What tips do you have for tracking down a friend?
Jane was a friend since we were five. Her family moved to another state whe we were about ten. We wrote to each other and she visited once. After that, we lost touch. I miss her.
What suggestions do you have for relocating her?
Observing members:
0
Composing members:
0
6 Answers
Google her name or do a FaceBook search. Would be helpful if you now her last name too.
Both have been done. And yes, I know her last name, at least since she was a child. I even reached out to a woman on FB who had the unusual name of her older sister. No luck.
@Pied_Pfeffer Ask an elder with the same last name as her. They might be into genealogy. Ask people with the same last name. Also you can ask the school secretary’s for help for the region that your friend moved to. If your friend was married then It would be harder to track if she took her husband’s last name. If you have the cash you can hire a detective to help you search.
I hunt for people as part of my job. Google provides (I am guessing) 80% or more of my clues. After the obvious Facebook, Google, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. there is no common simple path.
In the US, Whitepages and Intelius are a good start, but don’t take them as gospel. They aggregate huge amounts of data without verification. For example they list me at my address from 15 years ago, in a different state from my home. You can pay for “better” access but I dropped the subscriptions after a short trial because they are little better than the free info.
Googling skills are important. Has she married and changed her name? Does she go by a nickname or middle name instead of “Jane”? If she has a common first+last name, can you narrow it down by geography or profession or hobbies?
After that, get on the phone. Ask anyone who might know IF they know. Friends, family, business contacts. Church people, neighbors, people in the same neighborhood with the same last name.
If you can spend money, a private investigator might cost $100. They have access to databases which are a little better, which require a subscription and rudimentary background check for access.
@RedDeerGuy1 I don’t know anyone with the last name of Webber.
@Call_Me_Jay I don’t know anyone to contact. I have no idea who her parents were friends with, and the neighbors are long gone.
Answer this question 
This question is in the General Section. Responses must be helpful and on-topic.
Composing members:
0
