joint custody

[laptop]

My ex and I have joint custody over our 12 year old daughter. He lives in South Carolina. She and I live in Illinois. She visits him in the summer for a few weeks. She wanted to try and live with him and his family. I agreed to give it a try but things are not working out like we hoped. She wants to come home. He said she could but not until the summer. My husband and I want to get her this month. My ex has cancelled his home phone taken away my daughters cell and any other means of communicating with me. He has a cell but refuses to answer it and does not return messages. I need to know if I can just go and get her and her belongings. I have the court papers that say I'm the custodial parent. Do I need to have the police accompany me to his residence? He is very hardheaded (to put it mildly) and his wife has threaten to fight. We split when she was 2 months old she has always lived with me and I have had custodial custody of her her entire life. Visitation is stated as reasonable, nothing set by the courts. What step should I take to get her home with her things?

 

[Duranie]

If you have a court order that gives you custody, you should be able to get the child but there is no guarantee the police are going to help since this is a civil dispute. You should talk to an attorney because the child has been with Dad, and you do not want to make an ugly scene in front of the child.

 

[rachael]

This seems a little serious. You should probably just try everything. Call the police. Call a lawyer. Obviously something is wrong if he's avoiding contact with you.

 

[jharris352]

If I were you, I would wait until Summer and go get her. If she isn't in danger, you should leave well enough alone.