How far would police go to find me?

[Guest]

I totally forgot and texted the person i was going to stay with about staying with him. He's mostly my only choice though, it's him or the streets. & going home is not an option for me. My parents don't know of him either. Would they go as far as finding me there? & what kind of trouble would he get in? He's 19 and i'm 16. I live in ohio.. I left my phone at home but the stuff is deleted out of it & it's hidden.

[ccsmod6]

Re: How far would police go to find me?

Hello

Thank you for contacting the National Runaway Switchboard. We are unsure about what is going on but is sorry to hear that something would cause you to leave home without informing your parents.

Generally speaking, running away is not illegal and is considered a status offense. Parents have the right to file a runaway report which is then entered into a Law Enforcement national database. In most cases, the Police do not actively search for runaway youth. In cases where the Police comes into contat with runaway youth, the Police will return the youth to the home of his or her legal guardian(s) or make pick-up arrangements.

Harboring a runaway is a charge that can be filed against individual(s) who provide assistance or aid to runaways. If a runaway report is filed, “harboring a runaway” is a possible charge that could result if assistance or aiding was provided. Generally speaking, the Police cannot go and search the home of an individual without a warrant regardless if the parents believe their child is hiding in that household.

We hope the information provided is helpful! Remember you may contact us toll-free from any phone at 1-800-RUNAWAY for additional assistance; we can discuss and explore possible options. We are a confidential and anonymous hotline and are available 24/7. We look forward to hearing from you and we wish you the Best of Luck!

~NRS

[Unregistered]

chicago

i was thinking about runing away as well i have friend who would like to help but he is 21 i dont want to get him inn trouble but if i was to stay with him while im on the run..how nuch trouble will he get in...would he go to jail or be on probation for a period of time??? if i do go to a safe place will they help me find a job and a home that i can afford on my own?? if i decided not to come home with my parents will safe place keep me or will they force me bak with my familiy

[Unregistered]

Re: Chicago

Thank you for Contacting the National Runaway Switchboard. It sounds like you are having a tough time at home right now and we're sorry to hear that. As we stated before if someone such as your friend lets you stay with them it can be considered harboring a runaway. We cannot tell you exactly what may happen to him because we are not legal experts but you have the option of calling the police anonymously to ask if you are comfortable doing so.

As far as going to a safe place goes the options they have there would depend on the place you go. Some offer employment assistance and some offer programs to help get on your feet eventually possibly helping you get an apartment but this all depends on the place and your age. Sometimes shelters legally will have to inform your guardians that you are staying there within a certain amount of time, but this again depends on the specific shelter. Alot of shelters will try to help with family reunification but they will not force you to go back home.

We can get into more details and provide you with some helpful resources if you can call us here at 1-800-RUNAWAY. We are here 24/7 and available toll-free from any payphone. We would be more than happy to help you and we look forward to hearing from you. Take care and good luck.

NRS

[Unregistered]

How long will the search for me continue?

I'm about to start a journey. From my courent state to somewhere across the country. How long could the search for me continue. I plan on walking the whole way and hitch hiking may be an opened option. ive been planning for a while. It's near 1,400 miles away and my gretest estimate would be 1 month of time to get there. I have an idea of what i could do once i get there and may lay low until i'm 16-18. If i continuously walk to my destination with no leads in my exact location i think it would be unlikely to find me. It's always possible but i doubt that they will stay on my case for too long if i'm mot found. It's not like a teenager running away is a high priority anyway. After a couple days or weeks, after an awful storm or such, they may assume i'm dead. How long will they continue to look for me and what are my chances to making it to my destination?
Ive decided to carry only essentials and will erase all data on computers and devices of where i may be heading.

[ccsmod7]

Re: How far would police go to find me?

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline and telling us about your situation. It sounds like you have a lot going on right now. This must be exhausting and frustrating for you. We are here to listen and help you in any way we can.
It sounds like you are wanting to leave home and trying to figure out your best options. We aren't here to tell you what to do but we are concerned about your safety. How would you plan on eating? Do you feel like you are going to be able to travel that far on foot or hitch hiking? It's important to take these things into consideration before leaving. Do you think your plan could be successful, if you are concerned about this plan have you explored other options? It sounds like you are going through a hard time right now. If you are under the age of 18 your parent/guardian would have the right to make a report with the police, but we can't say for sure how long the police would look or search for you.

We would be happy to explore other options with you as well and see if there are any alternatives or anything that may make home a better situation for you.

Here at the National Runaway Safeline, we are a confidential and anonymous crisis line for youth. You can reach us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) if you would like to talk more about what’s going on or to explore resources that may be available to you. You can also chat with us from 4:30 PM-11:30 PM (CST), 7 days a week; that can be found on our website (www.1800runaway.org).

