Caylee's Law

[OKaraMia]

I understand where this is coming from, I can't believe ANYONE would just decide not to report their child missing - but I fail to see how something like this would help the situation. And honestly, KC basically was incarcerated within a day of police finding out that her daughter had essentially been missing a month. And in general, I'm just not a fan of creating more laws and legislation that are not absolutely essential. Having said that I DO think that there should be an automatic charge of neglect or some kind of punishment for not reporting your child missing within a timely manner, based on the circumstances...

KC was also allowed to make bond....and flutter around Orlando like a pop star. THAT shouldve never happened.

My proposal keeps the parent locked up if they arent cooperating.

 

[OKaraMia]

Not trying to be a party pooper here - but many parents who genuinely care about their children have runaways - children or more often teenage children who do not want to be at home.

What would your rule be about those cases? Obviously in those cases the parents will want to report their children missing but many PO's will not take a report at all for 24 hours.

I agree! There are many runaway children living on the streets. Some of them are literally safer on the streets than their homes. If those parents dont report that child missing ...even if they are 16...well, WHY?
(Because theyve been abusing them their entire lives, and theyd rather let the teenager run away than go to jail)


There is no excuse to not know where your child is for more than 24 hours.

 

[OKaraMia]

That goes to "I thought he/she was with you" law. Too many times parents think the other parent are on top of things and they are not. Case in point, the child who's left behind in their carseat. Both parents thought the other took the baby out and put it to bed. Parents don't find out until the next morning the baby isn't in the crib Not that would apply to Caylee's law -- but too many babies are being lost these days.

I agree with the overall sense of the sugesstion, but it would need some tweeking

Hugs,

Mel

If parents make a mistake like that...the ole...OOps I thought you had her....

I dont figure theyd misplace the baby for more than 24 hrs.



It does need a tweeking...and this seems like the perfect group of people to help tweek it.

 

[darnudes]

Yes I'd love to see that. Add in a stipulation regarding people awaiting trial not being able to sell photos/videos, etc., of their 'alleged' victims for any purpose, some stiffer penalties for obstructing investigations into missing children, and mandatory jail sentences for accomplices in cover ups, and I'll be even happier! Amazing the things this case brings out which desperately need to be addressed. There are many more, but these seemed among the most glaring to me.

Hear Hear! There should have been someway to stop Casey selling images of Caylee.

Usually the advocate for these sorts of laws would be the victims family, unfortunately Caylee does not have an advocate within her OWN family to do this for her. That advocate would have to come from somewhere else.

 

[darlin gal]

Not trying to be a party pooper here - but many parents who genuinely care about their children have runaways - children or more often teenage children who do not want to be at home.

What would your rule be about those cases? Obviously in those cases the parents will want to report their children missing but many PO's will not take a report at all for 24 hours.

Television shows have fanned the "24-hour" myth, but for law enforcement agencies, the sooner they know someone is missing, the better.

Usually, officers will advise the family, if an adult is missing, to give them 24 hours to return, before filing the report, which is very bad advice. The first 24 hours is very crucial.

If a police officer tells you to wait 24 hours to file a report, ask for his superior. There is no such thing as a waiting period [when reporting
someone missing]

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Excellent law proposal! ITA
This should be a law across the United States & beyond!!!!

:angel:

 

[Just Jayla]

So, if I am out of town overnight and my dh does not report our child missing within 24 hours would I have to go to jail when I return and then prove I wasn't around?
I do not agree with the GAL, because I would not want to have to fight for the right to make the decisions for my child or grandchild if I had nothing to do with the disappearance KWIM?

I see what you are saying, but I think it needs work LOL.

I agree as well, that there also has to be some due process for the parent or guardian (including a babysitter), and there are already ways to charge them for neglect-But maybe they could add a clause to the current neglect law that specifies that when the neglect results in an unreported missing child, the judge may not provide for bail, may order an emergency arraignment & trial, and a long minimum mandatory sentence on the neglect can be given.
I would hope it would be determined that it was not neglectful by responding investigators in the scenario you described above, but your right to a lawyer and an emergency hearing should clear that up pretty quickly.
Great thoughts here though, something has to be there to expedite the discovery of the missing child or the remains.

