Witness Location & Interviews

A case can turn on a single witness — and that witness is no use to anyone if you can't find them or get them to talk. Locating witnesses and taking their statements is its own discipline, part skip trace and part interview craft, and it's offered to attorneys and individuals in both civil and criminal matters. I'm Eugene Butler, a licensed Michigan private investigator in Flint, and my job is to find the people who know something and capture what they know in a clear, usable form before it slips away.

Finding the witness comes first. People move, change names, lose phones, and sometimes go quiet on purpose because they don't want to be involved. I use public records, address research, and field legwork — knocking on doors and following leads in person — to locate them and confirm I've reached the right person.

The interview is where the real skill lives. A witness who feels cornered shuts down; one who feels respected often says far more than they meant to. I approach people calmly and honestly, I don't misrepresent who I am, and I let them tell their account in their own words rather than feeding them mine.

What you get is a faithful record. Where it's appropriate and lawful, I take a recorded or written statement so there's a fixed account before memories fade, stories shift, or a cooperative witness becomes a reluctant one. I can also support the preparation of an affidavit for your attorney to finalize.

I document what the witness actually said — favorable or not — because a statement that's been shaded to fit a theory falls apart the moment opposing counsel pulls the thread. That honesty is the backbone of this work. I don't coach testimony, pressure anyone, pay for statements, or tell a witness what you'd like them to say.

Witness tampering is a crime and a fast way to destroy the very case you're trying to build, so I keep every contact clean and well-documented. If a witness's account hurts your position, your attorney needs to know that now, in the file, not as a surprise at trial. I'll be realistic with you, too: some witnesses can't be found, and some simply refuse to talk, and no honest investigator can promise otherwise.

What I can promise is a diligent, lawful effort and a truthful account of how it went. If you need a witness located and interviewed for a civil or criminal matter, call or text the Butler Investigations office at 810-513-0662.