Our Story
Our story began over 25 years ago when we started our careers in law enforcement and the United States military. Each of us wanted to make our community and our country a better and safer place to live. Our law enforcement members were trained to investigate, protect, interview, and arrest. Our military operators were trained in surveillance, intelligence gathering, and recovery operations. Our civilians were providers for their homes, working normal jobs and raising families, being role models for their children, and living everyday lives before they joined our mission.
In the fall of 2021, many in our country were glued to their TVs and computers watching the case of Gabby Petito. Gabby Petito and her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, set out on a road trip in her camper van. Her story went viral when she went missing in August 2021. In September, Brian Laundrie returned home alone to Florida, and within days he disappeared. Gabby Petito’s body was discovered on September 19, 2021, and Brian Laundrie was named a person of interest in her death.
We Are The Essentials For The Missing came together to bring our knowledge, skills, and abilities to assist in locating Brian Laundrie. Our team found evidence that Brian Laundrie and his family members had camped at Fort De Soto Park. For over a month, our team searched over 1,136 acres of this state park, including five interconnected islands. During our search, we located several items of interest, and those items were provided to law enforcement.
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In October, our group changed the focus of the search from Fort De Soto to the Carlton Reserve in North Port, Florida. Our group searched the Carlton Reserve for any evidence that Brian Laundrie had been there. Brian Laundrie was ultimately found dead by law enforcement from a self inflicted gunshot wound in the Carlton Reserve on October 20, 2021.
As a result of our efforts in the search for Brian Laundrie, our group realized that many missing person cases go unsolved. This had such a profound impact on our team that we knew we had to do our part to help. This led to the creation of the group known as “We Are The Essentials.”
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Since the Brian Laundrie search, We Are The Essentials For The Missing has worked on other high profile cases. Kathleen Moore, a young African American woman, went missing on the evening of November 29, 2021, and was last seen in Pasco County, Florida. On December 6, 2021, the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference and appealed to the public for help. That same evening, our team gathered information from Kathleen Moore’s friends and family. The next morning, We Are The Essentials For The Missing located Kathleen Moore’s remains in a wooded area near the suspect’s residence. On October 6, 2023, the suspect, Collin Knapp, was found guilty by a jury of his peers of the murder of Kathleen Moore and was sentenced to life in prison.
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Where does We Are The Essentials For The Missing go from here? Our team has grown to include everyday citizens who are trained and are all licensed private investigators in the State of Florida. We continue to evaluate cases for free where we can best utilize our skill sets to investigate and locate missing persons. Our only goal is to make a difference and help families locate their loved ones. We do not interfere with law enforcement investigations. In fact, we work closely with law enforcement on anything we find during our investigations. We Are The Essentials For The Missing also works closely with families and friends to gather information that may assist in the ultimate recovery of a missing person.