When children go missing, there is nothing more terrifying for their parents. Sometimes, the kidnapping was expected, though, like in the case of parents who have made previous threats to interfere with child custody or consistently failed to return children to the other parent on time.
That’s what happened in this case out of Mississippi. A teen who was missing from Charlotte County was discovered in the state after being reported missing from her home in Port Charlotte by her guardian.
The 15-year-old girl has autism, which causes her to have the mental capacity of a 5-year-old, according to the story. As a result, she required daily care.
After she went missing, law enforcement put out a press released and began to search for the teen. A warrant was issued for the teen’s 53-year-old mother. That warrant was issued on the charges of interfering with child custody, kidnapping and removing a minor from the state. The police were able to locate her and arrest her; the teen girl was found safe and in good health.
Cases like this are tragic, because the people close to children may be trying to do what they believe is right but end up on the wrong side of the law. If you believe that your ex-spouse or partner may flee with your children, it’s important to talk to your attorney about your options. You may be able to have the court order supervision during visits or ask for other steps to be taken to prevent your own children from going missing in the future.
