Quest launched in Cardiff to support investigators searching for missing people. 

Quest, a new analytical and investigative project, developed by specialists at Locate International, Goldsmiths University and Altia, is now available to help families of missing people.    

 Locate International’s Dave Grimstead and Dr Maureen Taylor are launching Quest at the sixth bi-annual International Conference of Missing Children and Adults on Wednesday 5 July 2023 in Cardiff. The conference is hosted by the University of South Wales and the Centre for the Study of Missing Persons at Portsmouth University.   

 What is Quest?    

 Quest collates information about missing people from multiple sources and makes it fully searchable and shareable, and is managed in Altia’s SmartCase – a secure, audited and access-controlled digital database. SmartCase is a comprehensive and flexible case management solution, configured for Locate to encompass a detailed set of over 200 questions, covering a range of topics including a missing person’s physical appearance, physical and mental health, their social network, their digital devices, and lifestyle. The information capture form can be completed by all family members, friends, colleagues, contacts, associates of a missing person. The information is collated to produce a comprehensive understanding of the missing person to help Quest specialists at Locate International review the case and share it securely with police to ensure that all that can be done is done.   

  Locate International CIO collaborates with experts from multiple disciplines who work together with universities and specially trained community volunteers to analyse and investigate unsolved missing persons and unidentified remains cases. Locate International’s Community Investigation Teams (Commit) will analyse Quest records to support their in-depth investigations.  

 Dave Grimstead, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Locate International, said,   

“I’m delighted to be launching Quest today at the Conference of Missing Children and Adults. When we talk to families of people who are missing, they often tell us that their loved one’s cases haven’t fully been explored. They mention that they have not been asked the ‘right’ questions, or that not everything that could be done, is being done. When we talk to police investigators, they tell us that they are stretched to breaking point and wish they had the resources to do more. The successful use of Quest will help us to tackle this challenge. Quest and Altia’s SmartCase will build a complete overview of the missing person and give families a sense that every aspect of their loved one’s life is known to investigators. This will ideally free up valuable police time.”  

  Joan, mother of missing Claudia Lawrence talking to Vanished: The Hunt for Britain’s Missing programme on Channel 5, said:   

“The police need to ask about the person who is missing. They need to ask the family, about their life, about their friends, their interests, to get the picture of that person. It took nearly five years before they did that with Claudia.”  

   Rob Sinclair, CEO at Altia, said: 

“Altia is delighted to support Locate International and their Quest project, in their drive to build a complete picture of the lives of missing people.  SmartCase is a ‘smart’ platform designed to enhance the investigation process, and is an ideal tool to help gather information and help the Quest team drive the best results.” 

   Dr Maureen Taylor, Chief Operating Officer, Locate International:

“We want to ensure the right people have the right information to achieve our investigation goals and to help families of unsolved missing persons cases know that all that can be done is being done. Quest will help our investigators to unlock insights, discover previously unseen connections, identify relationships between new and existing information, and help solve some of our long-term missing cases.  We are grateful to Altia for their generous donation and for powering Quest.”