What to Do if You or a Loved One Is a Victim of a Crime and the Police Won’t Investigate

Across the country, several high-profile suspicious death and missing-person cases have ignited public outrage because families believed law enforcement failed to conduct a thorough investigation. In these situations, relatives often described feeling dismissed, unheard, or outright ignored when they raised concerns that something more sinister may have occurred. These cases—discussed extensively in media, documentaries, and public forums—illustrate a painful reality: sometimes, for a variety of reasons including workload, miscommunication, or premature assumptions, police departments do not pursue a case as aggressively as victims or families believe they should.

For the individuals living through these moments, the sense of injustice can be overwhelming. You know something is wrong. You feel that critical leads are being overlooked, witnesses are not being interviewed, or evidence is not being collected. Whether you are the direct victim of a crime or a family member seeking answers, the experience can feel like hitting a brick wall, one that stands between you and the truth.

If you find yourself in this situation, you are not powerless. There are practical steps you can take to advocate for yourself, escalate the matter appropriately, and push for the truth to be taken seriously. Below are strategies you can use to help move a stalled or ignored case forward.

1. Stay Calm—Emotions Matter More Than You Think

One of the most frustrating pieces of advice to hear when you’re fighting for justice is: stay calm. Yet in the world of criminal investigations and police interactions, temperament often affects credibility in the eyes of officials. When you arrive anxious, angry, or visibly distressed, police can interpret elevated emotions as a sign of unreliability or instability. That interpretation, however unfair, can limit your ability to be heard.

Remaining calm does not mean suppressing your pain or pretending everything is fine. Instead, it means presenting your concerns clearly, factually, and in an organized manner. Bring written notes. Bring timelines. Bring names and details. Demonstrate that you are prepared, rational, and focused. When you communicate this way, the conversation can shift. Officers are more likely to listen. Supervisors are more likely to take your request seriously. And future interactions become easier because you’ve built a foundation of professionalism rather than emotional conflict.

If necessary, take time to compose yourself before walking into a station or calling a detective. Practice what you want to say. Have a trusted friend or family member accompany you to keep the conversation grounded. The calmer and more organized your approach, the harder it is for anyone to dismiss your concerns.

2. Exert Pressure Through Contacts and Community Influence

When a case stalls—or when the police refuse to investigate at all—political, community, or departmental pressure can make a real difference. This is not about favoritism or corruption; it’s about ensuring accountability. Police departments, like all public institutions, respond to scrutiny, especially when it comes from individuals or groups with influence.

If you know local politicians, community leaders, or well-respected professionals with ties to law enforcement, reach out to them. Explain the situation clearly and calmly. Provide your documentation, your concerns, and what you believe has been neglected. Ask them if they are willing to make inquiries on your behalf or request updates from police leadership. Sometimes, a single phone call from a city council member, state legislator, or retired officer can be enough to push a case back onto someone’s desk.

Keep in mind that pressure works best when it is applied respectfully. Threats, hostility, or accusations rarely produce results. Professional persistence, backed by credible allies, is far more effective.

3. Hire a Private Investigator to Conduct a Parallel Investigation

One of the most practical and empowering steps you can take is hiring a licensed private investigator. When the police refuse to investigate—or when they conduct only a partial investigation—a private investigator can step in and pursue the leads that law enforcement overlooked or dismissed.

Private investigators can:

• Conduct interviews and re-interview witnesses

• Review or construct timelines

• Identify and collect surveillance footage that police never found

• Locate new evidence or information

• Document the crime scene

• Provide organized reports and evidence packets

• Work independently or collaborate with attorneys

  
  

Most importantly, they work for you—not a department with limited resources or competing priorities. A private investigator’s findings can later be delivered directly to the police or district attorney, often prompting reconsideration of a stalled case. Many families have successfully revived investigations because a private investigator uncovered something police had missed.

If you need assistance or want to speak directly with experienced investigators with years of real-world police experience, visit www.MidlandsPI.com. Midlands Private Investigations, based in Columbia, South Carolina, conducts professional parallel investigations and provides victims and families with the structure, evidence, and support needed to push law enforcement toward action. The firm’s investigators bring law-enforcement experience and understand exactly how to gather information in a way that agencies will take seriously. Their background in law enforcment means they can speak to police in their own language, one they understand and take seriously, to maximize your results.

A private investigator is not a replacement for a criminal investigation by the state, but they can generate enough credible evidence to compel the police to reopen or reexamine a case.

4. Hire a Lawyer to Apply Legal and Public Pressure

Legal representation is another powerful tool when the system appears unresponsive. Attorneys know how to elevate a matter beyond a simple complaint to police. They can communicate directly with district attorneys, prosecutors, city officials, or police leadership. In many cases, lawyers can request records, demand updates, or even file legal actions compelling agencies to release information.

Additionally, lawyers can help organize press conferences or public statements when appropriate. Media attention often pressures a district attorney’s office to reevaluate whether a case was prematurely dismissed or improperly classified. Public visibility can also reduce the likelihood of mistakes or oversights by the police being ignored.

An attorney’s involvement signals that you are serious, informed, and committed to pursuing justice. It also ensures that any communication with authorities happens through a professional filter, reducing emotional escalation and increasing credibility.

Your attorney and private investigator can work together as well. The attorney handles the legal and public aspects; the investigator handles the fact-finding. That combination is often what finally gets a stalled case reopened.

Conclusion: You Are Not Powerless—There Are Ways to Push Forward

Being the victim of a crime, or the loved one of a victim, only to watch the police refuse to investigate is one of the most painful and infuriating experiences a person can face. Yet while the situation may feel hopeless, it is not. You have options. Real ones.

By staying calm and organized, you present yourself as credible and serious. By applying community or political pressure, you ensure that your concerns cannot be quietly brushed aside. By hiring a private investigator, you generate new evidence, new leads, and new momentum that can force law enforcement to reconsider the case. And by involving an attorney, you gain a powerful advocate who can escalate the matter to higher authorities or the public if necessary.

Justice often requires persistence. Systems fail; individuals make mistakes; agencies become overwhelmed. But cases have been reopened—and solved—because victims and families refused to give up.

If you believe your case has been neglected, you do not have to navigate this alone. Professional investigators and legal experts exist for exactly these moments. Visit www.MidlandsPI.com to learn more about how experienced investigators can help you pursue the truth, gather evidence, and push your case forward.

You deserve answers. You deserve action. And you deserve to be heard.