Missing child located; child custody dispute may be to blame

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Child Custody on Wednesday, March 21, 2018.

A local child was the center of an abduction alert recently. The Missouri youngster was initially reported missing, and police were drafting details for flyers when he was found. The incident appears to be the result of adults fighting over a child custody dispute.

Authorities indicate that the case is complex and the investigation is ongoing. Witnesses in the neighborhood where the child was taken report seeing two older women parked in front of a home. The witness said that she later saw police cars and then she knew that something had gone wrong.

Apparently, the child, a 3-year-old boy, was in the home with the girlfriend of the boy’s father. Police reports indicate that two women broke into the home and assaulted the woman, taking the child with them. The boy was later found at the State of Missouri Children’s Division. He was unharmed. Police now know that there are ongoing court orders and legal actions in place and are factoring that into their investigation.

After the incident, the Missouri police urged individuals not to take child custody matters into their own hands, as those actions could result in criminal charges. Criminal charges could also possibly hurt the individual’s case for custody or modifications. Individuals who have concerns about a child safety, or have a dispute about a co-parent’s willingness to follow a court order, do have the option to challenge the other parent. In those cases, a family law attorney can prove useful to the parents quest to protect a child’s best interests.

Source: koamtv.com, “Joplin Child Found After Abduction Alert“, Jordan Aubey, March 13, 2018

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