Laura Pettler & Associates: Cold Cases, Death Investigation, Wrongful Death, Suspicious Death, Unsolved Murders, Suicide Investigations, Staged Murders
Your partner on the trail for truth.
“Laura Pettler was so impressive working with us on Bo’s case. With her investigation we were able to have the case changed from suicide to undetermined by the medical examiner. That is one of the biggest factors helping us find out the truth in Bo’s case. We are still working on this case as this kind of investigation takes time. Her work was awesome!! Would ask for her help again!! God Bless you Laura.”
How LPA Compares to a Regular Private Investigator
🔎 Typical Private Investigator
- 📋 Handles general cases: surveillance, missing persons, stolen property, domestics, child support
- 🎓 Training varies; not always specialized in homicide
- 👤 Works individually with limited resources
- 📰 May rely on publicity/media for attention
- ⚖️ Mixed reputation; results vary by investigator
⚖️ LPA (Laura Pettler & Associates)
- 🕵️♀️ Specializes in death investigations: suspicious deaths, wrongful deaths, staged suicides, cold case homicides
- 👨🔬 Roundtable of Experts: prosecutors, criminologists, retired federal agents, death investigators, forensic pathologists, reconstructionists, psychologists, ballistics experts
- 📊 Uses Pettler’s Murder Room Methodology: victimology, suspectology, staging analysis, chronology system, shooting & bloodstain reconstruction
- 🧬 Provides advanced forensic services: DNA, fingerprints, bloodstain & shooting reconstruction, digital forensics, cell phone data
- 🤝 Respected nationwide: trusted by law enforcement, prosecutors, attorneys, and families for discretion and results
When Murders Go Unsolved, Families Suffer
Unsolved murders don’t just leave open files — they leave families in agony.
The terms homicide and murder are often confused. Homicide simply means the killing of one person by another. Murder means that killing was criminal. Today, the United States has more than 250,000 unsolved murders, according to researcher Thomas Hargrove (2010). And that number doesn’t include suspicious cases ruled suicide, accident, natural, undetermined, or missing persons — many of which may, in fact, be murders.
Whether your loved one’s death is officially ruled a homicide with no suspect, a case law enforcement cannot yet prosecute, a manner of death you disagree with, or even part of a civil wrongful death suit, the pain is the same: unanswered questions and unresolved grief.
At LPA, we care about that pain. And we exist to help find answers.
Why Families and Attorneys Turn to LPA
LPA is nationally recognized for solving some of the most complex hot and cold death investigations, including:
Intimate partner homicides
Domestic violence homicides
Staged murders and disappearances
Wrongful death and post-conviction cases
That’s why we were honored as “Best Private Death Investigations Firm” (2021) by New World Report Magazine and “Best Victim-Centered Death Investigations Specialist” (2019) by Acquisition International Magazine.
Unlike any other private firm, LPA specializes in scientific, multidisciplinary, decedent-centered investigations — ensuring cases are reviewed ethically, thoroughly, and with precision. We work with you to define your goals, your questions, and your concerns. From there, our team applies proven forensic methods to help clarify cause and manner of death, determine staging versus authentic scenes, assess prosecutability, and strengthen trial theory.
You’re Safe With Us
Our clients include law enforcement agencies, coroners, prosecutors, criminal and civil attorneys, investigative firms, and families. Whether you’re pursuing answers in a wrongful death, suspicious death, staged suicide, missing person case, or unresolved homicide, LPA respects the work already done and partners with you to move the case forward.
Evidence integrity is paramount. We offer advanced services including:
DNA collection and analysis through our partner lab
Fingerprint processing
Bloodstain and shooting reconstruction analysis
Background investigations
Cell phone records and Cellebrite downloads
Every step we take preserves both the science and the chain of trust in your case.
Our Ethical Foundation
LPA operates under a strict Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct, built on seven pillars:
Integrity – We will always be honest.
Objectivity – We remain impartial and avoid public criticism of open cases or agencies.
Scientific Merit – We apply sound methodology to minimize bias.
