Missing children: Mother ignored joint custody arrangement

The sheriff’s office in Douglas County recently announced that two kids are missing. Their mother apparently failed to bring her two children to a Nevada court on a designated date and time to hand them over to the father pursuant to the visitation terms of a court order. The parents have joint custody of the two children, aged five and two and are said to have had continuous problems regarding child custody.

When checking her home, she appeared to have taken the children and relocated and all attempts to contact her failed. Dealing with missing children, not knowing where they are and whether they will ever be returned is an alarming experience for any parent. Divorced parents don’t always realize the consequences of not following stipulations of a custody order signed by a judge. Although the children may not be facing any danger, the sheriff has issued a warrant of arrest for the mother concealing her children from the father.

Once any custody agreement has been finalized and ordered by the court, or a determination is made by the court in the absence of any accord between the parties, there is typically no guarantee that visitation schedules will be honored. Problems sometimes arise when a shared parenting schedule and/or visitations start. When a parent suspects a former spouse of kidnapping their children, they are advised to report the matter to authorities and seek assistance without delay.

A parent may file a petition against the other parent in a Nevada court for interfering with child custody. Knowledge of the procedures in filing such a case may assist a parent in achieving control of an unpredictable situation. If a parent is violating custody orders by refusing visitations as ordered by a court, the other parent retains the right to request the court to direct a change in custody arrangements based upon the best interests of any children involved.

Source: rgj.com, Douglas County sheriff looking for 2 children missing in Northern Nevada custody dispute, Emerson Marcus, Dec. 12, 2013