Runaway question.

[Unregistered]

A friend of mine has ran away...possibly crossing state lines in doing so.
The officer looking for this person said they would take this to state and then to federal in which the FBI would get involved and any text messages and facebook messages could be subpoenaed. Do they really do this for a runaway or is this a scare tactic? Sounds a bit too dramatic.

[ccsmod5]

RE: Runaway question.

Hey,

Thanks for reaching out to our bulletins and advocating for your friend. They're lucky to have someone like you looking out for them.

It does sound a little fishy that the local police said that the state and federal authorities would get involved. In most states running away is not considered a crime so this issue doesn't go beyond the local authorities. The most parents can do is file a 'runaway report' and usually the most that can happen is a youth is found or not unless there is some other crime involved. If not, I'm not sure what else can happen to your friend. It's not impossible for state and federal police to get involved but we've never heard of that.

Do you know why your friend ran from home? Are they safe now? What's their plan and how old are they?

In case you want to advocvate and find out more, we have a hotline available 24 hours a day and we're anonymous and confidential. We could explore more options for your friend as we get more details about their situation. We can be reached at 1800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We also have a new live chat service where people can chat with us online between the hours of 4pm-10pm (Central Standard Time).

Thanks again for helping them out.

Best,

[Unregistered]

Yes, she is 16. She ran away because of a very unstable household. Her mother is physically and mentally abusive but not physical enough to be proved in court or anything. She is very safe where she is and is well taken care of. She seems really happy where she is. I did encourage her to run and they said if they found proof after they get her text messages that I would be arrested for enticing her to run. What's your take on this? Think they were just trying to get me to give up a location? Her mother has sworn that the min she returns shes gonna make her life 100 times worse than it already is. I can't let that happen.

I've never heard of the FBI or state getting involved unless it was a kidnapping or something. Thought they usually just go looking for a night then if they ever see them on the streets they would pick them up. The officer also told me that even after she turns 18 they could still take her back home and she'd have to go through the court processes?

[ccsmod3]

RE: Runaway question.

Hello again,

Thanks for sharing a bit more about your friend. It sounds like she left a really difficult situation at home. We’re glad to hear she is safe and seems to be really happy. We are not legal experts so we cannot say for absolute certain one way or another exactly will happen in regards to the FBI or the courts. As we stated earlier it seems fishy that the local police stated federal and state authorities would get involved; however, in order to know for certain you will probably have to contact law enforcement or legal aid.

General laws associated with running away typically fall on the person who is helping the runaway. To our knowledge, harboring a runaway, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and crossing state lines with a minor are considered misdemeanors. You may want to keep in mind though that this may vary depending on the city/state, whether the legal guardian(s) pursue charges, and also if the person in question has any other criminal history.

You mentioned that the physical abuse isn’t enough to be proven in court. No one deserves to be abused and we are very sorry to hear that your friend has had to endure both physical and mental abuse. Sometimes it can be helpful to have a current Child Protective Services (CPS) case open if that is the reason the child ran away. If there hasn’t been a recent abuse report or if a case is no longer open, we can help with that process. Although we are normally anonymous and confidential, if we get certain identifying information (names, addresses, phone numbers, etc.) and we hear about abuse, we are obligated to pass along that information to CPS as mandated reporters. Another resource that may be helpful is Justice for Children. 1 (800)-733-0059. They are an organization which advocates for youth who have dealt with abuse and neglect and haven’t had success with the system.

Please let us know if there is anything else we can do. Our live chat will open soon at 4:30 CST, if you do not feel comfortable calling us. Thank you for your concern and best of luck!

[Unregistered]

Thank you for the valuable information.

I have a few more questions. First of all I have been doing a lot of research on the subject and was wondering if you could validate this information:
"Because running away is not a crime, court orders for cellular telephone records cannot be obtained. If the cellular telephone that your runaway might be using is in your name, you can get the call records without a court order."
Source: http://www.mesaaz.gov/police/Missing...s/default.aspx

Also the parents said they issued an amber alert. Is this possible with a runaway? I assumed the child had to be in danger in order to get one issued. I found this but I'm not sure it applies to all states...
"Furthermore, there must be a threat of imminent danger to qualify for Amber activation."
Source: http://www.dps.state.ms.us/dps/dps.n...t?OpenDocument

Lastly if she wanted to live at a children's home(one that takes in abused/neglected/ect minors) would her parents have to allow this or could she make this decision by herself? Also if she can do it by herself would her parents have to be notified? The reason I ask is because this seems like a legal way to do things instead of putting others at risk for harboring or any other charges. If not, does she have any legal options available that her parents would not have to be involved in?

[ccsmod2]

Thank you for contacting us again and continuing to advocate for your friend. It’s great that she has someone like you in her life to try helping her to figure out her next step. Hopefully, we can continue to provide you with information and resources.

Unfortunately, we cannot validate any information you may have found. A lot of decisions that are made in regards to runaways vary from state to state. They are also dependent on the police in that area. And in regards to the cell phone, that my also depend on the cell phone carrier and if there is a contract or not.

Again, we don’t have a lot of information regarding Amber Alerts. If the parents had filed one, you may be able to find out by contacting the local police anonymously. Also, you can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (843-567; they may be able to tell you if she is listed as a runaway or if there is an Amber Alert for her.

Unfortunately, since she is still a minor, her parents are still her legal guardians meaning they would be contacted if she were to go to a shelter. But, people working at shelters are mandated reporters so if she were to tell them about the abuse, they would need to file a report on her behalf. They may also waive receiving consent from her parents but they would still be notified that she was there.

There may be legal options that are available for her but her parents would still be involved in the process. One of these may be emancipation but that can be a very lengthy and sometimes expensive process. If she is interested in that, we may have resources that she could contact. There are also 2 other hotlines that may be able to provide you and her further assistance as well.

Childhelp USA is a 24 hour crisis line that can answer questions about abuse and other places to report it. They don’t take the reports but can help callers in making one (similar to what we can do). They also have a database of resources that may also be able to help your friend out. Their number is 1-800-422-4453 and their website is www.childhelpusa.org.

Justice for Children is available from 8 AM to 5 PM (CST) and can help provide legal advocacy for abused children. Their hotline number is 1-800-733-0059 and their website is www.jfcadvocacy.org.

Again, thank you for contacting us again in an effort to help your friend out. Remember, we are completely confidential and anonymous so please feel free to call us anytime. We are also available through chat from 4:30 PM-10:00 PM CST if you would like to reach us that way.

We wish you the best of luck and look forward to hearing from you.

~NRS