Dharma Private Investigations was founded in Boise, Idaho by J. Reuben Appelman with the mission of providing accessible private investigative expertise without the intimidating reputation the investigative field is known for. Dharma offers the highest quality of private investigative work accompanied by top-tier reporting, with an exemplary moral compass guiding all investigations.

Prior to founding Dharma, Appelman was a Senior Fraud Investigator for a multi-national corporate investigations firm. He has also been a special visiting professor at Idaho State University and Boise State University’s Honors College, teaching courses on the issue of human trafficking while collaborating with City of Boise police officers and victim witness coordinators on coursework and community outreach.

His earlier career involved cracking the notorious Oakland County Child Killings, which led to his acclaimed true crime book, “The Kill Jar,” and the subsequent Hulu docuseries, “Children of the Snow.” Appelman also wrote the investigative nonfiction book, “While Idaho Slept,” meticulously reporting on the tragic November 2022 killings of four University of Idaho students.