5 Things You Should Know About Derrick Levasseur Of 'Breaking Homicide'

In the second season of Breaking Homicide, former police sergeant and private investigator Derrick Levasseur continues to crack cold cases around the nation, and to help the desperate families left behind and seeking answers.

Ahead of the season premiere, here are five interesting facts to help you get to know Derrick:

1. He was one of the youngest police officers in his department's history.

Levasseur, who is from Central Falls, Rhode Island, was one of the youngest officers in the department’s history when he was hired at age 20.

During his time on the force, he worked in both the Patrol Division and the Detective Division. He was later assigned to the Special Investigations Unit as an undercover detective, where he had the opportunity to work with the ATF, DEA, FBI, and the U.S. Secret Service, resulting in numerous arrests and seizures.

He has also received advanced training in crime-scene analysis, interview and interrogation techniques, and undercover operations.

Levasseur has received multiple awards, including the Medal of Valor, which is the highest honor a sworn officer can receive. In 2017, he was the recipient of the American Red Cross “Hero Award” after saving seven people from a burning building.

2. He uses an unconventional but effective approach to achieving success in all facets of his life.

In each episode, Levasseur applies his unique experiences as an undercover detective to dissect the cases from top to bottom.

He scours the locations of each crime for new information, sits down with the original investigators and friends and families of the victims, and pores over each piece of evidence to try and find the missing piece of the puzzle.

His unconventional approach is based on the interview and interrogation training that he received as a police detective.

In Levasseur's book The Undercover Edge, he talks about overcoming adversity in all kinds of situation using these skills. He discusses methods including: "the effect of using silence to extract and evaluate information, the benefits of interpreting body language and developing your sixth sense, the importance of self-awareness and adapting to your environment, and the value of developing a personal ops plan with a defined mission."

3. He also runs a successful investigative firm.

After the first season of Breaking Homicide aired, Levasseur received thousands of requests from people all over the country who were looking for help.

So he founded Break Investigative Group and assembled a team of colleagues that have experience in the investigative field and specific skill sets that will benefit unique cases.

The areas of expertise covered by the firm include law, surveillance, undercover operations, interviews and interrogations, accident reconstruction, handwriting analysis, forensic psychology, financial crimes, cyber crimes, crime-scene processing, fingerprint analysis, blood-spatter recognition, use of force, threat assessment, and personal security.

4. The season premiere investigates the death of a 16-year-old in North Carolina.

The season premiere takes Levasseur to Asheboro, North Carolina, to investigate the unsolved mysterious death of 16-year-old Judy Rawlings.

On October 2, 2001, Rawlings went riding on an ATV with her neighbor Tony Sierra, who says that he later dropped Rawlings off at a gas station at around 11 P.M. to meet an unknown individual. Rawlings was never heard from again, and two weeks later, her body was found in a wooded area approximately a mile away.

"Now you have a killer on the loose, and the whole community is in fear because the person could be living right next door to them," Levasseur says.

Watch the Lost in the Woods episode of Breaking Homicide on ID GO now!

5. He uses social media in creative and innovative ways to help him crack cases.

Levasseur shot to fame after winning the reality television series Big Brother 16 in 2014. On the show, he used his unique approach to problem solving in order to win the game — and is now regarded as one of the greatest players ever.

Often, private investigators and journalists hit a wall when attempting to investigate cold cases. But Levasseur's experience in law enforcement often helps him communicate effectively with police.

Because the cases Derrick investigates on Breaking Homicide are still active, his use of social media — where he has hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram and other platforms — means that he has a direct way to effectively interact with his audience in order to help crack cases.

Watch the premiere of the second season of Breaking Homicide Monday, June 3 at 10/9c on Investigation Discovery!