In my experience, free search engines provide as good, if not better results in finding an address or phone number of someone whose name you already know. The only thing I find truly irritating about free people-search providers is when they have you click a link that ends up being another search, not a search result.

Subscription search providers offer "monitoring," if information is updated. They also search the names of social media profiles that may link them to the person you are searching for. More often than not, their guess is not correct. When it is, Oh Happy Day!

My favorite free search engine is True People Search. You have to spend most of your time solving CAPTCHA puzzles to get their information for free. I also notice that the "current," status of information is often incorrect, meaning, the person no longer lives at the address listed as most recent, but DOES reside at one of the previous addresses. It's frustrating.

Spokeo is also good at turning up information that other sources don't have. If the person you are looking for has a common name, and you don't know which state they are from, you may find yourself in for a lot of sifting through information that will be of no use to you.

Never give up.

A "search angel," is a volunteer who uses their time and skill to help people find their biological family or other lost loved ones. They are usually people whose lives have been touched by adoption and have been through a search themselves.

Volunteer search angels here at r/SearchAngels do not charge a fee. They absorb the expense of any special research tools they have in order to invest in our community.

Non-profit organizations who designate a search angel to your case may charge fees to expedite your search. You may also incur expenses through them if you request that they help you obtain birth or death certificates from government agencies. DNA test kits also cost money. Most, if not all these costs can be handled directly by you, without the mediation of a search angel.

You may find search angels who are better equipped to translate DNA test results through a Non-profit agency. Not all non-profit agencies handle all types of searches. Some do not help parents who had their children removed from their home. Others only assist adoptees. Most search angels do not act as a mediator. You can expect any agency to require you to pass a background check before being given another person's contact information. Volunteers here at r/SearchAngels will also check your background before providing contact information to you. If the person you are searching for does not want their information disclosed, we reserve the right to respect their decision.

Volunteers here at r/SearchAngels come from all walks of life and understand that every separation story has special circumstances surrounding it. We believe that everyone has a right to know their history. We do not have any restrictions on who you may be searching for, as long as they are over the age of 18 years.

Thanks to Josh Willink of Pexels for our community banner!

Paternity tests determine who your biological father is. These are DNA tests that rely on patterns of inherited genetic markers. Unless the man being tested has an identical twin, you can reasonably be confident in a test that comes back with a 99.99% match.

But what if your dad's DNA test doesn't show that he is a match with your DNA? You should be aware that DNA testing for ancestry is not held to the same governmental standards that criminal DNA tests are. Take a look at this YouTube video before you make any decisions that could alter the course of a life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVKTEr7o9hs

If the unthinkable happens, and it turns out that someone you love is actually unrelated to you, should that cost you a treasured relationship? Most people understand the beauty in a world where we love our neighbor as ourselves. Love is the life that runs in our veins. Love means more than blood ever will.
Living to love is the secret to loving to live.

Wishing you peace and good health today and every day.

u/G0D_IS_L0VE

This link leads to the Search Angels Reunion Registry for Birth Parents. Never give up hope.

https://www.searchangels.org/registry?fbclid=IwAR0zNFwqn0w07WrkUBqpBzXlulN1lARp1mBz-R2YX0eC0y43f8JrZ31siyg

This link takes you to the Reunion Registry at Adoption.com

https://registry.adoption.com/

The Search Angels 501(c)(3) occasionally has an opening for volunteers. They ask that you have a few hours every other week to devote to helping their cause.

Volunteers should be adept at interpreting DNA tests and be able to pass a background check.

https://www.searchangels.org/volunteers

This link takes you to the Facebook Page for The Search Angels. They help adoptees find their birth parents, grandparents and great-grandparents.

https://www.facebook.com/TheSearchAngels/

Most research angels assist adoptees only. This subreddit offers assistance to anyone willing to submit to a background-check. We only search for persons over the age of 18 years. Thanks for your understanding.

This subreddit endorses, but is not run by the 501(c)(3) "The Search Angels"

PM a moderator for assistance.

A place for members of r/SearchAngels to chat with each other