Role of prosecutor or public official
A government official or prosecutor can take legal steps to find a child, get a child back, or enforce a custody order in certain situations — like when a custody order already exists, a court asks for help, or there is reason to believe a law was broken or a child was wrongfully taken. When they do this, they work for the court, not for either parent or party involved in the custody case.
452.905. Role of or public official. — 1. In a case arising under sections 452.700 to 452.930 or involving the , the public official may take any lawful , including to a under sections 452.850 to 452.915 or any other available to locate a child, obtain the of a child or a if there is:
(1) An existing child custody determination;
(2) A request from a court in a pending child case;
(3) A reasonable belief that a criminal statute has been violated; or
(4) A reasonable belief that the child has been in violation of the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.
2. A prosecutor or an appropriate public official shall act on behalf of the court and shall not represent any to a child custody determination.
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Source & history notes
(L. 2009 H.B. 481)
Legal information, not legal advice. Always confirm with the official source at revisor.mo.gov.