if i runaway can my mom call the cops?

[Unregistered]

need help

How can i stay hidden that i have ran away my name is sarah and I'm 17

[ccsmod7]

Re: Need Help

Hi Sarah –

Thanks for contacting us with your questions and concerns. It sounds like you are currently on the run and trying to figure out how to stay hidden. Now we aren’t here to give specific advice or necessarily tell youth how to run away. Our main concern is youth safety and we are always here to talk through safe options and resources. Is there something going on at home that made you want to leave?

If you would like to talk through your situation more in depth you can always reach out to us directly. Our services are confidential and anonymous and there is always someone here to listen and here to support you. If you have left it certainly is important to figure out a safe place you can go, whether that be friends, family, or even a youth shelter. We can help you talk through a safe plan and even find helpful local resources if you would like. Feel free to reach out to us anytime.

[Unregistered]

Hi there. My name is Kayla. I am 16 years old. I have an 11 month old son. I currently live at my mother's house in Louisiana with my son, little sister(7) and boyfriend(16) of 2 years. My mother is verbally, emotionally, and mentally abusive. She curses me out and calls me degrading names. She makes fun of and harasses me about my previous self harm and suicidal tendencies (1 1/2 to 2 years ago.) She tries to make me feel worthless and will not help me or allow me to do things necessary to take care of my child. (Such as obtain my birth certificate, take me to get an ID, let me obtain my GED, have a job.) She abuses prescription medication and sells it for money. I am just at a loss in every situation. I don't have local family to help me, she has and continues to lie to the police, i feel trapped. I worry that calling child services will result in my beautiful son being taken from me. I can't take that. I do everything that i can for him. So i feel like my only option is to run away to my boyfriend's grandmother's house who lives in Florida once I turn 17. Would she be able to have the police return me to her? Would I be in trouble with the law? Would there be negative repercussions that could affect my child? Could his grandmother be in trouble for harboring runaways? And would she be considered unfit if she temporarily only has a 1 bedroom apartment with 4 people. If i were to report her rather than run away would I be separated from my child?

[ccsmod5]

Re: If i runaway can my mom call the cops

Hi Kayla,
Thank you for writing to us. I has to be really difficult living with your mom and hearing such hurtful language used against you. You do not deserved to be verbally harassed or mocked, or to be kept apart from your IDs and means of obtaining work or GED.
It is understandable that you are thinking of running away. We are not legal experts here at the National Runaway Safeline, but we can speak generally about what may happen if you run to your grandmother’s house, and help you consider your options:
In both Louisiana and Florida, you become a legal adult at age 18. If a minor (someone under 1 runs away, their family can typically file a runaway report. It is not a crime to run away, but it could lead to your being returned back home to your mom’s house. However, sometimes when a 17 year old runs away, police will not take a report or search for them, since they are so close to becoming an adult. In some states, it is considered a misdemeanor for somebody to harbor a runaway. You can always try calling your local police anonymously to ask how they respond when a 17-year old runs away. You might also consider whether your mom would simply give permission for you to live with your grandmother.
It sounds like you have also considered calling Child Protective Services to report your mom’s mistreatment. This is certainly, an option. Every case is different, and we cannot guarantee how Child Protective Services would handle that case. However they would try to investigate and do what is best for the safety of you and your son. You can always try and communicate the ways in which you are taking care of your son and keeping him safe. To find out more details about reporting abuse, you can always call Child-Help USA at 1-800-422-4453 and talk to a counselor there. They can give you more information about reporting child abuse and the possible results, and they can offer the phone number for your local Child Protective Services.
We hope this information helps. Please know that you are welcome to give us a call anytime. We will be glad to listen and to talk through your options in more detail.

[Unregistered]

No Way Out

My name is Danielle and I am 16 years old and I live in Connecticut. I've had problems with my dad for years now and they just seem to get worse. We've had big arguments in the past and a few physical altercations. Just a few minutes ago, there was another physical altercation and he tried to kick me out of the house. My mom sent me into my room to get me away from him. I have no way to call my state's hotline for these kinds of issues. All I have the laptop I got from my school. I have nowhere to go and the city bus has stopped running so I have no way to get there. He threatened to send me to jail for hitting him (even though he pushed me into a wall first) and I don't know what to do. I don't want to call Child Protective Services because I don't want anything to happen to my sisters or my mother. I really need help.

