Stay informed with the latest stories from the field of private investigation — including human interest cases, legal developments, and tools designed for modern investigative work.
1. 
PI Pledges $100K in 40-Year-Old Missing Child Case
Private investigator Steve Ridge has pledged $100,000 of his own money to help solve the 1985 disappearance of 8-year-old Cherrie Mahan in Pennsylvania. He hopes the reward will inspire someone with information to come forward after four decades of dead ends.
Published: May 6, 2025
Private investigator pledging $100K of his own money to help locate Cherrie Mahan - CBS Pittsburgh
2. 
New Anthology Chronicles Real PI Stories
“Private Investigator Stories: Chronicles That Captivate and Inspire” was released this week, offering gripping accounts of real-life investigations. The book dives into ethical dilemmas, risks in the field, and how investigators solve emotionally complex cases — all from those who’ve lived it.
Published: May 8, 2025
Private Investigator Stories: Chronicles That Captivate and Inspire - LanceThePI
3. 
Psychic Con Artist Busted by Investigator
After a long investigation led by veteran PI Bob Nygaard, New York-based psychic Patsy Brown was convicted of fraud. She swindled clients with bizarre rituals and fake promises, including reversing time, and must now pay $20,000 in restitution.
Published: May 9, 2025
Binghamton ‘psychic’ pled guilty following investigation
4. 
Nevada Supreme Court Reviews GPS Surveillance Case
The Nevada Supreme Court is hearing a potentially precedent-setting case involving a private investigator who placed a GPS tracker on a car without the owner’s consent. The decision may redefine how surveillance tools can be legally used in future investigations.
Published: May 6, 2025
Nevada Supreme Court Considers GPS Tracking Case
5. 
Family Hires PIs After Teen Shot by Police
The family of 18-year-old Ryan Hinton, who was shot and killed by Cincinnati police, has retained private investigators to review the incident. The PIs are conducting an independent analysis of bodycam footage and forensic evidence surrounding the shooting.
Published: May 6, 2025
Family of 18-year-old killed by CPD hires private investigators
Tools & Tech for Investigators
M-Vac DNA System Arrives in Texas
The Bell County Sheriff’s Office is adopting the M-Vac DNA collection system — a wet-vacuum technology that extracts trace DNA from porous surfaces that traditional swabs can’t reach. It’s already been used successfully in cold cases nationwide.
Published: May 8, 2025
https://fox44news.com/news/local-news/bell-county/bell-co-sheriff-getting-new-dna-forensic-tool/
“HashBro” Tool Launches for Digital Evidence Handling
A new open-source tool called HashBro debuted this week, helping investigators validate and hash digital evidence at scale. It generates audit trails (CSV, PDF, JSON) and is now freely available on GitHub for use in digital forensics and legal documentation.
Published: May 7, 2025
https://www.forensicfocus.com/news/digital-forensics-round-up-may-07-2025/
Fun Fact
In the 1980s, a private investigator helped solve one of the largest art heists in U.S. history — the theft of 124 paintings valued at over $100 million. The PI posed as an art dealer and worked undercover for months, ultimately leading to arrests and recovery of several stolen works. Sometimes, it takes more than law enforcement to crack the case — it takes a good disguise and a lot of patience.
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