Private Investigator or Con Artist?

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Why would someone contact grieving families, offer their services, and lie about their credentials?  Preying on families that have been torn to shreds after losing a part of their heart.  Families that want to believe because they need answers…what kind of person lies to these families?  Well, I came in contact with one, as so many other families in my similar situation have dealt with, and here is a story about what recently happened.

Months after Morgan’s death a person named Jacob Ames contacted me through the administrator of Morgan’s Stalking Facebook page.  I was told to just hear him out and he might be able to help us.  I spoke with him over the phone, only once, and trusted my “gut instinct” and very politely told him we were not interested in having a private investigator look into our daughter’s case at the time, because we already had many experts in their fields helping us.  Then I only heard from him once after that, until I decided to help the mother of another young girl that had been brutally murdered in Colorado.

To make a long story short this mother asked me if I had ever heard of a Private Investigator named Jacob Ames.  I remembered that years ago, after this blog had gone live, I had spoken with him and had gotten a “bad” feeling, so I told this mother about my only encounter with him, but that I really did not know anything more than that.  I then received a Facebook message from this man basically asking me what my agenda was and he wanted to know why I was speaking to his “client.”  I never responded to him.  My only concern was with helping a mother find her daughter’s remains, and if she needed me out of the picture while he worked for her that was fine with me, I truly only cared that she received answers as to where her daughter’s body was – she needed to find her daughter.  She then told me that he first made contact with her only 4 days after she reported her daughter missing and before they even knew she had been murdered. She said she turned him away, but he came back; 10 months after her daughter’s murder. She said she really wanted to believe he could help her so she trusted him, but instead of helping, he caused her family even more grief, and she no longer wanted to be associated with him.

She said, “He represented himself to me as a private investigator just weeks after the murder and again the year after.”  She continued on and said, “He spoke (non-stop) about other cases, including ones he had no involvement in; which included Morgan’s case.”  I asked her what he said about Morgan’s case, as we never gave him any information at all.  She said Jacob Ames told her that he investigated the case and Morgan’s brother killed her.  I was shocked! What a sick assertion from a man claiming to be a PI and having never investigated Morgan’s case!  At this point in time I am used to nameless, faceless people on the Internet claiming to “know” what happened to Morgan, but for someone in the state of Colorado to go around spreading heinous hurtful lies under the disguise of being a professional investigator is beyond criminal in my opinion.  It’s bad enough that the Garfield County sheriff and coroner (who used to be Morgan’s felony stalking detective, but is now the coroner) have continued to refuse to look at any new or old evidence and insist on not allowing any other agency to investigate, insisting her death was a suicide. But now this person was out there pretending to be a licensed PI and lying about our daughter’s case…this was over the top!

Needless to say I felt like this person was just out there preying on families that are in an extremely vulnerable state. I also know it really doesn’t matter to the government if someone is lying and causing pain, but it does matter if you can show that the person is actually breaking a state law.  So I contacted DORA – the regulatory board for licensing in Colorado.  I reported this person Jacob Ames.  After a lengthly investigation DORA sent me the following letter:

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Instead of posting the whole cease and desist filed against Jacob Ames I am showing you the main points of what was written in it by DORA.

 

Based upon the Director’s review and consideration, the Director finds that credible evidence exists that Respondent is acting or has acted without the required license, in violation of section 12-58.5-104(1)(b), C.R.S.

 

12-58.5-104. Licensure – title protection – unauthorized practice – penalty. (1)(a) Only a private investigator who obtains a license pursuant to section 12-58.5-106 may present himself or herself as or use the title of a “licensed private investigator”, “private investigator”, “licensed private detective”, or “private detective”.

 

12-58.5-109. Disciplinary actions – grounds for discipline – rules – cease-and-desist orders. (10)(a) If it appears to the director, based upon credible evidence as presented in a written complaint, that a licensee is acting in a manner that is an imminent threat to the health and safety of the public, or if a person is conducting private investigations or presenting himself or herself as or is using the title “private investigator”, “private detective”, or “licensed private investigator” without having obtained a license, the director may issue an order to cease and desist the activity. The director shall set forth in the order the statutes and rules alleged to have been violated, the facts alleged to have constituted the violation, and the requirement that all unlawful acts or unlicensed practices immediately cease.

Now fade in and fade out…this story doesn’t end there, because that was back in July, I was recently asked if my complaint had really done anything.  So of course I checked and was surprised that he was still advertising as a PI.  Then a weeks ago I received the following on an email:

  “Please  circulate the link as far and wide as you can. That’s the best way to call attention to what he’s doing.  Looks like an unlicensed Colorado PI might be getting off easy due to slack from regulators…  Find out the not-so-nice side of investigators that have had complaints filed against them here! 