We wish you the best of luck

[retard]

questions

Hey I'm currently on probation until I'm 18 and wondering if I can run away until my 18 birthday and will the police do all they can to find me?. I live on the very top of texas and I plan on going to Houston. I've done something really stupid also I threw some bottles that had gasoline in a house. I didn't know there were kids in the house I swear. It caught the room on fire but noone died or got injured the police went to my house looking for me I'm really scared I need some answers plz reply

[ccsmod7]

Re: Questions

Hello –

Thanks so much for reaching out with your questions and concerns. It sounds like you are dealing with a tough situation right now and not sure what to do. It’s understandable you are nervous about what has happened and feeling like just taking off. You mentioned that you are currently on probation and you are wondering what would happen if you left until after you turned 18. The issue is that running away and being on probation are two different things. What that means is that running away in itself is usually considered a status offense so once you turn 18 there is not much they are going to do. But being on probation is a different thing so if you do runaway there is a possibility they may file a warrant for your arrest and not just a runaway report. So usually when you are dealing with a warrant that is something that doesn’t necessarily go away, even after you have turned 18. Now we are not lawyers here so we can’t say for sure what would happen if you left and the police found you later but these are certainly things to take into consideration. Have you ever spoken with your probation officer about these concerns?

While we can’t make this decision for you we would be happy to talk through safe options and resources with you. There is always someone here to listen and provide support.

[Unregistered]

A good distance

My girlfriend wants to run away because her mom doesn't accept her, abuses her sometimes, and she only finds relieve in me and self harm. Her parents know me and where I live. Could I still take her with me? She lives about 20 minutes away from my house.

[ccsmod12]

RE: A good distance

Hello,
Thank you for contacting NRS. Sounds like she is going through a tough situation. We are glad to hear that she has you to count on for some support, no one should ever feel unsafe in their own home. Has any of the abuse been reported to Child Protective Services? We can help her file a report or file another one if necessary. One thing to think about in regards to your girlfriend running away is if her parents file a runaway report, you and your family can possibly be charged for harboring a youth. We encourage her to call NRS so that we can help her further with the situation. We have a wide variety of resources such as CPS reporting, counseling services, and conference calling between the parents and your girlfriend. You may contact us at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929), we are here to help.

[Unregistered]

Police search

I am set on running away, not do i want to talk about it or look bAck into staying cause its not for me but all i want to know is if the police would actively search for me and if in obvious places would they look for me.

[ccsmod9]

RE: Police search

Hello,
Thank you for reaching out to us. We aren’t legal experts but we can speak generally. Typically there are a lot of factors that can have an influence on how the police would respond to a runaway report. Typically if your guardians had a reason to know where you were the police may come looking for you or if you had a run in with law enforcement. Some counties search more than others. You could contact the non-emergency line of your local law enforcement to ask about your situation and how they would respond to it. We hope this helps. You can contact us directly with more questions or if you just want to talk. We are here 24/7 and confidential and anonymous. You can reach us at 1-800-RUNAWAY. Good luck.
NRS

[Unregistered]

gone

Things have been really rough around home when I was younger my mom would abuse us physically and mentally/emotionally the physical abuse stopped for awhile after we got placed back in her care but now that I'm the only one left it has started up again my boyfriend seen her hit me and called our school social worker I plan to use my school trip as an excuse to get out cause. I'll be staying at my boyfriends moms house but it only covers for one night and talk the the worker wendsday anim scared because not might make it worse for me at home if she contacts my mom and a whole thing starts onenight isn't gonna be enough she doesn't knowexactly where my boyfriends house is but she knows that general area. What's the cops procedure in finding a runaway in a certain area?

[ccsmod14]

Re: gone

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like you have been going through a lot at home and we are sorry to hear about all of this. It sounds like a really tough situation. We’re here to help you out the best that we can.

You shared that you have been experiencing abuse from your mom. You don’t deserve to be abused by anyone. You deserve to feel safe in your own home. It sounds like you have already taken a step in letting someone know what was going on. It sounds like the social worker at school has offered you some help and support, as well as your boyfriend. It is good to have a support system through all of this. It is understandable to feel scared about what may happen if you were to return home after a night. Is there anywhere else that you think you would be able to stay, that your mom might be open to? Either close family friends, or extended family?

We’re not legal experts here, but generally speaking if you leave home without legal guardian’s consent, they would have the right to make a runaway report. Running away is not illegal, it’s a status offense which just means that if you runaway, and the police find you, they would bring you back home. However, it is illegal in most states to “harbor” a runaway. This means that if a runaway report is made, anyone that you stay with could potentially be charged. Consequences/possibilities differ depending on the state, even the county. One option you have is to call your local police department and ask your questions hypothetically. If this is something you are not entirely comfortable with, you can call or chat us and we can either make a call out on your behalf or with you.

If you would like to talk further about your situation, we’re here to listen and help the best that we can. You do not deserve any type of abuse from anybody. We’re here 24/7 to support you.

Good luck and stay safe,
NRS

[Unregistered]

re:gone re:gone

Mymom gets money for having me. She won't let me leave I'm not even allowed to see friends I got to school and I have to go home and clean house everyday... I don't eat at home because she doesn't buy food for me and brings herself home fast food sometimes I'll be lucky and get something she bought 4-5 hrs earlier but that about it I can only eat at home my sister has been trying to get custody of me for years but mom Wont allow it because she will no longer get the money for me. I just want out. I could stay with my boyfriend longer but I don't want him and his mom to get in trouble