Concerns Confirmed
CASE STUDY #211
An alert family discovers their daughter’s new boyfriend has a criminal past
FAMILY’S CHALLENGE
As adolescents tiptoe into adult life, they forge relationships on their own, without the instincts honed over a lifetime. In some cases, concerns about domestic issues or untruths about the family’s past can create delicate challenges – and protecting the family and its emerging adults may require due diligence or even surveillance. This Texas-based family asked us to undertake a discrete look into the background of their daughter’s new boyfriend. “We want to support her choice in friends,” said the matriarch, “but we see a few troubling signs and need to make sure that, above all, she is safe.”
PALADIN’S SOLUTION
Paladin’s investigation included a search of criminal records and civil orders of protection naming the subject, an examination of the national sex offender registry and other major watch lists, and a cursory review of social networking sites and local and national media.
We discovered that this young man had a violent past, a dishonorable discharge from the military and a criminal record that included a felony for unlawful use of a weapon, intoxication and disorderly conduct, among other offenses. In addition, our research into the boyfriend’s social media activity revealed online posts that most families would consider deeply offensive.
VALUE TO THE FAMILY
This young woman’s parents were relieved by this information. When they shared the results of our investigation with her, she recalled concerning changes in her boyfriend’s behavior and, within a few weeks, chose to end the relationship. Every family is different – and others may have chosen to leverage the outcomes of our investigation in various ways. From our perspective, however, the bottom line is “information matters.” And our job is to uncover it.
The Project Manager’s Thoughts on this Engagement
“When we support families with concerns like this one, we approach each situation with sensitivity.
Our job is to uncover facts – with professional excellence, personal discretion and prudence according to whatever direction the family gives us.
After delivering our report, we were prepared to escalate protection in many potential directions – including ongoing monitoring, formal threat assessment analysis, informal awareness training for the family as a whole or for this young lady alone and, if necessary, proactive liaison with local, state and federal law enforcement.”