Help my little brother!

[Unregistered]

I live about an hour and a half away from my little brother across state lines. He has finally ran away from home.
He is 15 (16 in three weeks).

To give a little back story of the situation:
Our mom threw me out at 16. For the record I was and continued to be a straight A student that never got in trouble anywhere. I lived on my own and supported myself from then on. I am now about to turn 21.
Back then she drank. Now she does not however her and her felon boyfriend do drugs and have them around my little brother even offering them to him. They also sell them.
They do not leave the house live off disability and my little brothers social security money they recieve from our father.
They send him to the store and to do anythign they need done. Our mother is also severly depressed and has no drive to get better.
The situation is not good at all. THere is alot of emotional and mental abuse that is almost unbearable. I would have went crazy had I stayed there i have no idea where i would be today. My little brother is also depressed and is even cutting himself. I can relate because it is exactly how i felt until I finally left.

We have tried to inform CPS of the situation but i now believe they should be renamed "parent protective services" becasue their response to me was literally "well the parents say its a good enviornemnt." Do they expect the parents to admit to it? Thats why so many that are physically abused end up dead obvioulsy because cps is stupid.

Anyways he has finally runaway. I am not sure if they reported him or not because she doesnt want to lose the money she gets for him. But if she has what will happen to him if he is caught? And if i go and get him what are the possible consequences for me if we are caught? I havent heard from him since last night when he called me from some church phone and I am really worried about him. I wont let him stay on the streets like I did. Where do I go from here?

Also, please do not say to reach out or talk to our mother. She is completely unreasonable and doesnt care to change in any way and actually believes she isnt doing anything wrong. She is unwell with her depression and what all she has.

I am not sure where to go from here and I have to find a way to help him.

[ccsmod0]

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out tonight and sharing your story with us. It certainly sounds like you've been through a lot. And that your brother is experiencing much the same. Although it is wrong that you had to go through that, you certainly sound like a great great great support for him. He is lucky to have you. Your mom is wrong to treat you and your brother like that. You both have been through so much. You've already taken some great steps to help him. We're sorry to hear that CPS won't respond or provide services. That must be so frustrating. You're asking some great questions and you're smart to reach out. So let's see how we can support you tonight.

We aren't legal experts here, but we are able to speak generally as to what might happen. If your mom has filed a runaway report and the police find him, they would most likely force him back home. If your brother decides to tell the police what has been going on, then they would probably get CPS involved (but they would still return him home). If he isn't on probation or parole, then it is not illegal for him to run. He would just be returned home.

Now, if you decide to go get him, there could be some other legal consequences. If you transport him across state lines, then unfortunately you could be charged with kidnapping or transporting a minor across state lines. This is usually considered a criminal offense. If you don't transport him, but he shows up at your house and he stays with you, and then the police find you there, then your mom has the right to charge you with harboring a runaway. The consequences for that range from fines to jail time.

So some options that might be good for you. You might be able to look up shelters where he might be able to stay. You can check out www.nationalsafeplace.org and click on your state in the upper right corner. You can call shelters to see if he would be able to stay there. You could also call us 24 hours a day at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) and we could look at our database to see if there is anything nearby. Another option might be able to get permission from your mom for him to be able to stay somewhere. The reason that your mom has to decide is because if she doesn't give permission, then she could file a runaway report.

We hope that this helps you get some support and guidance. We are here to talk more, provide more options and listen to what else is going on. Please feel free to call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY at anytime in order to talk more. If you aren't able to call, you can chat with us through our website (www.1800runaway.org) from 4.30pm-11.30pm Central Time. We would be more than happy to talk with your brother as well. He could also call us directly.

We look forward to your call or chat.

Best of luck to you and to your brother,

NRS