Missouri 17 YO Runaway Laws

[ccsmod9]

RE: Scared of mom

Hello There,
Thanks for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline forum. We’re so sorry to hear about what’s been going on at home. No one deserves to be suffering like you do. Living with an alcoholic can be very challenging. It takes a lot of courage to reach out for help and we’re really glad you did so today.
We’re sorry that DFS isn’t doing anything. Sometimes it does take time for there to be enough evidence to move on a case. Multiple reports can also help. If you wanted, you could give us a call here and we’d be happy to help you file a report, or any of the relatives you mentioned can certainly report as well.
Otherwise, you should know that whoever does help you run away could get in trouble if the police got involved. Since you’re a minor, it would be up to your legal guardian to determine where you live and they can file a runaway report to get you returned home.
If you wanted to talk to someone who specializes in substance abuse in the family, you could reach out to Families Anonymous. They can be reached at 1-800-736-9805.
If you’d like to discuss this in more detail, please give us a call here. 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We’re 24/7 and confidential.
Best of luck,
NRS

Scared of mom

I'm scared of my mom. She beats my sister and yells so much. I'm 14 and from Missouri. I have told DFS everything and they won't do anything. My mom is an alcoholic. What would happen if I call my grandma to come puck me up or my older sister(1 and her fiancé (21) my sister also has a daughter.

[ccsmod2]

re: missouri 17 y/o runaway laws

Hi there,

It seems like you are considering trying to move out from your parents/guardians and you want to know whether it is illegal or not to do so. Unfortunately we are not legal experts so we don't know for sure if the legal age to move out is 17. You can check with the non emergency police to see what their runaway laws are where you live. Hopefully they can give you some information.

Take care,
NRS

Re: Missouri 17 YO Runaway Laws

hi im 17 and i was wonder the missouri law said 17 is the legal age to move out and i was wonder if its true cause I'm having terrible family issues

[ccsmod0]

Re: Missouri 17 YO Runaway Laws

Hello,
Thank you for taking the time to write to us here at the National Runaway Safeline.
First off we want to say that abuse whether its physical, sexual, emotional or verbal, it is never okay and you do not deserve it and do have the right to report it. We want you to know that you do have the right to make a report with Child Protective Services. Child Help USA is an information and referral line that can connect you with your local CPS abuse hotline. That number is 1-800-422-4453. If you ever felt like making a report or needed help, we are here to assist with that. We understand that making an abuse report can be intimidating so if you like we can call together to provide support.

It is great that you felt comfortable coming to us with your questions. It sounds like you and a friend are planning or running away together. You asked some really good questions about what you would like to bring with you and where you guys will go. These are really good things to consider have you also thought about
-How will your parents react to you leaving?
-Will they call the police?
-Do you have a safe place to go?
-What about school? Is continuing an education important to you?
-How are you going to survive? Food? Shelter? Transportation? Money?
-Who can you depend on if you were to leave home?
- What is your plan B if your first plan does not work out?
-Who have you reached out to make things better at home?
-If you were forced to return home, what do you think that would look like?

We are not here to tell you that you should or should not runaway. We are here to try to provide you with support and resources so that if you do decide to leave home, you are doing it intelligently and safely.
Our goal is to help you find ways to stay safe. We would be happy to look up resources in your area, talk with you about your options, or just listen to what you’re going through.

We hoped this helped and we encourage you to call our 24/7 hotline at 1800.786.2929 or you can chat with us every day from 4:30pm-11:30pm CST. We hoped this helped and we look forward to hearing from you.

Re: Missouri 17 YO Runaway Laws

Hey. I'm only 12 and.....My mother hates me, my stepfather abuses her, my brother watches and laughs when my mom is yelling at me. Let's say my name is Iris, and my friend is Jade. we are planning to run away together.
But where do I go? What do I pack? How will I avoid going back home?
Please do help me.
I'm scared someone will find out.

[ccsmod10]

Re: ?

Hi,
Thank you for reaching out to us about what is going on with your home life. It was a very brave thing to do.
It sounds like things at home are difficult. It can be helpful to talk to others about upsetting things that are happening in your life. School counselors are great resources as are friends and teachers.
You mentioned that you are 15 now and want to leave when you turn 17. Because that is a couple years away, having a backup plan in the meantime can be an option. We are not legal experts, but if you were to leave home at the age of 17 a couple things could happen. If your parents/legal guardians called the police, you could be filed as a runaway. The way the authorities handle runaways really varies from state to state, city to city, and even county to county. If your parents/guardians know where you are, they could tell the police who may make you go home; however, this is not how a runaways are always handled.
You also asked if the person you would be staying with could get in trouble if you left home at 17. Again, we are not legal experts and the way police handle this varies; however, if you were filed as a runaway, what could happen is the person you are staying with could be charged with harboring a runaway.
Thank you again for reaching out to us. It takes a lot of courage. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call us at 1-800-786-2929.
NRS

?

