friend ran away from Las Vegas to missouri

[Guest]

my friend is 17 years old, turning 18 this year. she left home from Nevada to Missouri, due to her mom being neglectful. bc she's not a resident here in MO I'm not sure if the laws still apply to her. the cops have gotten involved here and are classing her as a missing person/runaway, I'm pretty sure there's a law against harboring a runaway and my friends can get in legal problems for keeping her but there was to be a law or something we can do to counter it bc she's basically an adult?

[ccsmod15]

Hi,
Thank you for reaching out the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like your friend is going through a lot, and that must be difficult for you. You are brave to have reached out for help on her behalf.
We are not legal experts here at the National Runaway Safeline, but we are able to offer some general legal information about running away. Generally, upon a parent/legal guardian reporting their runaway youth, the police can search for them and bring them home, provided there are no extenuating circumstances, like abuse in the home. It sounds like the police are involved in your friend’s situation, but as she is out of state, it is unclear what will happen next, since local police will not be able to bring her back to an out-of-state home. You are correct that there is a law prohibiting the harboring of a runaway youth. Unfortunately, this applies even if the youth is almost an adult, as in your friend’s case. One way you might avoid this is by contacting the parents/legal guardians of your friend, or having your friend contact them, and getting written permission for the youth to be away from home. Furthermore, if your friend is experiencing an abusive home life, they can choose to report this. An abuse report would change the legal circumstances such that police might be more understanding around the harboring. You may find it helpful to reach out to these Legal Services in Missouri: For Lawson, 816-296-3571; for Poplar Bluff, 573-840-9540; for Springfield, 417-895-6485; for St. Louis, 314-340-6904.
We hope that some of this information is helpful for you. You demonstrate determination in reaching out to us. If you feel like your needs were not met, or if you are ever having other difficulties regarding this situation, you can call us at 1-800-RUN-AWAY. We are always here to listen, here to help.

Sincerely,
The National Runaway Safeline