 "Oh what a tangled
web we weave, when first we practice to deceive." |
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Ann Flaherty is the owner of the R.D.D. Detective Agency and is a noted authority on missing persons, fraud, scams, and elder abuse. A licensed private investigator in the state of California with over 25 years' experience in the investigative field, Ms. Flaherty possesses a degree in Criminology, and has collaborated on many TV projects including Oprah, 20/20, Dateline, Hard Copy, and several cable shows. Her website is http://www.ratdogdick.com. Direct correspondence
to Ann
Flaherty, The R.D.D. Detective Agency, P.O. Box 794, Pacifica, CA
94044. |
In Search of Justice
It began one morning, as I sat at my desk, reading my endless array of emails. This particular email came from a private investigator in Wisconsin, who was doing some pro-bono work for the Innocence Project. I found that The Innocence Project is a nonprofit organization which seeks to exonerate wrongly convicted persons, most of which sit on death row.
The Wisconsin PI named Bill said he needed to find a witness who was living in San Francisco with her boyfriend. This woman had information about a murder that could potentially free a man who had been sentenced to death.
My thinking was; sure, I’ll run a few database searches, find the woman, and be done with it. Wrong. My database searches for “Anna” and her boyfriend “Larry” showed no new address information and it indicated that “Larry” may be using several social security numbers. PI Bill then hit me with the big request. “Can you hit the streets and find her?” I was reluctant knowing that the search would be difficult but I also knew that, if “Anna” were not found, then a man could be put to death for a murder he never committed.
“Anna” and “Larry” lived in the San Francisco's Tenderloin District, a seedy part of town riddled with drug dealing, prostitution, and the homeless. I knew I shouldn’t go alone but all my PI friends were “too busy." I put in a call to my newly divorced friend Laura who wanted to hit the town. I told her I would take her out but we needed to make a quick stop along the way. Laura gets into the car wearing a red leather jacket, tight jeans and stiletto heels. Not the most appropriate outfit for the Tenderloin. The two of us pounded the pavement, posting flyers about “Anna” which included her photo and a $250 reward. We moved quickly throughout the Tenderloin dodging druggies, pimps, and prostitutes.
The next day was Sunday. I picked up my sister Barbara and plucked her son Clayton from the soccer field. I told them we were going roller blading in Golden Gate Park but we had little detective work to do along the way. My nephew Clay loved playing junior detective, plastering posters and chasing quickly after women who he thought for sure were “Anna.” On Tuesday morning, the call came through from “Larry.” He had seen the flyer and wanted to know if he was entitled to the reward. I told him he would be but we needed to meet with “Anna” before the reward was handed over. He told me that “Anna” feared for her life, that if she came forward she knew she would be killed. He was willing to try and convince her to come forward, if she would be protected.
The next day, myself, PI Bill, and “Larry” met and we arranged to meet “Anna” the following day. That day never came. “Larry" called and said that “Anna” was just too scared and she would go into hiding if anyone tried to contact her. PI Bill headed back to Wisconsin while I was left with a feeling of defeat and animosity towards “Anna.” As the events of the past week set in, I tried putting myself in “Anna’s" shoes. Would I jeopardize my own life to save another? I don’t know. I guess that is what being a hero is all about. Maybe someday “Anna” will be that hero and hopefully that day will come before it’s too late.
I commend those at the Innocence Project for their tireless work and dedication to those wrongfully convicted.
Copyright 2005 by Ann Flaherty
| "Oh what a tangled
web we weave, when first we practice to deceive." |
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| W M M New Issue | W M M Archives |