Investigators - I need to gather info about someone

[Weetabix]

The backstory:

My daughter got involved with a young man. I felt uneasy about him but figured that rather than forbid the thing and get a Romeo and Juliet ending, I'd allow it to continue under controlled circumstances. We could get to know him, and he could prove himself. He used up all his three strikes with me. She has (or claims to have) seen the light about this young man, and she has ended the relationship.

I've just found out that a week ago or so, the young man's friend emailed some threats to daughter for having hurt his friend. He mentioned normally beating people up for that, hijacking FB accounts, and ruining online lives. He ended by stating that he doesn't enjoy hitting women, that it's not feasible from "where he sits," and that she doesn't appear to have a large online presence for him to ruin, so he wanted to let her know how disappointed, etc, etc.

My son showed me an email string from the day after the email in which he threatened to "beat the living sh!t" out of the young man. I'm feeling kind of proud of him for that. The young man replied with what appeared to be internet tough guy bluster.

What I want to do:

I'd like to find out as much as I can about this young man. I know his name and an email address. He's from my town, but not in my state right now. I think he may be in Sweden with plans to come back to town this summer. I know his instagram page. Can't find him on FB.

I don't plan any action. But I don't want to ignore this either, given what we read about so often.

Any recommendations? She's 18, so no carrying.

[Yogimus]

Make copies of his threats and approach his parents. Tell them that the next stop is school, and should that fail, the police.

Meanwhile, find the little fuck and leave him in a ditch.

[Highspeed]

Not the sort of thing I could assist you with, even if I lived in the US, but checking in just to hope it all gets worked out OK.

[308Mike]

Just because you can't find him on FB using his real name, that doesn't mean he's not on FB. If you didn't know my screen name, you wouldn't find me on FB either. So what you need to do is check his friends and their friends to see what friends they have in common, looking for the same info where they're talking about being in Sweden, etc., etc., then you might be able to get some real info on him. Yes, it can be VERY time consuming and frustrating, but if believes he's hidden his tracks well enough, you might be surprised at just what he might reveal himself to be online. And once you get his info, create a ficticious account of some 14-year-old little girl and chat him up, saving the info for later posting online (since he no doubt has a BIG internet presence, just not in his real name).

If his parents own property in the town, you should be able to get their names and address from the county tax assessor's office. If they have a car tax, you might even be able to find out what make and model of car he owns and drives when he comes home. You might even be able to find out if he has an outstanding tax bill or has liens placed against his income or property. Once you get some information, start building on it. Eventually, you might be frightened at just how much information you can get online. Hell, you might be able to find out if he's registered for Selective Service, and once he comes home, he might have a nastygram waiting for him from the federal government (after you've explained he's taken advantage of what America has to offer but feels no obligation to return the favor of even REGISTERING for service should it ever be needed), and since he frequently travels outside the country, perhaps it needs to be pointed out to him he STILL NEEDS to register.

Ask your daughter for his physical descriptors (height, weight, skin complexion, glasses/contacts, hair color and style, preferred clothes, favorite colors - to go along with his other desires like what kind of cars he likes, has he gone shooting or knows how to use a firearm(s), does he always hide stuff, does he like drugs and if so, what kinds or preferences, does he drink and if so, what's his preference, etc., etc., no detail is too small or too large to include in working up his profile) to make sure you're looking at info for the right guy - once you start working up his profile, you don't want to waste a bunch of time digging up details on a black guy when he's white (but don't EXCLUDE data just because you can't positively connect it to him, make a note and set it aside, you might see it again in a manner to confirm it).

DIG, DIG, DIG................... (and what Yogi said).

[Yogimus]

Your daughter knows his friend. It would take you 30 seconds to find who is making the threats and his address if you applied pressure to your daughter's boyfriend/mistake in progress.

[Precision]

I have a buddy who is a PI and for very little money out of pocket, he can do a database search and turn up a lot of particulars. Not quite as effective on people who have barely started their lives.

[Aesop]

Boilerplate letters to FB regarding potential facilitation of criminal threats of violence can do wonders for shaking loose information and cancelling his online persona, making it persona non grata. I'm going to take a wild guess that such threats violate his TOS, and nobody running FB wants to be on the wrong end of that lawsuit.

And cut to the chase: go to the local cops with what you have now.

A notification on letterhead from the local constables may make Young Douchecanoe rethink his life choices.
Likely there's little they can do, but you never know, and they're getting paid out of your taxes, so take advantage of it.
If Douchecanoe is a local, he may find out that making internet threats can be treated in court exactly like making them in person, and that a warrant from local law enforcement does amazing things for you in customs when you're returning from abroad.

Just ask the Secret Service.

And tell S&H ixnay on the counter-threats of violence, for the same reasons. The internet is forever, and it's never as funny at the deposition or in the witness box as it was at 2PM on FaceSpace. Tell him not to bluff or bluster. Just let him know that if he finds the little shit in question, and activates his dental plan, he'd better be smart enough not to do it in front of the ATM security camera.

I note purely for anatomical curiousity that the solar plexus, abdomen, and crotch seldom record marks, cause a great deal of distress, and have none of the annoying bones that interfere with one's workout, unlike the skull. And check local laws, but knuckles are generally at worst a misdemeanor, assuming there are no friendly witnesses to support a claim of self defense, but pipes and clubs generally enhance the crime in a negative manner.

Whereas if they never find the body...they never find the body. You're in by-God-Missouri? There's little that feral hogs and crawdads won't eat, IIRC.




My niece is 19. As if a 6'6" 275# father who's an ex-cop and runs a gun store isn't enough, the prospect of a Sons Of Katie Elder family visit from the two crazy(er) uncles has thus far eliminated anyone getting stupid with her or any other female relatives in the same time zone thus far in life.
And if a family member called at 3AM and needed help with a clean-up, we wouldn't need to call Winston Wolf from Pulp Fiction to handle it.
I'm sure you're in a somewhat similar position.

[mekender]

I think he may be in Sweden with plans to come back to town this summer.

Back in HS, long before 9/11 we had a buddy that got dropped off at the airport by another friend of ours. Nice guy, but man he was pissed when the security people found 2 live 9mm rounds and a photo of Saddam in his jacket pocket.

Not suggesting any mischief, just sharing a story about how sometimes people can miss their flight if they are not careful to check their pockets.

[Weetabix]

define "young"

Turning 18 this summer, IIRC.

[Yogimus]

Seriously... put pressure on your daughter and her boyfriend. The people who told you he is in sweden can tell you where his parents are.