16 in Alabama, leaving to New York

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I'm 16 and live in Alabama, im saving money and planning to run away to New York in a few months due to my parents being emotionally abusive and my mothers alcoholism. My home is such a toxic environment that at one point I was so scared or bringing home bad grades I started taking adderall to get my grades up.

My question is: What exactly can police do to locate me, and how hard will they try? Also, what would happen if I stay in contact with them while im gone, but dont tell them/leave any evidence of where I am?

I have no intention of coming back, until I turn 19 and they can't legally keep me with them.

[ccsmod2 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close ccsmod2]

Thank you for reaching out to us here at National Runaway Safeline. We understand that it takes courage to seek help. We are sorry to hear that your parents are emotionally abusive. Abuse is never okay, and you don't deserve to be treated that way. Although emotional abuse is harder to prove, you have the right to report it.Child Help (1-800-422-4453) is a great resource for abuse reporting and information on how to transfer custody. You could also contact Child Protective Services and discuss your mother's alcoholism and the verbal abuse. Another option that you have is looking into emancipation laws for the state of Alabama.

You mentioned that you plan on running away to New York. The easiest way to leave home is with your parents consent. You could try asking them if they would allow you to stay with another family member or close friend. If you decide to runaway, your parents have the right to file a runaway report. With a runaway report, if the police find you they would return you home. We do not work directly with the police so we cannot say what things they will do to locate you, or how hard they will try. Running away isn't illegal but if you decide to stay with a friend, they could get charged with harboring a runaway. Please feel free to contact us directly via our 24 hour crisis hotline (1-800-786-2929), email, or live chat if you have any other questions or just want to talk.


We hope this response was helpful! We’d love to hear from you about your experience using our crisis email/forum.** Your feedback plays an important role in helping us improve our services to youth and families. Please click the link to fill out our survey: **https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/we_care_what_you_think.

Please be safe.

NRS