Digital course
The Case Narrowing Method™
A 40-minute course, fill-in-the-blank comparison templates, and phone & email scripts for reaching databases, detectives and agencies. Nothing ships — it arrives by email.
For volunteer researchers
Advance Real Missing & Unidentified Person Cases
Narrow the Possibilities. Advance Real Cases.
Learn a structured methodology for comparing missing & unidentified person cases, narrowing potential connections, and responsibly submitting leads that may help advance real cases.
$27
A method, not an investigation
Case Compare provides a research methodology and organizational tools. It is not a law enforcement or investigative service.
Research from home
No boss, no required schedule, and no need to be part of law enforcement or a professional investigative organization.
Findings go to the case authority
The method ends where it should: documenting what you found and directing potential matches to the appropriate case authority.
Who it’s for
You don’t need a badge to do meaningful work.
Case Compare gives ordinary people, like stay-at-home moms interested in true crime, a structured way to learn how to compare real cases from home.
There’s no boss, no required schedule, and no need to be part of law enforcement or a professional investigative organization. You research independently, on your own time — after the kids are asleep, on a weekend afternoon, whenever you have it.
40-Minute Course + Templates & Scripts
The Case Narrowing Method™
Everything you need to narrow the field and find answers.
40-Minute Course
Learn how estimated or changing case details can hide a match for years, and how to spot the clues that could bring a hidden match to light.
Templates
Fill-in-the-blank templates to compare cases side-by-side and list possible matches to eliminate or narrow down.
Phone & Email Scripts
Proven scripts to help you confidently reach out to databases, detectives, and agencies.
$27
Why it works
Why comparing details works
I started noticing that faces weren’t just something you recognized.
They were a collection of details.
And details could distinguish one person from another.
“A single feature could make someone look remarkably similar to another person. But that same feature could also rule them out. Then another feature would narrow it down again.”
That is the whole of the method: one detail at a time, until the list is short enough to document honestly.
The method
How Case Compare works
You choose a real missing-person or unidentified-person case, then use our Case Narrowing Method course to learn how to compare the details side-by-side: age, height, location, dates, physical characteristics, clothing, jewelry, aliases, and other clues. You document what matches, rule out what doesn’t, and learn how to responsibly bring a potential match to the appropriate case handler. Then we have templates for helping write emails or make brief phone calls to detectives and case handlers. It’s designed to help organize and streamline the independent research you can do from home.
- age
- height
- location
- dates
- physical characteristics
- clothing
- jewelry
- aliases
- other clues
Learn how discrepancies can happen. Some details in the oldest unsolved cases can be estimates and can be off by a lot, potentially preventing a true match from being recognized for decades.
- Narrow a large number of possible cases down to the most relevant comparisons
- Search public databases and other reliable sources
- Identify and document similarities and discrepancies
- Keep organized research notes and case numbers
- Track exclusions and follow-up
- Document potential matches clearly
- Communicate with appropriate case handlers responsibly
Honest about the work
What this is — and what it isn’t
The goal isn’t to solve every case yourself. It’s to get better at recognizing potentially meaningful connections, documenting what you found, and knowing how to responsibly pass that information along to the people whose job it is to act on it.
Case Compare provides a research methodology and organizational tools. It is not a law enforcement or investigative service, and does not guarantee that any case will be solved. Always direct potential matches to the appropriate case authority.
The full system
Everything in the Case Compare system
Start with the method. Add the notebooks you’ll actually write in.
Start here
Choose your notebook
The physical Case Compare workbook was designed around this process. It gives researchers dedicated spaces to track cases, compare identifying details side-by-side, record exclusions and discrepancies, and keep a submission log.
Case Compare Starter Edition
Your smaller, entry-level workbook.
The smallest way in · printed to order
$17
Coming soon — Case Compare Starter Edition
Case Compare Classic Edition
The full 200-page spiral notebook.
200 pages · spiral bound
$32
Coming soon — Case Compare Classic Edition
Case Compare Premium Edition
The upgraded faux-leather hardcover notebook.
Faux-leather · hardcover
$48
Coming soon — Case Compare Premium Edition
Checkout add-ons
Optional extras, coming soon along with the printed notebooks.
FACE COMPARE
A companion tool for systematically comparing the facial features of a missing person to an unidentified person.
$12.99
Coming soon — FACE COMPARE
If you think you have found something, it goes to the investigating agency — never onto a public post.
Workbook Stickers
Two full-colour 6×9 sheets of tiny workflow stickers, designed for the Case Compare research process. Use them to quickly mark and organize your case-comparing worksheets, notes and research materials.
- SUBMIT?
- SUBMITTED
- EXCLUDED
$7.99
Coming soon — Workbook Stickers
Printed notebooks are coming soon
- The course is available now, and it includes everything you need to start: the video lessons and the printable templates and scripts.
- The printed workbooks, FACE COMPARE and the Workbook Stickers are on their way. They’re optional extras for when you want it all in one beautiful book.
Questions
Before you buy
What is Case Compare and how does it work?
You choose a real missing-person or unidentified-person case, then use our Case Narrowing Method course to learn how to compare the details side-by-side: age, height, location, dates, physical characteristics, clothing, jewelry, aliases, and other clues. You document what matches, rule out what doesn't, and learn how to responsibly bring a potential match to the appropriate case handler. Then we have templates for helping write emails or make brief phone calls to detectives and case handlers. It's designed to help organize and streamline the independent research you can do from home.
Is this affiliated with law enforcement?
No. Case Compare is an independent, privately owned resource and is not affiliated with, employed by, or endorsed by any law enforcement agency or government organization.
Our goal is to teach everyday people how to responsibly research, compare, and document missing and unidentified person cases so they can identify potential connections and communicate relevant information to the appropriate case handlers.
What do I do if I think I've found a match?
Document what you found and carefully compare the available case information before drawing conclusions. If you believe you've identified a potential connection, use the appropriate official tip or contact information provided for the case and submit your information directly to the relevant case handler.
Case Compare teaches you how to organize your research, identify potential connections, and communicate your findings responsibly. A potential match is a lead, not a confirmed identification, so avoid contacting families, confronting individuals, or publicly sharing your suspected match.
Should I contact a victim's family if I think I've found a match?
No. Case Compare recommends that potential matches and relevant information be directed to the appropriate case handler or official tip channel rather than contacting a family directly.
Families may already be navigating an extremely difficult situation, and a potential match is not a confirmed identification. Allow the appropriate authorities or case handlers to evaluate the information and determine what should happen next.
What if the course isn't right for me?
If The Case Narrowing Method™ isn’t right for you, email support@casecompare.com within 30 days of your purchase and we’ll refund you in full. No questions asked.
The guarantee covers the course only: printed notebooks and other printed products are final sale.
Get started
Learn the method. Get the tools. Start helping.
Everything you need to narrow the field and find answers.
$27 · one-time · yours to keep