Professional private investigation with deep specializations in cold cases, missing persons, OSINT intelligence, surveillance, genealogical research, expert witness consulting, due diligence, and media consulting — serving clients across Canada and the United States.
Every cold case review follows our structured 7-phase OSINT methodology: groundwork and orientation, subject and associate research, digital and social media intelligence, public records deep dive, geospatial and timeline analysis, cross-case pattern analysis, and source verification. We use spatial statistics and Geo Profiling techniques to identify geographic patterns often missed in traditional reviews.
We use a combination of professional people-search databases, provincial and national public records, social media analysis, digital footprint tracing, and cross-referencing with national databases including the RCMP Missing Persons Index, NamUs, and the Doe Network for unidentified remains cases.
For active disappearances, we work quickly — establishing digital and geographic baselines within the first hours of engagement.
We regularly assist lawyers and estate administrators in locating next of kin, heirs, and beneficiaries — both in cases where the identity is known but the address is outdated, and in cases where only vague references to surviving family members exist. We can trace across provincial and international borders.
Absorb all known information. Establish baseline. Identify gaps.
Build profiles on all subjects. Public records, addresses, associates.
Social media analysis, username search, archive mining, image search.
Courts, property, corporate, bankruptcy, licensing databases.
Location mapping, satellite imagery, timeline reconstruction.
Pattern analysis. Database cross-referencing. Serial connections.
The original investigators didn't have Google, social media, satellite imagery, or digitized archives. A 1990 cold case re-examined today has access to 35 more years of data about everyone involved — addresses, court records, social media posts, digital footprints, and archived news coverage that simply didn't exist at the time. OSINT is particularly powerful for cold cases precisely because of the time gap.
Jay Nicoll has consulted on numerous true crime documentaries and media productions as a licensed private investigator and cold case specialist. Credits include The Christine Jessop Story and consulting work with CBC, among other productions. This hands-on experience means we understand exactly what documentary teams need — accurate case research, reliable sourcing, compelling investigative insight, and a credible on-camera presence when required.
The Christine Jessop case — the wrongful conviction of Guy Paul Morin for the 1984 murder of nine-year-old Christine Jessop — is one of the most significant miscarriages of justice in Canadian legal history, ultimately leading to landmark reforms in how DNA evidence is handled in Canadian courts. Our involvement reflects the depth of case knowledge we bring to media partnerships.
We also host Ontario Cold Cases: Canada's True Crime Podcast — one of Canada's dedicated cold case podcasts, with episodes covering unsolved murders, missing persons, and historical cases across Ontario and beyond. Our platform gives media partners direct access to an engaged true crime audience.
We combine traditional genealogical research — vital records, census data, church records, historical directories, obituaries, and family trees — with modern OSINT tools and DNA analysis interpretation. We work with results from Ancestry DNA, 23andMe, MyHeritage, and FamilyTreeDNA to build family trees, identify unknown matches, and locate living relatives.
For cold case applications, we apply the same genetic genealogy methodology that has solved high-profile cases including the Golden State Killer — building family trees from DNA evidence to narrow suspect pools and identify unknown individuals.
Our consulting expertise spans cold case investigation methodology, open-source intelligence gathering and analysis, Geo Profiling and spatial statistics, digital footprint tracing, missing persons investigations, and private investigation practice standards. We provide written expert reports and are available for examination and cross-examination in court proceedings.
Every due diligence investigation draws on our full OSINT toolkit — court and litigation history, corporate registrations and directorships, property ownership, bankruptcy and insolvency records, professional licensing and disciplinary history, social media and digital footprint analysis, and public records cross-referencing. We produce clear, factual written reports with source citations.
A growing area of demand — we regularly help individuals verify the identity and background of people they have met online before the relationship progresses further. Our OSINT tools can quickly identify catfishing, identity fraud, and misrepresentation. If something feels off, it often is — and we can tell you definitively.
All surveillance operations produce detailed, timestamped activity reports suitable for legal proceedings. Video and photographic evidence is documented according to chain of custody standards and can be provided in formats appropriate for court submission.
A rare capability in private investigation — we use spatial statistics and Geo Profiling techniques to analyze geographic patterns in case data. Originally developed for serial crime investigation, Geo Profiling can identify the most probable anchor points and movement patterns of unknown subjects, providing investigative direction in cases that have otherwise stalled.
The first step is a free, confidential 30-minute consultation. No obligation — just an honest conversation about what we can do for your family or your matter.
Book Your Free ConsultationAll inquiries handled with complete confidentiality · Serving Canada & the United States