Kidnapping?

Question

My parents say they will report me kidnapped to the police if I leave to go to Atlanta, GA from TN on August 31st, but I will have turned 18 on August 21st. Is it possible for them to do that with me already having turned of legal age?

I am going to Atlanta, on my own accord, to see my favorite band play. No one else is involved. I plan on returning three days later.

Answer 1

First, your parents making a claim of kidnapping when they know it's not true: that's a crime.

Second, at 18, you are allowed to go to Atlanta. Your parents cannot control you. However, you're kissing goodbye to anything that they DO give you. Like money, the ability to come back and sleep in their house, any property that they technically own (did you pay for those clothes you're wearing?).

Kidnapping is not restricted to minors. It can apply to anyone that is foreably taken and illegally held. Even adults.

Which means that if your parents do feel that you're being forceably taken, it COULD be kidnapping. However, since you seem to be doing this on your own, it's not. And they cannot claim that it is.

Let me guess: they're threatening to report a boyfriend for kidnapping you? Sorry to them, but unless they can show that you've been brainwashed, any claims of kidnapping will fall apart when you report that you left on your own free will.

UPDATE: Since you're going on your own free will, if you parents report this as a kidnapping, they are committing a crime.

However, if you're disobeying your parents to the extent that they'll pull a threat like this... don't count on coming back. If this band is that important to you, then you'd better figure out how you're going to get a job, rent an apartment, and care for yourself. If you want to live in your parent's house, you gotta follow their rules. And that means no concert. Your choice.

Answer 2

Not sure why they object. Once you are 18, you are considered an adult by law. However, if you plan on going back home, it might be a problem for your parents. Most likely they are using this as a threat. It would be considered a false police report if they knew you were leaving and claimed you were kidnapped. If you still want to live at home, you need to work things out with your parents.

Answer 3

The word kidnap implies that someone took you without your consent. They can report you as missing, but at the age of 18, you are legally an adult and can move away if you want to. It sounds like a hostile situation. Why don't they want you to leave? Maybe that's more of a question that you should work through.

Answer 4

A person who is convicted of kidnapping is usually sentenced to prison for a certain number of years. In some states, and at the federal level, the term of imprisonment may be the remainder of the offender's natural life. In jurisdictions that authorize the death penalty, a kidnapper is charged with a capital offense if the kidnapping results in death. Kidnapping is so severely punished because it is a dreaded offense. It usually occurs in connection with another criminal offense, or underlying crime. It involves violent deprivation of liberty, and it requires a special criminal boldness. Furthermore, the act of moving a crime victim exposes the victim to risks above and beyond those that are inherent in the underlying crime.

Answer 5

they can report it but if you're 18 i doubt that the police would do anything other than file a missing persons report. Also, I think they could get in trouble for filing a false report.

Answer 6

Not legally -- and you can preempt this by sending a note to the police department providing the police with this information.