"Skip tracing" refers to the process of locating a person who has deliberately or inadvertently become difficult to find. The term comes from the phrase "to skip town," and the people who need to be found range from debtors and missing heirs to witnesses, estranged family members, and defendants evading service of process.

Who Needs Skip Tracing?

• Attorneys needing to serve process on an evasive defendant
• Creditors attempting to locate a debtor
• Families searching for a missing or estranged relative
• Executors locating heirs for estate distribution
• Insurance companies verifying claimant whereabouts
• Businesses tracking down former employees or contractors

How Licensed Investigators Find People

Professional skip tracing combines database research, public records analysis, and field investigation. Licensed investigators have legal access to data sources unavailable to the general public, including address history databases, vehicle registration records, utility connections, and court filings. This is fundamentally different from what anyone can find on Google.

Beyond databases, experienced investigators use social network analysis, interviews with known associates, and physical surveillance to confirm a subject's current location. The goal is not just to find an address; it is to confirm the subject is actually present at that address.

What Skip Tracing Cannot Do

A licensed PI cannot access protected records, such as Social Security Administration files, sealed court records, or financial account details, without proper legal authorization. Any investigator who claims otherwise is either lying or operating illegally, and any information obtained that way is inadmissible and potentially criminal.

"The difference between a licensed PI and an online people-search service is the difference between a confirmed, current location and a three-year-old address that may or may not still be valid."

Process Serving and Skip Tracing Together

Many of Foresight PI's skip tracing engagements are paired with process serving. Once we locate the subject, we can serve legal documents on the spot, saving attorneys time and ensuring proper documentation of service. This is particularly valuable in Louisiana, where proper service of process is a strict procedural requirement.