Dedicated to the personal safety of all children

Two of our volunteer actors from last years Mystery. Who are they? You may never know. Dont let this years mystery, and the answers, pass you by again!

Dates to remember:
Oct 10th Carol and Teresa go to D.C. for OJJDPs Conference for Childrens Justice and Safety: Unite, Build, Lead. Oct 29th Annual Mystery Dinner Now, with Cowboys!

Get ready for the Great Minnesota Get-together!

Thats the Annual Mystery Dinner, of course! The Mystery dinner is a little later in October this year: the 29th. We will be hosted once again by the University Lutheran Church of Hope, near Dinkytown. There will be a social hour with appetizers beginning at 5:00PM, and dinner will be served at 6:00PM. Mark October 29th on your calendars, and purchase tickets at:
http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2114896713

The Mission Of Missing Children Minnesota Is To Assist In Locating Missing Children; Provide Advocacy And Support Services To Families Of Missing Children And Provide Information And Education To The Public About Missing Children, Runaways And Abduction Prevention.

Teresa has been sending out invitations to Minnesota celebrities and personalities, and asking them for an autographed picture to include in our silent auction. Who knows who might show up? MaryAnn has been calling our wonderful donors and getting fantastic donations for the silent auction. Theres something for everyone at our silent auction, you dont want to miss the opportunity to bid unique items. There is always an exciting variety. Loyal MCM supporter, Billy Bear BBQ, is preparing some tasty vittles for our cowboy themed dinner, including pulled pork and chicken. Damian Sheridan and Carol Watson are stirring their creativity to give us a brand new mystery. Our volunteer actors are dusting off their outrageous Minnesota accents.

Missing Children Minnesota 416 E Hennepin Ave #217 Minneapolis, MN 55414 Phone: (612) 334-9449 Fax: (612) 334-9450 E-Mail: cwatsonmcm@gmail.com Web Site: Missingchildrenmn.org

Missing Children Minnesota Newsletter September, 2011 (612) 334-9449

Millies Case Corner:

In recent weeks, I have fielded many calls from distraught parents about non-custodial parents not returning children after a visitation, but instead fleeing with the children to unknown whereabouts. The best way to protect yourself and your children is to make sure that you have a custody order, a custody agreement, and/or an order of protection on file with the court as soon as possible. It is nice when we can count on verbal agreements and trust that they will be honored, but it is better to back it up with an official document stating everyones responsibility and rights. I realize how stressful these situations can be, because I have been in this situation. It is important to have that piece of paper. It can make all the difference in finding and regaining custody of your children during a parental abduction. When youre talking with the police about a parental abduction, it is good to have an official copy of the order on hand. The more recent this copy is, the better. You can obtain it for a small fee at your local clerk of court. Also, many police officers are not aware of Minnesota statutes that make it a criminal offense to deprive a parent of parental rights, so they might tell you that it is a civil matter and they cannot do anything about it. If this happens, patiently refer them to M.S. 609.26. The police must take a police report when you report a missing child. If you have reason to believe that the other parent has gone to another state with the children, time becomes a factor. You should act as quickly as possible to obtain official copies of custody documents and file them in the state you believe they may have gone to. Preferably, you should file the papers with the court in the counties where you believe them to be residing. This may cost a small filing fee, but it will save much time and trouble later on.

Mary Anns Office Space:

My time has been spent putting together the mailings for our Newsletter, Annual Report, and other important communications, as well as rounding up donations and sponsorships for the Golf Tournament and Mystery Dinner. If you are interested in volunteering for our cowboy-themed Mystery Dinner, or know someone who is interested in donating items for our silent auction or for our meal should contact our office at (612) 334-9449. We have finally re-arraigned the office to accommodate all of us and our various tasks, which includes getting all of our donated equipment functioning at its best and working together. I accompanied Carol to the 2011 Great Lakes Native American Conference, where we learned a lot about issues and solutions for child safety and well -being faced by Native American families. What I learned there gave me additional insight into how our office can work to better serve the children, families and communities of Minnesota.
Caption describing picture or graphic.

