# My girlfriend was carjacked today. And is still missing \[update: she has been found\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 31, 2019, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-was-carjacked-today-and-is-still-missing-update-she-has-been-found/837960 "2019-07-31T23:29:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-was-carjacked-today-and-is-still-missing-update-she-has-been-found/837960/21 "2019-08-01T00:40:18Z")
I asked about tracking the phone. I was told that they can only do so if the phone actually calls them or vice versa. They can’t ping it otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-was-carjacked-today-and-is-still-missing-update-she-has-been-found/837960/22 "2019-08-01T00:40:27Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > I don’t know if it’s relevant, but it is a female officer I’ve been talking with. If she has a ex/stalker history, could that color her objectivity? I’d hope that it’s not because we’re an interracial couple. I don’t see skin color in relationships. Neither does my gf. But living in Kentucky, we’d be naive to think that it might not bother others. I have no idea if that would affect her judgment or not. I would like to think not. If you think it might, or that she is not taking you seriously, would asking to speak to her supervisor screw things up? Has the officer examined your phone, taken it from you to clone, that sort of thing? And if not, why not, as a lot of the evidence that she has been kidnapped are in those texts? My heart breaks to hear this from you. I pray that she returns safe. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-was-carjacked-today-and-is-still-missing-update-she-has-been-found/837960/23 "2019-08-01T00:43:38Z")
Does the car have lo jack or on star or some such to make it trackable? ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-was-carjacked-today-and-is-still-missing-update-she-has-been-found/837960/24 "2019-08-01T00:44:38Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > I asked about tracking the phone. I was told that they can only do so if the phone actually calls them or vice versa. They can’t ping it otherwise. Again, one of the current or ex-cops can disabuse me, but that sounds like horseshit. They may need a court order, but pinging the phone sounds well within a major police department’s capabilities. It sounds like they don’t believe this is a kidnapping or worse. Call the FBI. Be a pain in the ass with your local department. Ask—politely—to speak to a supervisor. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-was-carjacked-today-and-is-still-missing-update-she-has-been-found/837960/25 "2019-08-01T00:46:55Z")
If the phone says it’s in Canada, can you maybe call the mounties, or whatever the Canadian police have jurisdiction? ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-was-carjacked-today-and-is-still-missing-update-she-has-been-found/837960/26 "2019-08-01T01:01:25Z")
Can you afford a private investigator? I have no idea what it would cost but it might not hurt to call one and ask. ETA-explain the situation. They might cut you a break on price I’m not going to go into detail here but I know of a similar case where it saved someone’s life. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-was-carjacked-today-and-is-still-missing-update-she-has-been-found/837960/27 "2019-08-01T01:12:38Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > …Call the FBI. … This certainly seems appropriate if Canada. What about contacting the local press. They can make a lot of noise. ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-was-carjacked-today-and-is-still-missing-update-she-has-been-found/837960/28 "2019-08-01T01:13:28Z")
this thread is bull shit ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-was-carjacked-today-and-is-still-missing-update-she-has-been-found/837960/29 "2019-08-01T01:24:11Z")
> [@ThisSpaceForRent](#): > > (Grossly inflammatory post) Yeah, that’s getting reported. If you doubt the veracity of his story, why not report him to the Mods? Or simply leave the thread? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-was-carjacked-today-and-is-still-missing-update-she-has-been-found/837960/30 "2019-08-01T01:32:30Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > I asked about tracking the phone. I was told that they can only do so if the phone actually calls them or vice versa. They can’t ping it otherwise. If you can track it they can. It must be policy or something. I hope this turns out okay. I’m so, so sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-was-carjacked-today-and-is-still-missing-update-she-has-been-found/837960/31 "2019-08-01T01:39:36Z")
Where in Canada was the phone located? ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-was-carjacked-today-and-is-still-missing-update-she-has-been-found/837960/32 "2019-08-01T01:42:48Z")
