What to Do If Your Spouse Runs Away With Your Kids

You can't believe it's happened, but it has. Your spouse has ran away with your kids and you have absolutely no idea where they are, or when, or if, they're ever coming back. While your first instinct, naturally, will be to panic, it's important to keep a clear head while contacting the right people and staying calm and organized, as in most all cases, a parent will not harm their own child.

First, gather as many family members and friends as you have for support, and for help, as there most certainly may be times when you aren't up to talking or rehashing the same details over and over again. You'll also need help manning the phones, taking care of the house, and getting the word spread quickly, calling other people who may be able to help, and putting up flyers to alert everyone in the neighborhood or wherever you suspect they may be heading.

- What You Will Need: You will want to have any court orders, custody papers or official paperwork related to your divorce or the children. Also, be sure to have a recent photo of your child, two if possible, one full length and the other just a face-shot, perhaps a school picture, to give to the authorities. Plan on needing several copies of these pictures to hand out to both the police and those who are helping with the search.

When you contact the police, they will also want a full description including weight, height, what they may have been wearing, hair and eye color, and if they have any scars or distinguishing marks.

- Contact Your Local Police: Immediately contact your local police department and tell them your child/children are missing and you need to file a report, and then be sure to record the name and badge number of any officers you deal with. Hopefully, you will have already had your children fingerprinted before and they will have a record of that on file to refer to.

If your children are under the age of 17, the police will issue an AMBER Alert, which is sent out all across the country, usually on a local level first, alerting both private citizens and other law enforcement officials that a child is missing via both television and radio. If you or the police feel your spouse has crossed either state or international lines, the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigations) may also need to be involved to help with the case.

- Missing Children's Organizations: Having the support of as many organizations who specialize in kidnappings and missing children is so important. Contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) toll-free at 1-800-THE-LOST as well as Child Find at 1-800-I-AM-LOST.

You may also want to use a notebook and folder to keep all of the information you've gathered in one place and readily accessible should you need to refer to something. It also helps to keep a chronological record of events as they happen because you won't be able to rely on your memory during such a stressful time.

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