Parents often think that they can do whatever they want with their own children and that no one can stop them. However, this is certainly not always true. Things definitely get complicated if you’re involved in a divorce case.
For instance, if your spouse takes the children and disappears during the divorce, this is known as parental kidnapping. It is possible for a parent to be charged with this, even though the child is theirs and went with them willingly. If you are in a contentious divorce, you want to know what signs to look out for before this happens.
Your ex does not want to share custody
One warning sign is if your ex is very opposed to sharing custody. Joint custody is now virtually the norm in courts in the United States, so it’s likely that they are going to have to share time with you. If they’re vehemently against this and refuse to agree, they may take that next step and abduct the child.
They have made similar threats in the past
For example, maybe you expressed your desire to get a divorce and they told you that, if you filed, they were going to make sure you never saw the kids again. They didn’t leave with the children at that time, but you did move forward with the divorce, and they may be about to make good on their threat.
It has become an overly hostile divorce
It’s understandable that divorce may be contentious on some levels, but it’s a problem if it becomes overly hostile. Your spouse may consider parental kidnapping out of spite, as a way to get even with you for some perceived slight or because you were granted assets that they wanted to keep in the property division process.
If you’re involved in this type of divorce, it is very important for you to understand all of your legal options, both to protect your parental rights and to keep your children safe.