Quote:
Originally Posted by Locke
So this morning was more of a Beige Alert?
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No, but we don't know what the threat of harm was. As hard as this may be to believe for some folks, kids are frequently used as pawns when couples fight.
Here's a somewhat fictional scenario I can see playing out from my experiences with child custody/separation issues:
Mom goes to drop kids off for the weekend. She and dad argue. Mom refuses to leave kids with dad, and as she's leaving in her car she screams out "You're never going to see me or the kids again!"
That could reasonably be interpreted as a murder/suicide threat by the dad. Because police don't know how she's going to act on (or if she is) what was said, they have to act as though she intends to hurt the kids then/and/or herself. It's unlikely that she meant it that way...but law enforcement can't assume intent in a case like that, and have to act on the information given.
Police try but can't get ahold of mom to ask her to clarify her statements and/or justify what she's done.
All 4 of the criteria for an Amber Alert would be present and met in the above scenario, thus one may be issued.