Whether for discretion or simply to be at peace, a person may consider disappearing. This could involve someone wanting to erase their family past and start over. Behind such actions often lie family disputes or a desire to escape debt.

Without proof that the missing person is in danger, an official investigation will be impossible.

As of April 26, 2013, the French Ministry of the Interior abolished the RIF (Research in the Interest of the Families). Therefore, it is no longer possible to declare a disappearance to police or gendarmerie services if the situation is not deemed “alarming.”.

If all available resources have been exhausted (gendarmerie, hospitals, search notices, social networks, etc.), only a private investigator can assist you.

It is important to remember that in France, anyone can search for an adult they have lost contact with, whether to complete particular formalities or reconnect family ties. However, the address of the located adult will only be disclosed with their explicit consent. 

Our intervention

Cabinet Arnoult International offers serious, effective, and independent investigations to re-establish contact with a lost family member, a runaway minor, a missing heir, a debtor, or an individual against whom legal actions should be taken.

To carry out these searches, Cabinet Arnoult International employs highly effective methods and resources, supported by around twenty private investigators located all around France, with backing from an international network.

Service agreement

For each mission, a contract is drafted, specifying the purpose of the mission, the methodology, the financial terms, and the timeline for execution.

Lead investigator

Your case will be handled by a dedicated lead investigator who’s going to be your only contact, in charge of coordinating and managing the investigations.

Investigation report

At the conclusion of the investigations, a detailed, thorough, and precise investigation report will be drafted. It may be presented, if necessary, before the competent jurisdiction.

Example &
Practical

A father commissioned us to locate his daughter, from whom he had had no news for over a decade. He had learned that she might have had a child and wished to exercise his rights as a grandparent (Article 371-4 of the French Civil Code).

Thanks to our investigations, the individual could be located, and we were able to confirm that she was the mother of a newborn. Although she did not wish to start over a relationship with her father, she acknowledged his right to know his grandson.

Our actions allowed us to reassure the father about his daughter’s situation and allowed him to exercise his right to have a personal relationship with his grandson.