I do not believe laws and regulations that are set up for the protection of it’s citizens should be allowed to be ignored.  Our local and state governments need checks and balances, as we learned from our founding fathers.  When these laws and regulations are ignored and there is no accountability then why on earth would the “good” guys care about doing the right thing – if it really doesn’t matter?  Food for thought.

Despite other opinions, there has NEVER been an investigation into Morgan’s suspicious death.  I believe the decision to call Morgan’s death natural causes for the first 8 months, as well as the decision to call her death a suicide after that, was purposely done in order to keep her death from ever being investigated.  Because even a finding of “undetermined” would have not only triggered an investigation, but if nothing was ever done her case would eventually have been required to be listed as a cold case and others could then investigate…instead the Garfield County sheriff has never allowed anyone else to investigate her case – stating that he stands behind the finding of the coroner.  He states they just follow the evidence where it leads (wow, wouldn’t that be great if it were true), but unfortunately for Morgan this is just a “sound bite” for the public to hear. There was a massive amount of evidence, but they would not look at it, or follow up on any of it. It was obvious that very morning when they saw Morgan’s body that she had died at the hands of another.  How do I know?  Because years later I finally saw the crime scene photos and it is obvious. Witnesses were not interviewed, tests were not run, obvious mistruths were ignored, evidence was dismissed, and then destroyed.  An obstruction of justice.  Morgan’s murder was buried under contradictory one-line “sound bites” answers.  For example a former Assistant DA (now an Assistant Attorney General) recently said that the District Attorney’s office had investigated Morgan’s death – – not true, but why would anyone doubt him?  And yet, it was not true, and he knows it’s not true.  Steve and I had met with the DA and tried to have her open an investigation. Following that meeting she sent us a letter stating there would be no investigation, and that she stood behind the coroner’s decision.  You can’t have it both ways, but if people only listen to the short “sound bites” and believe them then I guess in Colorado you can have it both ways. If you think this sounds political – you are thinking the same thing many others have sadly concluded about Morgan’s case.  This is political and the truth has no bearing when that happens.

Does this mean we will give up?  No!  We will never give up and I personally know Morgan will receive justice.  The truth can not stay buried forever – no matter how hard people try.  And as far as I am concerned people that knowingly spread lies and obstruct the truth in order to protect and cover for the perpetrator of a capital crime should all be prosecuted as co-conspirators.  And there is a law against just that – just more food for thought.

A Memory from April 2013 –

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Some exciting news…KDNK our small local radio station won an award for the series they did on “What Happened to Morgan Ingram?”

Click on https://soundcloud.com/user-744545581/kdnk-series to watch the series about Morgan that KDNK produced, if you haven’t listened to it before.  It has interviews with experts in their field about Morgan’s case.

The Radio Television Digital News Association has announced the winners of the 2013 Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards. The awards recognize work of the highest quality produced by radio, television and online news organizations around the world.
KDNK Community Radio in Carbondale has won the award for “Best News Series” in Small Market Radio for Region 3 which is comprised of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.
The series, titled “What Happened to Morgan Ingram?” was produced by Ed Williams and Eric Skalac, KDNK’s full time reporters.  “For more than 40 years, the Edward R. Murrow Award has honored the best of electronic journalism,” said Mike Cavender, Executive Director of RTDNA. “This year’s winners represent the outstanding work being done in local  newsrooms, which we are proud to recognize.”
“I am proud of our news efforts. It’s wonderful to be recognized for the work in the news department. This is a big part of what we do,” said KDNK General Manager Steve Skinner.  A record number of award entries were submitted, and judges selected winners in 13 regions across the United States and from international entrants from across the globe. The regional winners are automatically entered in the national Edward R. Murrow Awards competition, which will be judged during the summer. National awards will be presented at the New York Marriott Marquis in New York City on Columbus Day.
The Radio Television Digital News Association has been honoring outstanding achievements in electronic journalism with the Edward R. Murrow Awards since 1971. Award recipients demonstrate the spirit of excellence that Murrow set as a standard for the profession of electronic journalism.
KDNK’s local and regional news stories are archived at KDNK.org.
CONGRATULATIONS KDNK! and that you for your hard work in raising awareness of stalking and the tragedy of Morgan’s Stalking.

Please share…Justice for Morgan!

