My name is Deborah Aylward, I am a native of Washington D.C. and relocated to New
Hampshire in 2006. I am honored to serve the people of Andover, Danbury, Hill, Salisbury, and
Webster in the New Hampshire House of Representatives for the past two terms, and am seeking
re-election in 2026.

I came to public service after a career that taught me the importance of persistence,
accountability, careful investigation, and standing up for people who sometimes feel they are not
being heard. Before entering the Legislature, I spent 20 years as a private investigator/detective
agency owner, and founded HomeFires, Volunteer Investigators for Missing Children, a
charitable nonprofit coordinating volunteers who assisted families searching for missing children
nationwide on a pro bono basis — and acting as law enforcement liaisons. Our organization had
a 98% locate/safe recovery rate, and our successes were featured on Discovery Channel’s “The
Search for Missing Persons” in 1999. I went on to author “The Guide to Criminal Offender
Public Records” the first ever compilation of probation and parole offices contact information
nationwide, including US territories. In my spare time, I was trained and appointed as a
mandated reporter, and served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for abused and
neglected children.

I further participated in the “Kid Protection Network”. After 15-year-old Kristin Lisk and 12-
year-old Kati Lisk, were abducted from their home in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, on May 1,
1997, I convinced the City of Falls Church to erect signs that read “This is a Kid Protection Area.
We call 9-1-1” at the city’s boundary lines. Their cases were linked to the 1996 murder of 16-
year-old Sofia Silva in the same county. All three crimes were eventually solved in 2002 after 15-
year-old Kara Robinson escaped from serial killer Richard Marc Evonitz in South Carolina,
providing law enforcement with the information needed to connect him to the Virginia murders.

Representing my industry as the President of the Private Investigators Association of Virginia, I
served in the position for three years, and championed two, occupation-related bills that became
law, to include amendment of Virginia’s “Freedom of Information Act”. Appointed to serve a
four-year term as the Senior Private Investigator Representative to the Commonwealth of
Virginia, Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), I protected the interest of
approximately 4000 industry members, and acted as the Legislative Committee Co-Chair. I was
selected to co-author the Private Investigator Job Task Analysis, an independent study of the
occupation commissioned by DCJS. I was solely responsible for the shutting down of unlicensed
advertisers in the Metropolitan D.C. area Yellow Pages directories to protect consumers. I further
recommended to DCJS that the ‘one-size-fits-all’ licensing scheme be category-specific. DCJS
acted on the recommendation resulting in incalculable increase of revenue to the state.

After relocating to New Hampshire, I was actively involved in legislative efforts to amend
private investigator licensing laws under RSA 106-F, and was responsible for recommending the
formation of an advisory board. The recommendation was accepted by regulators and legislators
passed HB 651 that went into effect in 2010. Residing in Danbury (NH), I am actively involved
as a citizen activist/advocate. I routinely research, make public record requests and produce vital
information and statistics regarding Town government through patch.com articles.

In the New Hampshire House, I serve on the Municipal and County Government Committee.
Much of my legislative work has focused on property rights, municipal accountability, due
process, and protecting the ability of local residents to have a meaningful voice in decisions
affecting their communities.

I believe representatives should do more than vote in Concord. They should answer questions,
research problems, help constituents navigate government, and be willing to challenge the
system when something does not seem right. I have worked with residents on issues involving
local government transparency, public records, property rights, schools, public safety, and state
agencies.

New Hampshire has a strong tradition of citizen government. Our Legislature works best when
representatives remain accessible to the people they serve and remember that government
belongs to the public—not the other way around.

I am seeking another term because there is more work to be done. I will continue to approach
legislation carefully, ask difficult questions, listen to the people of Merrimack District 5, and
work to protect individual rights, responsible local government, and the character of our New
Hampshire communities.

It is a privilege to represent this district, and I remain grateful to every constituent who takes the
time to contact me, share a concern, offer an idea, or participate in our democratic process.

Deborah Aylward