From my perspective as a former supervisor in a 9-1-1 center… No question that the phone company could determine (is technically capable of, though perhaps unwilling to do so without a warrant) when and where the phone last pinged a tower. They likely can get a sector off that tower as well. This can provide a general location along the line of ‘southeast of tower 12 along Hwy 14’. Good enough to make inquires in the general area thought not a specific GPS location. If I answered a 9-1-1 call reporting a suspected carjacking/kidnapping I would notify the appropriate law enforcement personnel who would damn sure speak with the complainant promptly. No way the law enforcement personnel would write off the call as a voluntary disappearance by a competent adult before speaking with the complainant and making some preliminary inquiries. Hoping for the best for the OP. ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-was-carjacked-today-and-is-still-missing-update-she-has-been-found/837960/33 "2019-08-01T01:52:17Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > Yeah, that’s getting reported. > > If you doubt the veracity of his story, why not report him to the Mods? Or simply leave the thread? Yes I seriously doubt the STORY… If the mods wanna mod, they will mod. BS… I wouldn’t be posting on the dope if my family member was in peril. ymmv ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-was-carjacked-today-and-is-still-missing-update-she-has-been-found/837960/34 "2019-08-01T01:53:36Z")
> [@Iggy](#): > > If I answered a 9-1-1 call reporting a suspected carjacking/kidnapping I would notify the appropriate law enforcement personnel who would damn sure speak with the complainant promptly. No way the law enforcement personnel would write off the call as a voluntary disappearance by a competent adult before speaking with the complainant and making some preliminary inquiries. I could be wrong, but it sounds like they did talk to him but they’re treating it not as a kidnapping/abduction but rather a missing persons case and they’re waiting X hours to investigate. The ‘I wonder if she walked out and you, lets see if she shows up at work’ was just a (dismissive) way to say it…or an odd way to confirm that she is or isn’t missing. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-was-carjacked-today-and-is-still-missing-update-she-has-been-found/837960/35 "2019-08-01T01:56:25Z")
> [@ThisSpaceForRent](#): > > Yes I seriously doubt the STORY… > > If the mods wanna mod, they will mod. > > BS… I wouldn’t be posting on the dope if my family member was in peril. > > ymmv People grieve and freak out in different ways. And it’s not like Superdude just joined and ONLY posted this… ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-was-carjacked-today-and-is-still-missing-update-she-has-been-found/837960/36 "2019-08-01T01:58:30Z")
I’ll gladly take the warning for telling you to go fuck yourself, **TSFR**. This is a by-product of my anxiety and that whole “go home and wait” bullshit. Mods, can I request he be banned from this thread? ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-was-carjacked-today-and-is-still-missing-update-she-has-been-found/837960/37 "2019-08-01T02:02:53Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > I’ll gladly take the warning for telling you to go fuck yourself, **TSFR**. > > This is a by-product of my anxiety and that whole “go home and wait” bullshit. > > Mods, can I request he be banned from this thread? Nah, leave him here so we can all tell him he’s an arsehole. Good luck with everything Superdude, I can’t begin to imagine the stress of waiting and not knowing. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-was-carjacked-today-and-is-still-missing-update-she-has-been-found/837960/38 "2019-08-01T02:09:03Z")
post a link to a local story… mods, do whatever you feel is correct. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-was-carjacked-today-and-is-still-missing-update-she-has-been-found/837960/39 "2019-08-01T02:09:08Z")
I know for a fact that police can ping a person’s location from their phone. But, yes, it would require a warrant. My humble advice is to actually go down to the police station. Tell them you want to make a report. Tell them you’ve previously called. Tell them everything you know. Be forthright about any possibility that she has decided to leave you, admit to any recent arguments or unfaithfulness (this is to show that you have nothing to hide), but emphasize that you are in fear for her safety. Show them your phone. And, as already suggested, ask for their case number. Get a business card. Provide your phone and email. Ask when to call for follow up. I’m guessing that a person freaking out in the lobby of the police station might generate a sense of urgency. ---
**Author:** ![Mikemike2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikemike2/32/305_2.png) [@Mikemike2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikemike2)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-was-carjacked-today-and-is-still-missing-update-she-has-been-found/837960/40 "2019-08-01T02:10:19Z")
Yeah, Go fuck yourself **TSFR** I would rather lose my privileges for swearing on the wrong forum, than be on the same site as you. Asshole! You have my sympathies and then some, **Superdude**. Not knowing is the worst. I will watch this thread for good news that will happen. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-was-carjacked-today-and-is-still-missing-update-she-has-been-found/837960.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-was-carjacked-today-and-is-still-missing-update-she-has-been-found/837960.md?page=3)