[ccsmod5]

Re: No Way Out

Hey there,
Thank you for reaching out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline, it seems like you have quite a bit going on at this point in your life. From what you have shared, it seems like you are being misunderstood by your parents. No one ever deserves to be abused or mistreated the way you have been. Just know that you are not alone and we are always here to help you.

Because you are in crisis now, do you think you can get to a police station? Not only would they be able to transport to where you need to be, but they will also provide you with a safe environment for the night.

You mentioned that you don’t have a phone but you do have a laptop and internet service, I’m assuming because you can get in touch with us, you can look up directions to the nearest safe place to you. Perhaps you can go hang out at a 24 hour McDonalds, Walmart or Walgreens. You can also potentially ask them if you can borrow the phone to call the police and let them know your situation.

We are not legal experts here, but from what you have shared, it doesn’t seem like your father can put you in jail, mainly because you are a minor. Also, because you are a minor, your father is not allowed to kick you out of the house.

IF you can get to a pay phone, we are a toll free number and we would be more than happy to assist you making any type of phone calls to authorities that you might need to get in touch with. Remember that we are here 24/7 and would be more than happy to help you in your situation. We wish you the best of luck.

Stay strong,

NRS

[Unregistered]

What do the cops do when you runaway?

Hi I've ran away before but when I did my plan wasn't that full proof and my friend snitche on me so I was found. But this time I'm so passionate to runaway that I took a month to think a plan and I thinks it's pretty full proof and will work. But I was wondering what do the police do? My friend told me that they search for 24 hours then file as a missing person or something. But where do they search? My friends houses? Video cameras? And what happens with a missing person file?

[ccsmod0]

re: What do the cops do when you runaway?

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out tonight and asking these questions. It sounds like you’re working on putting together a solid plan so that you are safe if you decide to leave again. It was really smart of you to reach out. So let’s see how we can help you out tonight.

We aren’t legal experts here, but we are able to speak generally as to what might happen. If you decide to leave home without your guardian’s permission, then your guardian has the right to file a runaway report with the police if you are under 18. Your guardians can make that report as soon as you leave the house. Sometimes the police won’t search for you for 24 hours, but they would still take the report right away. It’s not illegal to run away, but the police could look for you and if they found you, they would bring you back home.

They could pretty much search anywhere where they thought you could be. So they sometimes look at family member’s houses and friend’s houses. They often look at school and people that you could possibly be dating. They could also access video cameras.

A runaway report or a missing person’s file is a report that stays with you until you either turn 18 or are returned back home. It doesn’t stay on your permanent record or anything.

We hope that this information is helpful for you. If you’d like to talk more about anything or have any questions about how to stay safe if you decide to leave, please don’t hesitate to call or chat with us. You can call us 24 hours a day at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or chat with us through our website (www.1800runaway) from 4.30pm-11.30pm Central Time.
We look forward to your call or chat.

Best of luck with everything,

NRS

[Unregister]

17 and a runaway

I'm 17and I have been gone for almost 2weeks the cops have been looking for me and I was told that they want to arrest me and criminally charge the people helping me are they able to do that

[ccsmod14]

Re: 17 and a runaway

Hi there,

Thank you for contacting us here at the National Runaway Safeline. We are glad that you have reached out to us, we are here to help you out the best that we can.

So it sounds like you have been gone for 2 weeks from home. Are you in a safe place? If you are ever feeling unsafe where you are, you can always call us at 1800runaway and we can try to locate a safe place/shelter near you. We are not here to tell you what to do, just to make sure you are safe in whatever decision you make.