 

[cecybeans]

Caylee's Law is an incredible idea and would give recourse against people who are negligent about reporting children missing. Obviously it would be considered on a case by case basis to avoid abuse or misunderstandings, but if willful negligence could be determined then I think such people should be felons and spend time behind bars. It is certainly an obligation for professionals to report suspected child abuse, why would this be any different? A missing child could automatically be considered potentially abused and not reporting it make one an accessory, imo.

Also, I would like to see something on the books (or at the least public pressure) to combat the kind of "checkbook journalism" that ABC and others engaged in that allowed the defendant and her family to profit off the helpless victim of a violent crime.

I will be writing ABC's parent company, Disney, and asking that they counterbalance the huge fee they paid the murder suspect of a child victim by making an equal donation to an organization like TES that actually searches for missing children instead of seeks to make murder victims appear to be missing in order for personal gain.

But I wish there could be laws, either state or federal, or at least public pressure, to minimize situations like this or others in which persons of interest or suspects (ie: Misty, Ron, KC, etc. which are often family in the early stages) could not use the image or personal effects of the victim to personally profit in any way, shape or form in an active investigation. It creates a huge conflict of interest and could reasonably be considered motive in future cases.

I doubt the media wants to put itself in a position in which it could be considered as the source of an incentive to kill, but if they cannot refrain from the sordid "checkbook journalism", I'd like to see them at least balance the potential damage they cause by donating to worthy victim's rights causes or organizations.

 

[BonKai]

Technically, Casey never reported her child missing. Grandma did.

 

[impatientredhead]

I am a big fan of enforcing the laws we already have and it is already illegal to not report your child missing. The first thing she was charged with and held on a half a million dollar bond was the child endangerment/negligence charge. If the cowboy hadn't swooped into town for some TV time she never would have stepped out of the doors of the jail again.

I know all of these laws make people feel like we are doing something to change things but in my very humble opinion it just adds to the already ridiculous statutes and case laws.

To me the basics (if they were enforced! which makes me mental) really cover it. It is illegal to not report your child missing. It is illegal to kill someone, we don't really need 700 different variations of why you killed them. Intended to/first degree, didn't mean to but should have known better/second degree and manslaugter, or self defense pretty much covers it to me. Kill someone intentionally go to prison for life, period. Rape a child, go to prison for life, period.

Own a vicious dog that mauls someone, manslaughter just like I would face if I had some other hazard on my property like an unfenced pool that a child drowns in. We don't need breed bans. We need to prosecute people for the acts they commit under the laws that already exist.

moo

 

[wenwe4]

I agree w/Impatientrh in that we shouldn't have to have legislation because of one person like KC. If this were a "trend" (god forbid) or a pattern of behaviors we saw from numerous parents - I might rethink this position.
She either abandoned her child, showed reckless endangerment of a child, abused and/or neglected her child, and oh yeah - there's the whole murder charges and giving false leads to LE, and intentionally hiding her crimes.

 

[Novice Seeker]

So, if I am out of town overnight and my dh does not report our child missing within 24 hours would I have to go to jail when I return and then prove I wasn't around?
I do not agree with the GAL, because I would not want to have to fight for the right to make the decisions for my child or grandchild if I had nothing to do with the disappearance KWIM?

I see what you are saying, but I think it needs work LOL.

There is a big difference between what you as a grandparent would be held to versus that which George and Cindy should be held to. Their grand daughter lived in their home, they were practically raising this child, both George and Cindy enabled behavior that placed Caylee at risk for great harm.

