LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Kentucky private investigator is now behind bars after police said she failed to notify a mother that she found her missing teenager.
Sarah Tangel was arrested on Wednesday.
In June a mother, who is choosing to remain anonymous, said she reported her son missing and posted a photo of him in a Facebook group.
Not long after she posted, the mother said Tangel sent her a message. She stated she was a private investigator with TLPI Investigations, LLC and offered to help find her son. The mother told WDRB News Tangel didn't ask for money.
By July, the mom said Tangel had found her son but she didn't notify the family.
"She gave him $500 and an iPhone," the mom said.
At that point, the mom said Tangel started taking aim at her. Screenshots of text messages show the 47-year-old private investigator repeatedly texted the teen, telling him to call her before adding, "Don't talk to your mom. I have an idea."
The mother said her son listened to Tangel and never called. The mom said her son later told her, "he didn't want to come home because he wouldn't get anymore money."
The mom said Tangel made eight false reports against her to Child Protective Services and stalked her on Facebook.
According to the Louisville Metro Police Department, Tangel lied to CPS and said she was a member of law enforcement and was able to get information about the child and family she shouldn't have had access to.
"It's actually traumatizing," the mother said. "I don't even know why this lady is messing with me. I didn't reach out to her, she reached out to me. I was thinking she was a normal person willing to help but no, she's a psycho maniac."
Court documents show Tangel also threatened the teen's mom. Using expletives, she threatened to "chop off their heads."
"That wasn't even running through my mind. My mind was trying to find my kid and she's worried about chopping my head off but first off, why are you with my kid?" the mother said. "She is a mom, she says she has a son. Why would you keep my son away from me when you would know how that feels?"
Sarah Tangel was arrested on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023. According to Louisville Metro Police, she was a private investigator who failed to notify a mother that she'd found her missing teenager. (Mugshot source: Louisville Metro Corrections)
The mother said she eventually posted about Tangel and what was happening to Facebook. That's when she said others messaged her saying they had also been a victim of Tangel's schemes.
"She was after all kinds of people. She was threatening them online. She was doing everything she could, making false police reports and false CPS reports on them too," the mother said. "There was about 20 that reached out and they were telling me there were more."
Three months later, Tangel is charged with terroristic threatening, impersonating a peace officer and engaging in an unlawful transaction with a minor.
"I am happy something is being done. She deserves everything that comes to her," the mother said.
The mother said she was surprised nobody else had contacted police and thanked the LMPD investigator who worked her case.
"She went hard for my family and I appreciate it," the mother said.
The mom said her son is now in a safe place and hopes this is a warning for others.
"Be cautious who you talk to, especially on social media. You never know who it is," she said. "She's not who she says she is."
Tangel is being held on a $25,000 bond and is due back in court Oct. 6.
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