You shared with us that the cops want to arrest you and criminally charge the people that you have been staying with. How did you find this out? We are not legal experts here, so we do not want to give you the wrong information. To our knowledge, running away is not illegal- it is a status offense. Usually if you run away and there is a runaway report made, and the police find you, they just bring you back home. However, in most states there are laws regarding “harboring a runaway”. This means that anyone a runaway stays with could potentially face legal consequences that vary from sometimes a fine, to sometimes jail time. One way to find out what the potential legal consequences are in your state would be to call your local non emergency police department line and ask your questions hypothetically. Another option you have is to call us here at 1800runaway and we can provide you with legal resources in your state that would have more expertise.

We are here to support you in any way that we can. If you would like to join us on chat from 4:30pm to 11:30pm CST through our website at 1800runaway.org, or call our 24/7, anonymous and confidential hotline at 1800runaway please feel free to do so.

Good luck and stay safe,
NRS

[Unregistered]

if i run away should i take my social security or birth certificate with me ?

So i been wanting to run away for a while now .. Im tired of my house & if i stay here i feel as if im going to hurt myself ...
My family likes to blame me for alot nd expect so much frm me .. I feel hurt for the things ive heard them say behind my back ..
Ive actually been thinking bout it ..
I feel like i need some time away ...
My mom said if i wanted to run away to do it as long as i leave a letter stating the reasons why i left w my name sighned on it ,
Anyways if i leave my house should i bring my birth certificate, passpord , social security etc . With me ? Also this is the 2nd time im leavng my house nd im not sure if my mom will make a report with the police department...
If she does & i get caught will i get sent to juvi ?
Thanks ,

[ccsmod9]

RE: if i run away should i take my social security or birth certificate with me ?

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out to us. Sorry to hear about your situation. It seems like things are getting a little overwhelming at home. Sometimes some time away can be very helpful. We aren’t legal experts but we can speak generally on the topic. If you are a minor she can file a runaway report and you can be returned home. This is not a criminal offense, it is a status offense, so typically this is all that would happen. That being said your mom could try to enroll you in such a program on her own, if she felt it was needed. Taking those things with you is your decision; it may depend on how long you plan on being away. It may come in handy if you are looking for shelter somewhere. It is great that you are looking for a plan. You can contact us 24/7 at 1-800-RUNAWAY in order to talk more about what is going on and your best next steps. We hope to hear from you soon. Good luck.

NRS

[Unregistered]

Question about running away or leaving

So my parents are divorced and i live with my step mom and dad and im 16 and can't stand being there. No one ever pays attention to me im always in my room by myself because my dad just sits n the couch and watches tv and my step mom stays in her room when shes not at work or she is dealing with my little brothers. I have a few friends that are moving in together and would let me help pay rent but my dad would never allow that so I was wondering if I have my mom gets custody of me and gives me permission to live on my own with them would i be able to or would my dad still be able to bring me home if I stay in the area around him. Does my mom have to have custody to give me permission to move out of my dads?

[ccsmod1]

RE: Question about running away or leaving

Hello,
Thanks for reaching out to us for help. It sounds like you have a really difficult home life with your dad and step mom right now. You mentioned that you want to move in with friends, and your father will not allow you to do this. If you are under the age of 18, you are expected to live wherever your legal guardian has arranged for you to live, or else you may be considered a runaway and be forced to go home by the police. If either parent has full or partial custody of you, they can file a runaway report with the police. We are not legal experts, so we cannot provide legal advice. It sounds like if your mother gained full legal custody of you and said that it was ok for you to live with your friends, you would not be considered a runaway. However, it sounds like your situation right now is that your father has custody. Have you thought about talking to him about how you feel? We can help you talk through your situation and figure out if you have other options besides running away. We are here for you 24/7 to listen and support you however we can.

[cave]

git out

Ok so my gf is 14 about to be 15 and I'm 15 about to be 16 and I can not stand her mom and I know they can't I go over there to spend time with her for a little and all I can say is that I her yelling ant them cuz they won't do the some thining like git her a cuver and yelling a the littile kids like the are trash and she calls the penthehas that means stopped a*s in Spanish and she well not lit thin go to school the next day if the dish is are not washed what can they do can they do some thing about that can my gf say to the cops that she don't won't to be there any more