How a Private Investigator Thinks: The Case that Proved the Value of Macro Pattern Deductions

I didn’t realize it then, but 2019 would be my final year as an FBI Special Agent.

Most agents don’t leave early—especially not after only three years. But I walked away after discovering something that changed how I approach investigation forever: a pattern-based methodology that blends intuition, global context, and high-level analytical thinking.

That mindset is the foundation of Irregular Investigations—and the foundation of how I now operate as a private investigator.

This case is where it all came together.

The Call: 2:00 A.M., Northern California

It was early morning when my Bureau phone rang.

• A man had driven his vehicle into a crowd.

• Local PD was requesting FBI observation—and possibly assistance.

• The interview was about to begin.

  
  

I grabbed my badge, firearm, credentials, and a few snacks. I was out the door in minutes.

Behind the Glass: A Dead-End Interview

When I arrived, the suspect was already seated in the interrogation room—eyes heavy, posture slumped.

I observed from behind a two-way mirror as local detectives questioned him. What they learned:

• He admitted to hitting the victims.

• He was coming from a Bible study.

• He was an Army veteran with PTSD.

  
  

But no motive surfaced. Each time they approached the question of “why,” he withdrew further. There was no spark. No logic. Just fatigue and silence.

The Huddle: A Familiar Pause

After nearly an hour of slow, stalled progress, the detectives stepped into the hallway.

It was a familiar scene—a quiet huddle just outside the interview room. Every investigator knows the ritual: gather thoughts, exchange quick theories, and ask the inevitable question when the room has gone cold:

“Anyone got any ideas?”

I did.

And I said so.

“Ask him about Sri Lanka.”

They looked at me sideways. I explained:

• An ISIS-affiliated terrorist bombing had occurred a week earlier in Sri Lanka.

• Nearly 300 Christians were killed in church attacks.

• All the victims in this vehicular assault appeared to be Southeast Asian.

• The suspect had just left a Bible study. Why would he say that?

  
  

It was a hypothesis—not proof. But something about it fit. 

The Break: Pattern Recognition Pays Off

To their credit, the local officers tried it.

The conversation went like this:

“Have you been watching the news?”

The man sits up.

“Yes.”

“Did you see the attack in Sri Lanka?”

The man breathes in.

“Yes. I saw it.”

“Is that what this is about?”

The man explodes.

“That’s exactly what this is about! I ran over those Muslims to get revenge for my Christian brothers!”

And there it was.

Hate Crime. Confirmed.

The Tragedy Beneath the Motive

There it was. Not simply a confession, but a window into a disturbed rationale. A hate crime, rooted in a misdirected vengeance. The man had not known the victims of the Sri Lanka attack. He had no ties to the church in Sri Lanka. He merely absorbed the tragedy, allowed it to metastasize within his own psyche, and acted against those who—to his eyes—resembled the enemy.

In a cruel twist, none of the local victims were, to our knowledge, Muslim. Some may even have been Christians themselves. But hate, once inflamed, does not ask for proof. It acts upon assumption. That is its signature.

The suspect was later charged with eight counts of attempted murder, as well as a federal hate crime.

The Methodology That Changed Everything

This case didn’t break because of DNA, surveillance footage, or luck.

It broke because someone looked beyond the room.

Because someone connected the dots between global headlines and local behavior.

Because someone thought like a private investigator—one trained to detect not just what happened, but why it made sense in a broader system of belief and behavior.

Here’s what cracked this case:

• Macro pattern recognition

• Cultural and geopolitical awareness

• Contextual deductive reasoning

• Strategic questioning—not interrogation

  
  

This is the Irregular Investigations model.

It’s also how I now approach every client case: not just as a technician or former agent, but as a strategic, high-context private investigator.

Why This Approach Works

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes often saw what others missed—not because he had better eyesight, but because he had a broader perspective. The same is true in modern investigations.

In complex cases, the facts don’t always speak for themselves. Someone needs to translate them—and more importantly, understand the patterns that made them possible in the first place.

At Irregular Investigations, that’s what we do:

• Investigative analysis rooted in behavioral intelligence

• Global context applied to local cases

• Deductive reasoning backed by operational experience

  
  

We specialize in the cases that don’t make sense—yet.

A Private Investigator for Cases That Don’t Fit the Mold

If you’re a legal team, corporation, or private client dealing with a case that feels like something’s missing, chances are the answer isn’t buried deeper—it’s just out wider.

Sometimes the key to solving a crime lies in the macro context.

That’s the Irregular advantage.

Let’s Talk.

If you need a private investigator who blends federal-level tradecraft with high-context intelligence analysis, I’d be glad to hear from you.

Irregular Investigations exists for the investigations that defy the usual playbook.

Stay sharp,

Tucker Witt

Founder, Irregular Investigations