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When police left her hopeless, an Orlando woman turned to a private investigator to resolve the details of her daughter’s death.
Although the human mind has an incredible ability to recover after tragedy, sometimes it doesn’t feel that way. Some days, it’s as if the world truly is falling in around us, and outweighing our ability to cope. This dark and depressing state was where Orlando resident Olga Erausquin found herself after the traumatic and mysterious death of her daughter, Jessica.
Jessica Erausquin’s death was untimely and strange. The facts did not add up to the circumstances, and there was no easy answer. Although the local Cocoa Beach police force trolled the scene for clues and interviewed sources, they failed to come up with anything of substance, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Olga began to lose hope. Despite her continual pleading, the police brushed her off with the boilerplate response that they had nothing to report on the case. The lack of communication was devastating and infuriating.
Faced with few options, Olga decided to turn her anguish into action and take matters into her own hands by hiring a private investigator.
Hit and Run
The facts were as follows: Jessica Erausquin was 27 when she was found on the side of Rose Drive, dead, on the morning of October 16, 2014. Her body exhibited trauma symptoms almost exclusively associated with a car crash: skull fractures, brain injury, and cuts and bruises consistent with seat belt marks. The coroner ruled her death a traffic homicide, plain and simple.
But it wasn’t so simple — Jessica wasn’t found in a car.
In fact, nobody seemed to have any idea of how she ended up on the side of the road, or what accident she might have been in. Was this all some tragic happenstance? Was it murder? Despite the fact that Cocoa Beach police looked into several leads, the case stagnated, and rapidly turned cold.
It was then that Olga turned to private investigator Ryan Mann for help.
Personal Collaboration
In cases like these, private investigators have a distinct advantage over the police — they can use legal tactics police cannot, and tailor an investigation to a person’s exact needs. While police distanced themselves from Olga and her daughter’s case, Ryan was literally at her funeral service.
He poured over the scene, interviewed over 50 people involved in the investigation, and ultimately uncovered a critical lead that had stumped local police — the last person to have likely seen Jessica alive, a detail that could prove crucial in solving the case and, more importantly, providing closure to Jessica’s family.
While this case is still ongoing, it highlights some notable facts. Police have a genuine commitment to secrecy, and are often legally unable to disclose information to victims’ families. Private investigators actually have an obligation, as a paid service, to share information with you and give you executive control over the investigation.
Moreover, a PI can often pursue a case with a level of detail unavailable to officers. As the Los Angeles Times points out, recent budget cuts have left many departments spread incredibly thin, rendering them unable to properly handle investigations, let alone common crimes. These gaps in police work have been filled by private investigators, and their roles will continue to expand.
A Leg Up
While people have continually shown that they can handle almost all adversity, it is teamwork that truly gives us our strength. In this case, when faced with extreme personal anguish, Olga Erausquin turned to a professional for solutions.
Private investigators like those at Integrated Security Services lend you an unprecedented level of control over a search, and open up avenues of inquiry that would otherwise remain closed. With their help, you can explore areas of an investigation you know merit deliberate, studied attention, combing for details that others might miss.
It is unfortunate that, in many instances, our public services fail us — it should, however, give us hope that there are opportunities for genuine recourse. Olga took action to resolve her daughter’s death, and in doing so, ensured that justice was within reach.
