Using Social Media To Conduct Your Adoption Search

Adoption Search

Social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter and Google can be very helpful when conducting an adoption search.  Not only can you search these sites for listings your birth family members might have posted, you can also post your adoption search details on many of these sites.   

Here is a New York Daily News video and article on how Jonathan Frank conducted an adoption search and found his birth brother and birth sister with the help of Facebook.

Here is a CNN News Story on how a Pennsylvania woman used Google to resolve her adoption search and find her birth family. 

When OmniTrace begins a new adoption search, we utilize state-of-the-art databases, a worldwide network of researchers and private investigation methods to find birth family.  We also take advantage of the many free social media websites so we have every chance to successfully complete your adoption search.

If you are conducting an adoption search on your own, please be sure to visit the Read More

Find Missing Persons – Call A Skip Tracer

Skip Tracer 101

Skip tracers are professional searchers who specialize in locating people such as debtors and deadbeats (people who owe money).  Skip tracers often work for companies that are owed a lot of debt such as banks, credit card companies and utility companies.  Skip trace departments within these companies can be a great source to find someone you suspect owes money. 

Skip Tracers are constantly tracking down and developing current address and current employment information on debtors and deadbeats.  Skip tracers typically rely on using the phone and employing various pretexts (phone tricks) to get debtors and deadbeats to reveal their locations.  Sometimes this can be more effective than database or Internet Searching.

If you suspect the person you are searching for owes money to a specific company or companies, contact their skip trace departments and see if you can enlist their help.  (If you are searching for your deadbeat husband or dead beat wife, you may have possession of Read More

OmniTrace Assists Producers Of MTV’s True Life

OmniTrace is assisting the producers of MTV’s True Life:  I’m Looking For My Child. 

Here’s what MTV says about their documentary series:

“MTV’s Emmy-nominated documentary series True Life, explores remarkable real-life stories of young people and the extraordinary subcultures they inhabit.  Crosstown Media, a production company that produces many of the True Life episodes – is currently accepting submissions for their latest episode – I’m Looking For My Child.

Having lost contact with a loved one is a difficult situation for anybody – and when that loved one is their own child, that feeling of loss and desire to connect (or reconnect) must be significantly greater.  True Life wants to explore what it’s like for a young adult who desperately wants to unite (or reunite) with their long-lost child…and we want to document the journey of that person trying to make their dream come true.

True Life takes an intimate and unobtrusive approach to their storytelling.  The entire production crew consists of just one person – a producer with a camera…that’s it.  We capture the story over the course of approximately two months.  Because True Life is a Read More

Requesting Adoption Records

Adoption Records

Requesting your adoption records in a closed adoption records state, while sometimes daunting, is definitely worth doing.  You may obtain:

• Non-Identifying Information (Redacted Adoption Records)
• Information On The State Reunion Registry
• Intermediary Program Details

Obtaining your non-identifying information (redacted adoption records) can be very helpful in finding your birth parents.  We have already written several posts covering non-id, but because this subject is so important, let’s review again (we’ll cover reunion registries and intermediary programs in our next post). 

Non-identifying information / redacted adoption records typically contains Read More

Dave Betz– President of OmniTrace–Is Now On Twitter!

Dave’s twitter location is at:  twitter.com/DaveBetz. 

There you can follow Dave–The People Search Expert– in real time as he reunites birth families, finds missing persons, traces dead beat dads, tracks down witnesses for important legal cases, locates missing clinical trial patients, tracks down heirs to large estates and complains about his broken Sony Bravia TV set.  (The list goes on and on   ). 

Perhaps more important to you, Dave will be tweeting about how you can win a FREE Birth Parent Search valued at $1295.00!

And of course, you can write Dave on Twitter about your search.  He’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Twitter is a social networking platform that allows people to connect with friends, family and professional services like OmniTrace.  Sign up for free and start following Dave today.

Introducing Sheila Knies – OmniTrace Adoption Search Consultant

We enjoy profiling members of our OmniTrace staff to readers of our blog and to those who are considering retaining our people search and adoption search services.

