Page 16 - PPIAC Newsletter Apr-May 2022

A Note on Scams
It should be noted that throughout the entire investigation and afterward, both we and the family were
approached by people in person and online claiming to have seen Abiodun in other parts of Nicaragua and
requesting a reward in exchange for the information. This is almost always a scam. This is always difficult for the
family because they want to cling to the possibility of their loved one being alive. The family briefly considered
sending us back to Nicaragua to follow up on a number of these so-called leads, but we recommended against this,
and they eventually agreed.

Recommendations
In a missing persons case, if you run up to the end of your budget or timeframe, and there’s more to do, it is
important to provide recommendations that the family can choose to follow if they want to leave no stone
unturned. In this case, we informed them of two diving outfits in the US who we could contract to either send
aquatic robots or use high-tech diving suits to go to the depths that were necessary to search for Abiodun’s body.
Unfortunately, this was cost-prohibitive for the family, and they elected to rely on our conclusion.

Takeaways and Resources
Missing persons cases, especially international cases, are so different that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach.
However, above you will have seen a general outline of how to proceed, which is broken down as follows:

1. Info-gathering phase, where you do research, talk to the family, research the location, review evidence,
coordinate with the government, etc.
2. Planning phase, where you figure out where you’re going to go, what kinds of people you need to talk to,
and what kinds of experts, if any, you’ll need.
3. Field phase, where you actually conduct your investigation.
4. Conclusion phase, where you write your report and provide recommendations.

For additional information on conducting missing persons investigations, please feel free to check these out. Many
of these are for law enforcement, but the majority of the investigative considerations are the same:
1. CBI Missing Persons Checklist: https://cbi.colorado.gov/missing-persons-checklist
2. CBI Missing Persons Resource Page: https://cbi.colorado.gov/missing-persons-resource-page
3. CBI Missing Persons Unit Page: https://cbi.colorado.gov/sections/investigations/missing-persons
4. DOJ Investigator Checklist for Missing Persons Investigations: https://amber-ic.org/wp-
content/uploads/2019/01/investigative_officer_checklist_comprehensive.pdf
5. DOJ Guide for Families: https://ojjdp.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh176/files/pubs/childismissing/ch1.html
6. DOJ Law Enforcement Guide on International Kidnapping:
https://ojjdp.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh176/files/pubs/250606.pdf
7. DOJ Investigator’s Guide to Missing Child Cases:
https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/108768NCJRS.pdf
8. PI 10 Tips on How to Investigate a Missing Person: https://mykludo.com/community/news/ten-tips-on-
investigating-missing-persons/