for distribution. The manger told their superiors they believed an employee had been siphoning off gas from the refinery and had been selling it out of his home.

The Investigation

Lauth Investigators first had to determine if there were environmental factors that were effecting the valves. 

Lauth Investigators first had to determine if there were environmental factors that were effecting the valves. Using risk-management criteria, it was determined that there were no leaks in the valves and they were in perfect working order. Next, investigators had to determine if human error might have been responsible for the spillage. Procedure for filling gas tanks involved the use of a hose which would prevent spillage. Undercover, investigators entered the refinery during operation hours to observe employees filling tanks. After surveilling daily operations, it was determined the alleged theft must be taking place outside of operation hours. Investigators placed hidden cameras trained on the target tanks in hopes of observing the theft. Footage from the hidden surveillance cameras revealed that an employee was, in fact, using an improper technique to fill cannisters with gas from the targeted tanks. The investigator visited the Subject’s residence and identified the same gas cannisters on the Subject’s property.

The Solution

Lauth prepared a report indicating that the Subject identified filling gas from the cannisters was the suspected employee, as well as the gas cannisters observed at the Subject’s home.

The report contained the conclusion that the Subject was siphoning gas and transporting it back to their residence to sell privately. At this stage of the investigation, the client did not wish to go further with the investigation in order to establish a link between the improperly filled cannisters and the cannisters at the Subject’s home. Lauth’s recommended solution was the termination of the employee.

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