Missouri 17 yr old daughter thinking she can live and do whatever she wants

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Thanks for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. We are here to listen and help as best as we can. It sounds like you are going through a really tough time not having your youth home and being unsure of their safety. They are lucky to have someone that cares so much about them.

One of the first options that can be important to explore is contacting your local law enforcement to file a runaway report. Since she is under the age of 18, she would still be considered a runaway in many states. We are not legal experts here, but typically it is not illegal to runaway or stay away from home without permission. However, if a runaway report is filed, police that encounter a runaway youth will work to return them home when found. Keep in mind though, that the efforts made to search for runaway youth can vary from state to state or even within districts. Often it is up to the parents to advocate for themselves and keep track of the steps taken to find their youth.

During a time like this, it can be important to remember your own self-care. Taking care of yourself and feeling heard can make an overwhelming situation more manageable. You can always call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY to talk or find additional resources.

I have a 17yr old daughter that her grandma gave her a car and she does not have her actual drivers license yet just the permit to drive with parent or grandparents and since that time she has been staying at her friends parents house. I told her she could stay until I found a place to live. I found a place to live and because it was out of her school district she refused to come with me. I'm now at her grandmother's house which is my mother and I'm in the school district and she still refuses. Now that she has been staying at the friends house the parents have her pick up their daughter which is her friend to run her around, send my daughter on errands and to get both of the girls back and forth to work. The parents sometimes leaves late at night to do work outside the home and leaves the girls alone at night time. Since she has been there she has been drunk and smoked wax which now she has a positive thc on her medical records and then got her own patient portal that I can not look into because they said between the ages of 13-18 yrs old if they dont want anyone to see their medical records they do not have to. I told her she was coming home and now she has decided to go to her step grand fathers home with his wife which he has been divorced from my mother for quite sometime now and tells me she doesn't have to come home because family services told her she could move out whenever she was 17. I am totally heartbroken and scared to death about her being unsupervised especially since the things have occurred. What should I do? HELP.