A Lifetime of Finding the Right Information for the Right Reasons

“Helping vulnerable people is all I’ve ever known.”​
Tarah Walter grew up in a philanthropic, service-minded family. Helping people is second nature for the Discovery Investigative Services owner.​
Tarah watched her own mother care for vulnerable babies as a neonatal nurse. She watched her grandparents offer philanthropic assistance to their community. For Tarah, serving her community means doing what she does best —finding the answers people need to make life’s big decisions.
Genealogy research kept Tarah’s interest — a hobby that lead to a career.
Tarah started researching family genealogy for fun. Once she saw how much information was out there, she was hooked. “The more I saw, the more I wanted to find. I realized so many people don’t have the biological information they need, and I wanted to be able to give it to them."
Tarah graduated Summa Cum Laude in Criminal Justice.
Always looking out for people, always curious to find as much information as possible, a criminal justice degree was the right fit. Tarah attended St. Edward’s University to earn her bachelor’s, then pursued a career with Child Protective Services.
A former CPS Investigator who knows laws, policies, and how to obtain sensitive information.
As a CPS investigator, Tarah performed full investigations — interviewing children, parents, and collateral contacts. She worked directly with law enforcement and the court system. In this role, Tarah wrote affidavits and court reports. She testified in court, attended forensic interviews, and photographed and documented evidence. Tarah also interviewed doctors, parents, and children of all ages, starting at the age of 3.
Working with sometimes hostile and emotional clients, she learned to offer compassion to families during a very difficult, emotionally traumatic time. “I learned to be kind, supportive, and sensitive, even when I had to remove a child."
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Tarah’s first-hand knowledge of the intervention process has inspired her work as a private investigator.
Tarah’s family chose fostering over adoption because there was a huge need for it. After several short term foster cases, Tarah’s family fostered a set of twins from birth. At the one year mark, her family had to intervene to keep the kids safe. At this point, they found they needed a private investigator.
Tarah’s family was eventually able to adopt the twins, and her lawyers told her she had a talent for investigation. “I had such a passion for investigation, I found out how I could assist the investigator, and jumped right in. The ultimate reward was being able to adopt the kids and become their mom.
”Tarah takes pride in finding all possible information to help people make the best, most informed decisions they can. When Tarah is on your case, you’re working with someone who really cares about finding the truth. Helping you get the answers you need is what Discovery Investigative Services does best.
