In 1994, Deborah Aylward boldly went where few women had gone before, and entered the male-dominated occupation of private investigations, becoming a registered private investigator and owner of a licensed private detective agency in the District of Columbia, Virginia and New Hampshire. Specializing in family law investigations, she became a high specialist in missing children cases, and subsequently founded ‘HomeFires, LLC”, a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit dedicated to providing pro bono investigative assistance to parents of parentally abducted and kidnapped children. The highly successful organization was in operation for 10 years and had upwards of 100 volunteer investigators nationwide, with a 98% locate rate. Volunteers were the ‘missing link’ between parents and law enforcement who safely recovered the children once located.
Deborah Aylward launches kid protection program implemented by the Falls Church Sheriff’s department.Deborah worked with local Sheriff’s department to launch a kid protection program. Dedicating her 20-year career in private investigation to protecting children, and locating those reported as ‘missing’, Aylward hosts celebration for the return of child to his custodial parent with the assistance of HomeFires.org volunteersIn response to the brutal murder of a young child, Deborah Aylward (a child safety advocate) raised funds to provide signage that read “Notice, this is a Kid Protection Areas, we call 911” that were posted at various of Falls Church city outskirt locations. Shown is the dedication held at the program’s launch.Deborah Aylward being sworn in as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for abused and neglected children.The Honorable Vivian Watts’ endorsement of Deborah Aylward in her bid to become appointed as a member of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Private Security Services Advisory Board. Aylward was subsequently appointed and served a four-year term, having approximately 4000 industry member constituents. She also served as president of the Private Investigator’s Association of Virginia, a state-wide business association, and during which time she championed two bills that were passed into law on behalf of the private security services industry.