Competence – We commit to continuous education and world-class standards.
Fairness – We disclose potential conflicts of interest transparently.
Confidentiality – We protect sensitive information at all times.
Professionalism – We treat all individuals with dignity and respect, even in conflict.
At LPA, our work is guided by one principle above all: the pursuit of truth.
Testimonials
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Kimberly W.
If you want to know the absolute truth about your love one's death, hire LPA.
Why? Their intensive, methodology process with the materials provided to them, coupled with their passion, integrity, expertise in processing death scene investigations is unlike any local law enforcement will conduct. LPA breaks down word by word the 911 call, witness statements, and reviews every aspect of the death scene. They treat your love one's death as if it was their love one.
My mother hired LPA Associates, August 2018, to investigate the death of my niece's sudden and tragic death with gunshot wound to the head at her ex-boyfriend's apartment in the basement, which was ruled a suicide three hours later by local law enforcement, which was merely opinion and not scientifically proven.
Although LPA Associates determined my niece's sudden death as a suicide, my mother and I found great comfort that LPA Associates reviewed all the evidence thoroughly with intensity, dedication, and there is no longer any open ended questions about my niece's death.
Dr. Laura Pettler and her team work endlessly to find the truth, and their compassion and empathy for your love one's death is ineffable.
I would not hire any other investigative services in the world.
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Rose M. Miller, CPP, CHPA, Vice Chair, ASIS International, Greater Charlotte Chapter 65
Dear Dr. Pettler, On behalf of the elected officers, members, and guests of the ASIS International Greater Charlotte Chapter 65, thank you for your time and effort to prepare and present on the topic of Homicide Investigations at our Chapter event on October 1, 2020. We appreciate your generosity to provide an informative, detailed, and thought provoking one hour presentation on your investigative techniques, tools, and approach. You contributed to everyone’s knowledge base about homicide investigations and our professional development. The over twenty-five Chapter members and guests from from the Nation in attendance thoroughly enjoyed your presentation and shared laudatory and enthusiastic comments. We appreciate your time and enjoyed gtting to know about your other interests and passions. Thanks for your leadership and all you to for the community.
Thank you for actively supporting the Greater Charlotte Chapter. We look forward to continuing to network and partner with you.
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Private Client
You will never know how much your caring meant to us. I felt that you understand my pain of losing my only daughter. You would have loved her. If only she could have gotten untrapped. If ever in town, please drop by.
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J.I.P.
SUBJECT: From J.I.P You Met Me At Best Buy
Good Afternoon Dr. Pettler,
First, I want to thank you for stopping to talk with me and for being so generous with your time by giving me advice. I did not have the words at first to explain how I was feeling but, talking to you gave me hope. It helped me better visualize how I would be able to become the person who lends a hand to those in need while also helping the young ones that have dreams of changing their environment to better themselves and their families.
I'm from a small town so having someone like you see me, recognize that I had potential to be something great, and choose to make a mental investment truly did so much for my spirit. I'm eager to get started on my journey to success and speaking with you only further confirmed that I was on the right path and needed to continue to believe in myself. I'm not sure if I mentioned to you that I am currently unemployed. I have been job hunting for a year now to no avail. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of opportunities for employment in my community. I get discouraged from time to time but I have a strong faith and enough will to go on; no matter how bad a day might go or how many doors are shut in my face. You were able to encourage me in ten minutes, while the people closest to me think that what I want to do is a joke and wouldn't give ten minutes to let me explain. I take fashion very seriously. It's something that I truly love and has helped pull me from a place of darkness. Before meeting you, I was afraid of what could happen for me because I had no insight. You changed my life with your words and I truly thank you for that. I have so much respect for you and I pray God blesses you just as much as he plans to bless me. I can't thank you enough and I look forward to hearing from you soon, Thanks again
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V.J.
Thank you for the work you do, will do and have already done in a quest for truth and right. I appreciate so much that you are committed to truth. I wanted to just say on this Thanksgiving Day - thank you.