So, here are two grandparents who kept from seeing their grand daughter for 31 days which during this time they discovered things ( they claim to have not known about), during this time they begin to notice KC is sneaking into the house and collecting clothes for herself but none for Caylee, the grandparents pick up the car which Caylee was last seen in which also has her car seat, her baby doll that according to them never went anywhere without. G&C had been told x story about where the car was when in reality it was at y. When G&C pick up the car the odor of death is so strong it nearly knocks the worker over and makes George sick to his stomach b/c he knows what that odor comes from. BUT, instead of immediately calling the police at the towing yard they drive it home, back it into the garage, open all the windows and doors, remove the battery, and Cindy removes items from a potential crime scene and washes the clothing, removes other items such as the knife which is placed back into the kitchen drawer and then the car is cleaned. Both grandparents then return back to work.

At any point during this time one must wonder if any other grandparent under the same situation would have call 911 for their assistance in finding their grand daughter or return back to work as if nothing was wrong.

Although it's just MOO we're comparing apples to oranges. I can see your point JBean if I was in your situation but I can also the other point that involves a situation which the grand parents were practically raising their grandchild and given the evidence they came across that day.


Novice Seeker

 

[OKaraMia]

Caylee's Law is an incredible idea and would give recourse against people who are negligent about reporting children missing. Obviously it would be considered on a case by case basis to avoid abuse or misunderstandings, but if willful negligence could be determined then I think such people should be felons and spend time behind bars. It is certainly an obligation for professionals to report suspected child abuse, why would this be any different? A missing child could automatically be considered potentially abused and not reporting it make one an accessory, imo.

Also, I would like to see something on the books (or at the least public pressure) to combat the kind of "checkbook journalism" that ABC and others engaged in that allowed the defendant and her family to profit off the helpless victim of a violent crime.

I will be writing ABC's parent company, Disney, and asking that they counterbalance the huge fee they paid the murder suspect of a child victim by making an equal donation to an organization like TES that actually searches for missing children instead of seeks to make murder victims appear to be missing in order for personal gain.
But I wish there could be laws, either state or federal, or at least public pressure, to minimize situations like this or others in which persons of interest or suspects (ie: Misty, Ron, KC, etc. which are often family in the early stages) could not use the image or personal effects of the victim to personally profit in any way, shape or form in an active investigation. It creates a huge conflict of interest and could reasonably be considered motive in future cases.

I doubt the media wants to put itself in a position in which it could be considered as the source of an incentive to kill, but if they cannot refrain from the sordid "checkbook journalism", I'd like to see them at least balance the potential damage they cause by donating to worthy victim's rights causes or organizations.

You can add my name to that letter!!!

 

[OKaraMia]

I agree w/Impatientrh in that we shouldn't have to have legislation because of one person like KC. If this were a "trend" (god forbid) or a pattern of behaviors we saw from numerous parents - I might rethink this position.
She either abandoned her child, showed reckless endangerment of a child, abused and/or neglected her child, and oh yeah - there's the whole murder charges and giving false leads to LE, and intentionally hiding her crimes.

Children who are not reported missing are more common than one might think. Especially in this day and age of drug abusers, illegal immigrants, homelessness, abusive foster care providers, sex trade and abusive parents. Sometimes the child themself is the abusive one...and thats why they go unreprted.

**According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), there are approximately 500,000 unreported children who are missing each year. Most either wander off from parents or guardians while others are runaways or can be “lost” in the foster care system.

** There are currently more than 500 missing children within the Florida Dept of Children and Familes

 

[wenwe4]

Children who are not reported missing are more common than one might think. Especially in this day and age of drug abusers, illegal immigrants, homelessness, abusive foster care providers, sex trade and abusive parents. Sometimes the child themself is the abusive one...and thats why they go unreprted.

**According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), there are approximately 500,000 unreported children who are missing each year. Most either wander off from parents or guardians while others are runaways or can be “lost” in the foster care system.

** There are currently more than 500 missing children within the Florida Dept of Children and Familes

Wow! Ok - I give - (Uncle)! Good answer!!! Well, that is what I get for answering off the top of my pointy head. I am now totally rethinking my previous post. Really good point - thank you for enlightening me!

 

[OKaraMia]

Another case in point would be Elizabeth Johnson and her son Gabriel.

She could be released from jail a year from now. And yet...where the hell is baby Gabriel?

Caylees Law should keep her in jail until Gabriel is accounted for!