UPDATE: Family of missing student hires PI

As temperatures dip below freezing in New York City, the family of College junior Timothy Hamlett has hired a private investigator to help find the missing former track and field athlete. Hamlett’s mother expressed concern that her son could be disoriented and in danger due to the weather. Medical testing immediately before his disappearance indicated the possibility of a brain cyst, though this had not been confirmed. 

On January 6, with no new information on the whereabouts of their son except for a couple unverified spottings, the Hamlett family hired Private Investigator Angel Martinez to assist in the search for the 20-year-old. However, they say the Teaneck Police Department has not cooperated with their private investigator. 

“I have not been able to get any assistance from them on the matter,” Martinez said. “I asked them a million questions to help them with the investigation.”

As a former NYPD detective, however, Martinez was hesitant to criticize the police, saying he doesn’t “know what’s going on in their case.” Still, he believes, “If there’s no criminal investigation, they should be working with outside sources.”

The Teaneck Police Department declined to comment on this story.

Hamlett’s mother, Katherine, was initially concerned that the police were not working in the best interest of his son. But after meeting with the detectives, she said she realized that the police’s concerns "do appear to be legitimate.” 

“They are working with a similar agenda. They just have to go through more hoops,” she said.  

Hamlett’s family is conducting its own investigation in addition to the police and private investigator’s efforts. “Ms. Hamlett has a mini-command center in her living room and dining room. She has been doing such an incredible job,” Martinez said.

The private investigator said his investigations usually involve checking credit cards records, looking in the home for diaries, suicide notes, loves notes, and using that information to find other people to talk to. His next step is “beating the bush” — looking at hospitals to see if Hamlett is listed as John Doe, checking the morgue for unidentified bodies, and checking criminal arrests in other states. 

Anyone who has seen or has any information regarding Hamlett's whereabouts should contact authorities at (917) 686-0087 or (201) 406-6990.

Staff Writer David Cahn can be reached at cahnda@wharton.upenn.edu.

Correction: This headline was updated from "Dissatisfied with police action, family of missing student hires PI" to clarify that the family hired the investigator to supplement the police investigation. The DP regrets the error.

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