St. Charles Divorce Law Blog

Authorities in Missouri rushed into action, issuing an Amber Alert when they received word that a young woman and her infant son had been abducted. Supposedly, the child's father was a suspect in the early stages of the investigation. The woman's brother, a teenage boy, told authorities he witnessed the incident and flagged down a neighbor to call for help. What seemed at first to be a frightening kidnapping has morphed into a situation about child custody. 

As authorities searched for the vehicle the woman and her brother alleged a kidnapper had used to abduct the mother and child, they also interviewed neighbors and family. Shockingly, after the Amber Alert was made public, a witness contacted police to say that she was looking right at the mother and child, and both were safe and sound in a fast food restaurant. When police questioned the teen brother again, he eventually admitted his sister had coerced him into lying. 

The state of Missouri has a handy system that matches residents to unclaimed property in their name. Unclaimed property is handled by the State Treasurer's office. Unclaimed property is not usually something people can hold or touch; rather, it is usually a bank account that was forgotten, a safety deposit box or other financial asset. Now, the state plans to use this system to help ease the problem of unpaid child support. 

It is estimated Missouri parents are collectively over 2 billion dollars behind in child support payments. Overdue child support puts unnecessary stress on the parent with primary custody. When a court issues an order for a person to pay child support and he or she fails to do so, a child may have to go without, and the parent with primary custody may have to cover more than his or her fair share of a child's expenses.

Missouri parents know that, when it comes to taking care of a child, finances can become a concern. Especially in the summer months, when most children are not in school, the cost of raising a child can be a major stress that falls upon a parent. Many parents may have a child support order, which helps ensure that both parents contribute to a child's financial needs. 

A parent may not be aware that moving to another state can affect child support payments. Each state has a different approach to calculating child support payments, and knowledgeable sources say that these payments can vary by at least $700 from state to state. If a parent is considering a move, he or she may want to seek legal advice to see how these payments could be affected. 

The state of Missouri realizes that fathers are important. While other places in the country have taken measures to support fathers and matters regarding paternity, most companies in Missouri still do not offer paid paternal leave. This can place an unfair burden on new dads and deprive an infant of critical bonding time. Besides, Mom would probably love an extra set of hands around to help as she recovers from the birth. 

New research indicates that having Dad around can be beneficial. Lower rates of infant death, better results with breastfeeding, and even a decreased risk of postpartum depression for Mom are now attributed to allowing a man to take advantage of paid paternal leave. Now, there is a push in Missouri to promote paid paternity leave.