Custody cases have the potential to get out of hand. One parent may feel scorned or as if they didn’t get what they wanted out of a custody hearing. Unfortunately, that can lead to parental kidnappings.
Take, for example, an ongoing alert about children involved in a custody dispute on the East Coast. The children, who initially were living in South Carolina, were illegally taken by their father out of the state. The news states that the father left with the children on October 2 after a normal custody exchange. They were supposed to be returned the following day, but that didn’t happen. It’s believed that the man and his children are on the way to Tennessee.
This is just one example of how a custody dispute can quickly go wrong. Whether a parent flees with their children to protect them or because they feel slighted, either case may be frowned upon by the court if the parent isn’t in touch with law enforcement, an attorney or a judge.
What should you do if you think the other parent may flee with your child?
If you believe that your ex-spouse or partner is planning to leave with your child, don’t wait to tell someone. There are steps you can take to get the court involved and to change the custody arrangements you have in place to better protect your children. You may even need to ask the court for a modified custody plan that requires supervised visitation.
Parental kidnapping is a significant problem because it completely overlooks the other parent’s right to see their children and disrupts the parent-child bond that is so important. If you have serious concerns about parental abduction, it may be time to learn more about your legal options.