Why we exist.

One human condition so common that it’s sometimes over looked is our innate need to not only seek answers, but to seek the truth in those answers. Mysteries are mystical, the unknown is fascinating and sometimes scary; but some of us have an insatiable urge to make the unknown known. It is the drive to seek answers that sparked my interest in investigations as a child. It led to a great love of all the iconic detectives, mysteries, and true crime cases many of us know well. Growing up I wanted more than anything to be a detective in law enforcement. I took a long uncommon road to get to that goal, but I did eventually achieve it. Like so many of our dreams though, fantasy was sweeter than reality.

When I began my law enforcement career I was so happy to be the one people called on to help them. The person to show up to what was possibly someone’s worst day and have the opportunity to help them. I didn’t mind that so many of those calls were things like “someone vandalized my mailbox” or “my husband’s girlfriend stole my clothes”, to me they were all mysteries to be solved. It was great to be investigating actual crimes in law enforcement. Unfortunately, I would come to see the truth, most law enforcement were just there to catch a paycheck and go home. This became evident fairly early on with a call that nearly killed someone.

I was about an hour into my 6 P.M. to 6 A.M. night shift when my dispatch gave me a name and number call. These calls are when dispatch takes a call from someone who has questions or needs a follow up on something that they are unsure rises to the status of an emergency. Dispatch told me the lady wanted to speak to a deputy concerning a welfare check for her daughter that she had called in earlier that day. When I called the woman she advised me that she called around 3 p.m. that same day and wanted someone to go check on her adult daughter, but she had not heard anything back four hours later. When I asked the woman why she felt the welfare check should be performed she explained that her daughter struggles with mental health issues, sent a text saying goodbye, and planned to take her own life. I arrived at the daughters address and noticed that her car was not in the drive and the house was quite and secure. When I called the mother back to get more details I learned that the daughter dropped her kids off to a friend unannounced and left around the same time the daughter sent the good bye text. I also learned that the text contained her plan to kill herself. The daughter told the mother she was giving her kids to the friend, leaving her car where they could find it later, and going to drowned herself.

I was able to locate and speak with the friend who confirmed the mother’s story and had the children present with her. When someone having suicidal ideations starts implementing a known plan IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. At the time, in my jurisdiction, in order to geolocate (ping) someone’s cell phone all deputies had to call the prosecuting attorney to get permission. At the time this baffled me, I couldn’t understand why it seemed we were not trusted to know what extenuating circumstances were. Even though she had a history of behavioral health challenges, a history of suicide attempts, a plan complete suicide that she was putting into motion, a goodbye message, and was currently unaccounted for I was told I could not geolocate her phone. I was furious. I began searching the area for her car, which I located at a gas station. The car was unlocked with the keys placed in the console. I called the prosecutor back and told him about the car and had to beg him to let me geolocate her phone. He finally gave me the okay and within 10 minuets dispatch advised me her last phone ping was within 1000ft. radius of her home. I felt so strongly that she was in her home that I called the prosecuting attorney back told him I needed to force entry to the home. He, unsurprisingly, told me no. I felt so strongly that this lady needed help and was in her home I didn’t care about his “no”. I flew to her address bound and determined to do the right thing, even it meant being fired or worse.

When I arrived at home there were still no vehicles present. I went around to the rear of the home because the backdoor was going to be the easier entry spot. As I came around the rear of the house I saw a bucket under a window and the window was open. I drew my service weapon and announced my presence through the window. A man’s panic voiced answered from inside and shortly there after he came into view; he was ghostly pale and shaking when he said “please help, she’s not breathing”. I had him open the back door and lead me to the woman. I found her on her bed unresponsive with no pulse. I radioed dispatch for EMS and put her in floor and began CPR. Just before EMS arrived I managed to get a pulse back and she began trying to breath on her own. After everything was done and she was transported by EMS I called her mother back and explained the situation. As we got of the phone she said something that shouldn’t even had been necessary to say, “thank you for caring”. I spent the rest of my shift reflecting on that call and instead of feeling accomplished I grew more and more frustrated and angry.

Why, when the original officer that took the call, who had all the same information and knowledge as me, did it take over 5 hours for someone to get to her. I learned that when he got the call for the warfare check it was close to the end of his shift so he just drove by the house, saw the empty driveway and decided that she wasn’t home. Why couldn’t he have been bothered to even call the mother back? Here’s why. Like so many others with behavioral health issues the suicidal daughter had a history of drug use and had been arrested a few times. Simply put, she wasn’t important enough. Thankfully the daughter lived and last I checked is doing much better.

This situation and many like it began to show me that not all investigators are created equal. What sets a great investigator apart from the rest is actually caring about the people involved in the investigation. At praesidium, we care. Our client’s receive our absolute best at all times and will NEVER be met with the “that’s good enough attitude”.