Today we want to introduce Sheila Knies, who is a member of our Search Consultant Department.  We asked Sheila to provide a little background information about herself:

“Sheila Knies, a former Pan Am flight attendant, has a BA degree in Spanish and a Masters degree in Bicultural-Bilingual Education.  She has been married for 25 years and has two children, both in their early 20s. 

Her interest in adoption searches began when her daughter’s closest friend asked her to help locate her birth mother years ago.  She searched for six years and found out how impossible these searches were to do.  Sheila was thrilled when she found OmniTrace.  It was wonderful to discover a company whose main focus was to reunite families.  Wanting to assist in this goal, she applied for the position of Adoption Search Consultant and presently works in that position to this day.”

In future posts, we’ll introduce other members of our OmniTrace staff.  Please call or write us with any questions you may have.  Sheila and our other search consultants would love to hear from you!

Toll Free 1-888-965-6696

Email:  info@omnitrace.com

Open Adoption Records In Colorado!

Open Adoption Records In Colorado

(Special thanks to Joan of nyadoptees who notified us about Colorado Open Adoption Records.)

Great news for those adopted in Colorado who are searching for their birth parents.  Persons adopted in Colorado will soon have access to their original birth records, as long as their adoption was finalized between July 1, 1951 and June 30, 1967.

OmniTrace contacted the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to confirm that Colorado open adoption records will soon be available.  They have informed us that forms will be available to request original birth certificates on June 29, 2009.

In addition, Richard Uhrlaub, Co-Director of Adoptee in Search/Colorado’s Triad Connection,  has indicated that Read More

Have An Old Address Of A Missing Person?

If you are searching for a missing person and have their old address, here is a FREE investigative trick, provided by the head of our OmniTrace research department–Chris Maione.  This may allow you to identify and contact prior neighbors of your subjecct:

First, visit free web resource www.zillow.com. 

1. At the top of the Zillow homepage, there is field where you can input your missing person ‘s old address. 
2. After submitting your search, you will see a map of the neighborhood where your missing person once resided (you can view this map in street view, aerial view and hybrid view). 
3. The old address, that you submitted will appear, as well as tiny icons that represent homes surrounding the address you submitted. 
4. By clicking on the icons, you will obtain exact address information. 
5. Jot down the addresses surrounding your subject’s old address.  In particular, you will want the addresses on the left, on the right and directly across the street from the old address of your subject.

Then, visit free web resource www.whitepages.com. 

1. On the upper center of the home page, click on Read More

Marriage Records – Great Resource When Conducting A BirthMother Search

Accessing marriage records can be very helpful when conducting a birthmother  search.   In most instances, you are trying to develop your birthmother’s married name.    

(Of course, searching marriage records can help anyone who is searching and working with only a maiden name.) 

Marriage records may contain:

• Maiden and married name of birth mother
• Dates of birth of birthmother and groom
• Date of marriage
• Place of marriage
• Birth places of birthmother and groom
• Addresses of birthmother and groom
• Parents of birthmother
• Employment information
• Religious affiliations
• Previous marriages
• Divorce information
• Relatives of birthmother and groom
• Social Security Numbers (sometimes)
• Witness names

Please note:  Information obtained from marriage records will vary greatly from Read More

A Recent Email To OmniTrace Investigator: Rachel Weiss

Rachel Weiss is one of our top investigators at OmniTrace.  She recently completed a successful birth mother search and here is a testimonial from a very happy reunited adoptee:

“Rachel,

Let me start my story by saying THANK YOU to everyone who worked on my case. On March 11 2009 at 3:00 p.m. west coast time I called her. At that initial time I was hoping to get voice mail. After 5 rings she picked up the phone and said such a sweet hello. I asked “is Elizabeth was available” she replied ” yes this is she. Who is this”  I stated “my name is” Andrea S.” excitedly she said “Is this my daughter” I replied with “is that ok ” ?  “Oh honey of course it is”! she told me.  From there on we talked for 30 min and 22 sec.  We talked the next day when she told me that she received the flowers and teddy bear i sent her from the prior day even before I made that first call.

March, 18 2009 at about 10:30 am we met each other in Read More