PHOENIX -- Thursday night's 5 Investigates piece exposed a man accused of ripping off Valley families by promising free government grant money to fix their homes, only to stick them with a high-interest second mortgage they never knew they signed.

But what first led 5 Investigates to Steven DeFren was an entirely different rip-off. The victim: his own special needs daughter.

DeFren is one of the Valley's top deadbeat dads, and investigative reporter Morgan Loew used new technology to catch him when the law couldn't.

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office offers the "Deadbeat Parents Hall of Shame" on its Web site.

The list of more than 1,300 people -- the majority of whom are men -- includes names, descriptions and sometimes pictures of people with arrest warrants issued because they owe child support. The list is organized based on how much they owe.

At the top of the list is Vincent Rice. He owes $174,000.

Right behind him is DeFren, who owes $139,000 to a special needs child he left behind.

Loew used new technology to track down DeFren; when he found him, Loew brought company in the form of arresting officers.

"I wanted to see the good but there were some signs beforehand and I just didn't realize that there was a problem," said Joyce DeFren.

Joyce and Steven DeFren married in 1988. She said he was never short of money back then.

"We always went on three-week vacations, drove really nice cars, lived in a nice home, I didn't work, my daughter had all her dancing lessons. Never a problem, and there was always money stashed in the house," Joyce DeFren said.

But that was before the divorce. Joyce DeFren said her husband left her while she was battling breast cancer.

"My daughter has a learning disability. I've cleaned the tutor's house," Joyce DeFren said as she dissolved into tears.

The long court record details Joyce DeFren's fight to force Steven DeFren to pay for his child's expenses. It also reveals court system errors and missed opportunities that allowed Steven DeFren to avoid capture.

"All this time, all these years, nothing was being done," Joyce DeFren said.

"Law enforcement is so overwhelmed right now," private investigator Stoney Blair said.

With so many deadbeats, desperate families are turning to private investigators like Blair.

"We coordinate directly with law enforcement," Blair said.

Blair helped 5 Investigates follow Steven DeFren for two weeks after finding him, exposing how a wanted man tried to stay invisible in plain sight.

"I believe he was definitely trying to keep a low profile and not bring any attention to himself," Blair said.

DeFren took a gamble that he could avoid arrest by laying low, but 5 Investigates found a loophole in the law that's allowing other deadbeats to avoid capture altogether, simply by moving out of the state.

That's what happened with top deadbeat Rice, who owes $174,000 in child support. CBS 5 Investigates found him in California.

When asked why he couldn't go nab Rice, Sheriff Joe Arpaio said, "There's no law, I believe, state law, where we can extradite. It's a civil offense. I want to get to the legislature. I want to look into that. Why should we not have a law?"

Arpaio said his office arrested 237 deadbeat parents last year and collected $2 million for their families.

But that's still a fraction of the total on the list.

"I need the help of the spouse. I need intelligence. Help us find these people," Arpaio said.

With Loew's help, Arpaio's deputies arrested Steven DeFren.

Since then, DeFren came up with $50,000 to put toward the amount he owes his ex-wife and child.

For links to MCSO's Deadbeat Parents Hall of Shame and a private investigator, click here.

If you recognize anyone on the MCSO list, the sheriff would like to hear from you.