Home » Listen » Shaun Kaufman and Colleen Collins

“We have solved a lot of cases going through trash.”

Shaun Kaufman and Colleen Collins are a husband and wife private detective team.

The two middle-aged divorcees met at a coffee shop in 2002.

They started dating, and both found themselves out of work.

That’s when they took matters into their own hands.

Listen to
Recorded in Denver, CO.

  • Browse by Category

Explore

Music Info: 1986 by Fredrik from the Album Na Na Ni.

Credits

Produced by Jasmyn Belcher.

Facilitated by Chaela Herridge-Meyer.

Transcript

Click here to read the transcript for this story.

Interview transcript

Colleen Collins (CC): You had lost your job. You drank to excess, and you were stoned all the time. And it was like, what are we gonna do?

Shaun Kaufman (SK): You kind of threw out the idea ...

CC: Of a private investigation's agency.

SK: Involving you and I.

CC: And by the next week I was sitting on surveillance. So, I just jumped into the deep end. We were so desperate. So we did crazy work for, like, no money.

SK: What I clearly remember is chasing people for days for a $37 fee. But, what it felt like to me was I was worthwhile at something again.

CC: We have solved a lot of cases going through trash.

SK: That's what you do.

CC: Yeah.

SK: I remember on this case, going through the trash. And we're standing there with cameras taking pictures of it, 'cause I don't want it after that.

CC: We always take pictures of trash.

SK: Yeah. I think it was like August. And it's, like, particularly smelly.

CC: The problem was it was attracting dogs, and I'm afraid of dogs. [Laughs] I was so scared.

SK: And all of a sudden we're doing lots of infidelity investigations, and it doesn't exactly inspire a great deal of romance in your own life.

CC: I remember our relationship was limping along. But being forced to work together really forced us to deal with a lot of things.

SK: It's tough, actually, to be on surveillance with somebody who's pissed off at you.

CC: [Laughs]

SK: I remember going to some sites, and we'd been having some discussions on the way up there 'cause you drive a long time--you talk.

CC: [Laughs]

SK: And the next thing I knew, our conversations did get more positive. And there was more laughter. I know that our relationship really took off at that point. Our work relationship took off. Without the business I'm not sure that we would have … you know, made it.

And now ...

CC: Oh, better than ever.

SK: This is the relationship I wanted when I was 17 and didn't know that I could have.

CC: We kind of wasted a few years. [Laughs]

SK: I wish that I could be in this relationship another 200 years. If I could bargain with God … it's just like, I love you so much.