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Please light a candle for Morgan on Tuesday, August 16th

With a heavy heart I would like to share with you all that Morgan would have been 25 years old this coming Tuesday, August 16th.  As the days grow closer to her birthday, my heart feels more and more pain.  The tears keep coming, even though I try to hold them back.  And it’s not just the tears…the pain I feel is creating a huge anger from within.  I know anger is normal in this case.  Anger for the petty jealous people that targeted Morgan and our family.  Anger for the sick delusional subhumans that were involved in her gang stalking and murder.  Anger towards the Garfield County Sheriff’s detective, who is now the Garfield County Coroner since the last election as he was the one that decided to go along to get along by covering up Morgan’s murder.  He had a choice, just as all of us do in life, and he chose the dark side.  And I could go on and on…but what good will that do?

I decided a long time ago, right after Morgan’s murder, that I could either become invisible, like a ghost, or suck it up and solve Morgan’s case – – get her the justice that she deserves – – and make sure these people can no longer hurt others.  When I decided that was the path I was going to take I knew I could not accomplish it through anger, I knew it would need to be done through love, because love is the most powerful thing in the world.  And the most magical part of this journey is that I have been blessed with a partner that believes in the same path.  My husband, Steve, Morgan’s daddy is in extreme pain.  As a father, he would like nothing more than to lash out, but he hasn’t because he wants justice for his baby and he knows the only way to bring down all involved is to stay resolute, compile and have rock hard evidence, and make sure when the case goes down, the guilty parties pay.

Recently, some supporters of justice for Morgan posted on following on Facebook:

The Morgan Ingram Light-A-Candle event is only 4 days away. Please light a candle to remember Morgan and celebrate her life. Also, pray that justice happens this year for what happened to her. ‪#‎MorganIngram‬ ‪#‎JusticeforMorgan‬‪#‎RIPMorgan‬ ‪#‎Murder‬ ‪#‎Stalking‬ ‪#‎Homicide‬ ‪#‎Death‬ ‪#‎August16‬

I am very grateful to everyone that still supports Justice for Morgan after all these years.  I think this is a beautiful idea – – so many of you have done this in the past and sent pictures of your burning candles in tribute to Morgan on that day.  It meant a lot to me because I know with every candle lit and every intention sent, the power of so many can shift the energy and send out the much needed love that can conquer evil.  Light is really the only thing that can dispell the darkness.  Thanking you all in advance for burning a candle for Morgan this coming Tuesday on her 25th birthday.  I know she will feel the love and warm intentions that are being sent out on her behalf.

Much love & light to you all,

Toni (Always Morgan’s Mom)

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Chilling Memories…

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Have you ever walked into a hardware store – something like a Home Depot or Lowes, and as you walk down one of their aisles a motion detector alarm sounds?  I know they use them to get people’s attention so they might become interested in purchasing them. But if you have ever survived a stalking, or if you are ever in the midst of an ongoing stalking, and you had or have motion detector alarms you understand the sudden momentary fear your body feels when you hear that sound.  It still happens…you can’t forget it.

Small things like this bring back chilling memories.  When we first installed the motion detectors and motion lights we would get a surge of adrenaline when we heard them go off.  Our protection protocol would kick in, and Steve would run out the door of the house armed with whatever we he had decided to use at the time, and I would run to the cameras to see if I could “see” the stalker(s) on the camera.  Then if these sounds came in conjunction with tapping or banging on our windows, or actually seeing someone through the window, or even images on the camera, we would call it in to the sheriffs.  Then ~ 30 to 45 minutes later patrol officers would show up to search and interview us…the lack of sleep was taking it’s toll.

After Morgan’s murder whenever I would hear the sound of those alarms I would instinctively react to them. I am flooded with all the same horrible feelings of anger, worry, fear, and foreboding…the same feelings that I felt during Morgan’s stalking – all those feelings come flooding back.  I hope someday I no longer instinctively react to this sound, but for now I try to avoid places where I may hear it.

I know this is just one small little thing…hearing a motion alarm, but all the small little things that have no meaning to others that have never been a victim of stalking are really big things to a victim of stalking.

Stalking is serious.  Stalking takes an emotional toll on it’s victims.  Still, stalking is the most under-reported crime currently, just one-third to one-half of stalking cases are reported to authorities because victims are often afraid of angering their stalkers and making the situation worse – I know this was a fear that both Morgan and I both expressed at varying times during her stalking. Victims also tend to believe that the police are unable to help, because an estimated 40 percent of all restraining orders are violated and this is something that so many victims have written in to tell me.

Stalking: A Handbook for Vicitms by Emily Spence-Diehl offers a lot of good information for victims.