Divorce Investigations
Check residence, cohabitation, property-use or financial claims relevant to a divorce during military service.
Private Investigation for Military Families in Washington
Deployment, training and a PCS move can change who handles care, where a child lives and how exchanges happen. We help Washington military families document those changes with dated records, witness accounts and lawful observations. The work can clarify the difference between the agreed parenting arrangement and the routine that actually occurred.
Family questions during service and moves
We focus on the dates and arrangements that matter to your family dispute, while respecting installation access limits and protected information.
Child Custody Investigations
Document who handled care and exchanges during deployment, training or housing changes.
Parental Kidnapping and Unauthorized Removal Investigations
Preserve movement timelines and child-location leads for counsel or law enforcement after an unauthorized removal. Seek emergency help for immediate danger.
Relocation Investigations
Verify residence and move dates and document how the move affected exchanges or the child’s routine.
Parenting Plan Investigations
Compare the parenting order, temporary changes, actual exchanges and communications about missed time.
Child Support Modification Investigations
Organize current residence and work-related facts alongside the existing support order and financial records lawfully available for review.
Investigative work around your family’s schedule
Depending on the question, we may check an address, observe an exchange, preserve messages or arrange service of papers. Military status does not grant access to private records or restricted locations.
Location Services
Check address, residence and work-location leads through lawful records and observations, identifying which leads remain unconfirmed.
Surveillance Services
Document relevant care or exchange activity from lawful locations during the agreed observation period.
Digital Forensics Services
Preserve authorized messages, files and media with their dates and sources, keeping protected operational information out of the submission.
Process Service
Plan service attempts around verified addresses, applicable instructions and installation access restrictions.
Legal Support Services
Organize deployment-related dates, orders and supporting records for counsel’s review without advising on jurisdiction or legal strategy.
Deployment, return and housing changes
Temporary arrangements can be difficult to reconstruct later. Keep the relevant orders, notice, agreed changes and actual care dates together, including changes caused by training or emergency leave.
Deployment and Temporary Parenting Changes
We compare the relevant orders and notice with temporary schedules, delegated parenting time and the care that actually occurred during service obligations.
Reinstatement After Deployment
After deployment, we can document the return date, exchanges and any difference between the temporary arrangement and the schedule that resumed. Counsel assesses reinstatement requirements and any dispute about continuing a temporary change.
Relocation and Housing Transitions
PCS moves, on-base or off-base housing changes and rapid address changes may affect school travel and exchanges. We check the relevant residence dates and daily arrangements within lawful access limits.
Compare duty-related changes with actual parenting time
Match relevant leave, drill or training dates with exchanges and third-party caregiving. We distinguish a scheduling constraint from evidence about who provided care, without requesting protected operational details.
Coordinate Washington records and observation locations
Identify the civilian court and the places where care, exchanges and witnesses are located. Work may cross county lines even when the case is filed in one county; those locations shape the travel and research budget.
Share only the scheduling information you are authorized to provide. We need the family-related dates and constraints, not protected operational information. Military status alone does not resolve custody or another family-law question.
Check Statewide Forms Against Local Requirements
The Washington Courts forms directory provides statewide forms and notes that individual courts may require additional forms or local rules. Check the instructions for the court handling your matter with your attorney. An investigative report does not replace a required declaration or filing.
Bring the relevant order and care timeline
Provide the current parenting order, temporary changes, a dated care history and any hearing date. Identify firsthand observations and secondhand reports, and preserve original authorized messages separately from your notes.
Before approving work, identify the observation locations and travel needed. Lite service is $150/hour and Heavy is $300/hour per investigator; preparation and report writing are each $150/hour, while office round-trip travel from 539 Broadway, Tacoma costs $2.50/minute. Time other than travel rounds up to one-hour blocks. Each purchased service hour carries a 10% expense credit ($15 Lite or $30 Heavy); credits on hours used pay only that task’s expenses and expire at report delivery. Unused hours retain their credits under the carryover rules. Surcharges and additional expenses are paid separately, not deducted from service hours. Extra communication outside the work included with or purchased for the task costs $150/hour, prepaid separately. Review the Washington pricing rules before confirming the prepaid scope and schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions for Military Families in Washington
Can a PI help during a deployment custody dispute?
Yes. We can document temporary care arrangements, the child’s routine and specific events during deployment. The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) provides certain protections, which counsel should assess for your case; it does not itself prevent lawful evidence gathering.
How does military status affect a family-law investigation?
Base housing, deployment or training schedules, PCS moves and civilian or military proceedings can affect where and when work is possible. We plan around access limits and the relevant family schedule. Counsel addresses jurisdiction and the legal effects of military service.
Can investigation evidence be used in both military and civilian proceedings?
Lawfully collected material may be useful for legal review, but admissibility and permitted use depend on the proceeding and the evidence. Counsel should assess the requirements for each civilian or military venue; collection by a PI does not guarantee acceptance.
Do you work with military families at Joint Base Lewis-McChord?
Yes. JBLM is within our primary coverage area in Pierce County. We are familiar with the surrounding communities, schools, and housing areas that military families in this region typically use.
Need to document a deployment or move-related change?
Tell us the family question, relevant dates and places, and any hearing deadline. We will discuss the records and observations needed without asking you to share protected operational information.