Get help recovering your child after filing a missing child report

Reporting a child abduction

What should you do if your child is abducted?

1. Notify the police. If your child is abducted, contact the police immediately. There is no waiting period to report a missing child. If your child was taken by the other parent, even if there is no existing court order, you may report the child and parent as missing. Ask the police to take a missing person's report and to enter the abductor's and child's names into the NCIC (National Crime Information Computer) and MUPS (Missing and Unidentified Persons) systems.
2. Get a custody order. If you do not have a custody order or have one but have not been following it, you must go to the Family Court. If you cannot afford an attorney, you may be able to receive legal help through one of these sources:
   • County of Santa Clara Superior Court's Law Clinic - Located at 201 N. First Street, San Jose, California and open from 8:30-1:30 Mondays through Thursdays, and Fridays 8:30 to noon, on a walk-in basis for emergencies only. Minor children are not allowed in the Help Center. Non-emergency matters are handled on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 8:30-1:30 through remote services only (phone, email, and live chat). Call (408) 882-2926, Option 3, or visit the County of Santa Clara Self-Help Center website. 
   • County of Santa Clara Bar Association - Provides a referral service for lawyers and has a panel of attorneys who may work for reduced fees in some circumstances. Call (408) 971-6822 for information.
   • County of Santa Clara Self-Help website - https://santaclara.courts.ca.gov/self-help
   • For additional details, please refer to the following flyer.
   • Judicial Council of California's website - www.courts.ca.gov. Information on this site is also available in Spanish and the legal forms you may need to file in a family court action can be printed from this site.
3. Contact the Family Violence Division Child Abduction Unit of the District Attorney's Office. Please contact the CAU at (408) 792-2921 during normal business hours or leave a message at any time. The CAU is not a 24-hour agency but will make every effort to return your call by the next business day. You must also make a missing person's report with the agency where you live.
   
   You will need to file for custody if you do not already have a court order that grants you custody rights. The CAU will require you to fill out a Child Abduction Questionnaire. Once the form is submitted to our office, we will assign an investigator to your case. This investigator will contact you.
   
   Once we have opened a case, we will make every effort to locate and recover your child. A first step may be for our investigator to locate and serve the other parent with your court hearing papers. Our legal staff may obtain a court order that allows the investigator to remove the child from the care of the other person. The investigator may travel to another county in our state, or to another state, depending on the circumstances.
4. Register your case. Please consider registering your case with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (1-800-THE-LOST), www.missingkids.com This agency helps parents of missing children and provide information and additional support services to left-behind family members. They are also excellent resources for abduction prevention information.

For more information, please refer to the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara website​.