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Missing Children Minnesota Newsletter September, 2011 (612) 334-9449

Legal Feature: Suzannes Law

In 1998, Suzanne Lyall, a 19-year-old student at State University New York (Albany), was returning home from work. She vanished somewhere between the bus stop and her dorm room. A friend saw her get off the bus at that stop. It should have only been a three to four minute walk, but she disappeared somewhere along that route. Police did not begin investigating her disappearance until after a 48-hour waiting period, because at 19 they categorized her as an adult, and therefore did not think of her as being vulnerable or at risk in the same way that they would have recognized that risk for a young child.
Just because they're physically mature, they may not appreciate the consequences or weigh information the same way as adults do. So, [although] somebody looks physically mature, their brain may in fact not be mature.
Deborah Yurgelun-Todd, PhD Brain Imaging Laboratory, McClean Hospital Harvard University Medical School

However, as we learn more about development and maturity, we are finding that young adults may be in need of some protections well into their twenties. Theres no indication that any choices or decisions on Suzannes part contributed to her disappearance. However, the federal law championed by her parents, Doug and Mary Lyall, has helped children and searching parents in a broad spectrum of cases, including run-aways, and young adults who might make short-sighted decisions or emotional judgment calls. Research has shown that significant development of the decision-making part of the brain continues well into the twenties, and decisions that have a strong emotional component can be difficult for young adults to make on a rational basis. Even intelligent, well-behaved and reliable young people can sometimes still make decisions about who to trust, or what actions to take in an emotional situation that are not in their best interest.
According to the National Runaway Switchboard, 75% of runaways will become involved in theft, drugs or pornography. One out of every three teens on the street will be lured into prostitution within 48 hours of leaving home.

The Law that bears Suzannes name requires local authorities to notify the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) immediately if someone between the ages of 18 and 21 goes missing. Before Suzannes Law was signed by President Bush as part of the Amber Alert Bill, some states even required a waiting period after the disappearance of children as young as 16, and many parents have reported getting the brush-off: Maybe they just ran away, theyll probably be back. Young people are vulnerable to the criminal world while they are alone on the street, and so the attitude that their disappearance can be ignored for up to 48 hours is very dangerous. Imagine how many lives and futures have already been saved by ensuring that the search for a young person begins as soon as someone realizes that they are missing!

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Missing Children Minnesota Newsletter September, 2011 * (612) 334-9449

4th Annual Golf Classic a success!

There were a lot of suntans and smiles at our Golf Classic at Valley View Golf Course in Belle Plaine, MN. There are many people we would like to thank, including the volunteers that turned out to help, the golfers who brought the sense of fun and excitement, and of course our wonderful organizers who have been so generous with their valuable time and expertise. Jerry Myers and Billy Miller have always done an excellent job of putting together a successful event, and we thank them from the bottoms of our hearts for all their amazing work.

Event Sponsors: Minnesota College Funding Strategies Minnesota Citrus Growers Association

Hole Sponsors: American Legion Post 630 Brooklyn Center The First Choice Builders Inspection and Mold Solutions Magenic Technologies Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Toni and Jonathan Reynolds The Sportsmans Guide

Naturally, we also want to list the sponsors and donors who made it all possible!

Donors :
Ichiban Japanese Restaurant * Old Log Theater * Treasure Island Resort and Casino * Two Stooges * Acme Comedy Co. * Minnesota Vikings * Grand Slam Water Park of America * Leeann Chins Brookdale * Mrs. Fields * Rocco altobelli * Crown Plaza *Applebees * Minnesota Lynx * Westin Hotel * Valleyfair * Ole Piper Inn * The Jewel Golf Course * MN State Fair * DoubleTree Park Place * Great Lakes Aquarium * MN Childrens Museum * Marriott-Mpls City Center * Old Country Buffet * Brave New Workshop * Afton Alps * Abdullah * Minnesota Wild * Park Tavern * Schuler Shoes * Rainbow Foods * Guthrie Theater * Green Mill * Sunsets Woodbury * Holiday Inn St. Paul Downtown * Kowalskis * Canterbury Downs * T.G.I. Fridays Maple Grove * Mystic Lake Casino * Costco * Red Lobster * Bills Gun Shop & Range * Mall of America * Caf Latte * Starbucks * Taco Bell * Minnesota Twins * Ordway * Haskells * Arbys * Buffets Inc. * ComedySportz Improve Theater * Sentyrz Grocery & Liquor * Minnesota Swarm * Peace Coffee * Mid-America Festivals * Chanhassen Dinner Theaters * Walmart Supercenter * Cuyuna Country Club * Home Depot * Lunds *

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Missing Children Minnesota Newsletter September, 2011 * (612) 334-9449