how do I get custody of my 6 year old daughter from her drug addicted mother when attorneys cant find her?
March 14th, 2010
I am in Tennessee and have hired an attorney. The courts have signed some kind of document stating I have temporary custody until she can prove herself not to be addicted to crack. They can not find her to serve the papers, she is homeless and doesnt have a job. She is threatening to leave the state with my daughter and her other 16 year old daughter who is preganet. It is my weekend to get my daughter but my ex wife wont answer her cell phone. My ex wifes parents are concerned that my daughter will be hurt or molested in the enviroment she is in and the 16 year olds father lives in Arizona and hasnt been able to talk to his daughter for 3 weeks so he doesnt know if she is even ok. The courts will do nothing for me because they cannot find my ex wife. What can I do?
I don’t know your rights in US, but can you phone the Police if you are the one who has custody of your daughter? Surely they have to take action especially when a minor may be at risk.
since you have court granted custody go to the police and ask for there help, go to you daughters school and pick her up there or hire a private detective to track her down
My heart goes out to you … what a messy situation.
If your pocket book allows, the only choice you have is to hire a private investigator to find her. Since you’ll be paying him, he’ll take this seriously and exhaust every option till he finds her. The courts have limited resources in doing this. They can issue a warrant, but unless she’s pulled over for speeding, etc, that probably won’t help in finding her.
I’d try contacting all her “associates” and offer a reward for information leading to her. If they’re all on crack, they’ll do anything for 100 bucks. It’s worth a try.
Good luck and never, ever give up.
Hire a detective to find and follow her. Police have too much to do, so you will have to provide information for them to act on.
If she is still in the state a professional will find her. If not and you have enough funds he will follow her trail.
TRY AND FIND A GOOD PRIVATE DETECTIVE, SOUNDS CRAZY BUT A RELIABLE WITH GOOD REPUTATION PI CAN DEFINITELY BE A GOD SEND ALTHOUGH POSSIBLY EXPENSIVE, YOU CAN’T PUT A PRICE ON YOUR 6 YEAR OLD..NOR YOUR PIECE OF MIND WHEN YOU HAVE HER BACK IN YOUR LIFE. GOOD LUCK. I HAVE BEEN IN A SIMILAR SITUATION.
You do not need to find her, you need to find your daughter. If she is not using her cell phone, it will be difficult to find her. You need an Amber Alert or media help, especially if her family or the older daughter will not help.
If she uses her cell phone, her location can be tracked. If she uses credit cards, debit cards, checks, she can be found, or at least where she was can be found. Report any joint credit cards or her credit cards stolen.
Your lawyer can have the court authorize service by publication, which will do, since she has voluntarily left the jurisdiction. Then your daughter can be reported as abducted, triggering the Amber Alert.
Why your lawyer has not thought of this, I can’t say.
Have tried the child abuse hot line? Get the government involved. If you believe your daughter safety is an issue contact the child welfare department in your state. Does your daughter attend school? Because you can certainly notify the school system as well. You need to do something quickly. Because someone addicted to crack is not thinking rationally and they are only thinking of their next high. God luck. I hope you get your daughter soon.