Hello. I'm 15 and I do not enjoy my current home life at all and I want to leave as soon as I can. When I turn 17 I planned on going to live with one of my friends who will be 18. Could I get in trouble? And could the person I'm going to stay within get in trouble as well?

[ccsmod9]

RE: Just wondering

Hello there,

Thanks for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline.

It sounds like your girlfriend is going through a lot. She’s really lucky to have a partner like you looking out for her in this difficult time. It must be a source of relief for her.

Unfortunately we are not legal experts here at NRS. However, we do know that generally 18 is the legal age that youth can leave their home without a parent being able to prevent it. However, we do know that in Mississippi you’re not considered an adult until age 21. If she’s not located there, it sounds like she’d be able to leave without any trouble.

If you’d like, you could provide your girlfriend with our phone number, 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) and we could explore her situation further. If housing is an issue for her we might be able to provide her with resources in her area where she might find shelter. We’re confidential and 24/7, we’ll try our best to help.

Best of luck,
NRS

Just wondering

So my girlfriend is 19 years old and she is considering running away from her parents and siblings who mistreat her, abuse her, and keeps her locked up as a slave. I was wondering if there is anything that is blocking her way out of that house. After all, she is 19 so she can leave any time.

[ccsmod9]

RE:

Hello there,
Thanks for reaching out today. It sounds like you’re very concerned about your friend and these two girls that he helped. It’s great that you’re trying to be a good friend and make sure everyone is safe and out of trouble. He’s lucky to have you looking out for him because a lot of people don’t even know that harboring charges exist.
We’re not legal experts here, but generally speaking harboring charges come into play when someone lets a runaway minor STAY in their home. Is that what is happening here or did he help them get away from where they live? It’s hard to say how easily that could be proved if he just helped. If they are staying with him, that might be a different story. If he’s a minor, it would be his parents that could get in trouble. It also sounds like the girls are minors. Depending on their ages the charges could be more severe since the police tend to search more actively for younger runaways who would be more vulnerable.
One way you could find out the type of trouble he’d be facing is calling your local police department’s non-emergency phone number. You can find this easily online, or, if you wanted to call in here we’d be happy to look it up for you and even call on your behalf. You could simply ask them about harboring charges and how those are typically filed. In some cases the police would file these charges, in other cases the parents of runaway youth would be the ones to file.
Please let us know if we can help you! Try calling here at our call center at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or try the Live Chat right here on our website.
Best of luck,
NRS

My friend just helped "harbor" two run away girls. He had been messaging them and they all planned to leave together. I didn't know about any of this until just now and I'm worried about his safety and the others. How much trouble can he get into for his part in this?

[ccsmod6]

RE: Missouri 17 YO Runaway Laws

Hello there,

Thank you for reaching out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. We are not sure what you have been trying to look into, but we are here to listen and to help if you would like to call us. We are not legal experts, but we can speak generally. If you are wondering about the age at which you are allowed to leave home, we can provide a general answer to that. Any individual under the age of 18 in most states is considered a minor and is not allowed to run away from home. Minors are expected to reside with their legal guardians until they reach the age of majority (18 in most states). It is often best to contact the local non-emergency police department in your area to inquire about leaving home at 17 and if there are any consequences. It seems that you may also benefit from calling in to our 24 hour hotline to share more about what you are going through as well as explore some options to help find answers to some questions that you may have.

We look forward to your call.

Be safe and take care,

NRS

Please remember you can reach us directly by calling our 24 hour hotline, 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or through our Live Chat which is open every day from 4:30p to 11:30p CST and can be accessed here:

http://www.1800runaway.org/

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1-800-RUNAWAY (24 Hour Hotline)

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some more info

My friend who has been looking stuff up for me said I should ask you about this : http://www.moga.mo.gov/mostatutes/st...100000311.html he said that it may mean that I'm still a kid when it comes to running away. Do you know if that's what it means?

[ccsmod14]

Re: Missouri 17 YO Runaway Laws

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like you left home and you are trying to figure things out. We’re happy to help you out the best we can.

So it sounds like you left yesterday and you know the laws in Missouri. It is good to know you have done your research. We’re not legal experts here, but generally speaking if you leave without consent in most states before the age of 18, legal guardians have the right to make a runaway report. If a report is made, and the police find you, typically they just bring you back home. However, anyone that you stay with when you are filed as a runaway could potentially be charged for harboring. It sounds like at the age of 17, you found that you are legally allowed to leave. This may change things as far as harboring laws. If you would like to explore your situation further with a legal resource, you can call us and we would be happy to provide one local to you.

It sounds like you are in a safe place now but if anything changes, we also have resources such as shelters. We are not here to tell you what to do, because you know your situation best. We just want to make sure you are safe. If you are ever feeling unsafe or need a place to go, you can call us and we will help you the best we can. We’re here 24/7.

Good luck and stay safe,
NRS