If you ran away as a teen, where did you go?

[Anonymous]

I remember considering it (no idea why now) and a an acquaintance offered to help - I remember we came up with a scheme in 10 minutes that would have made it impossible for my parents to find me. And that was before the internet - where kids can have “friends” from all over.

Someone needs to talk with all her friends - not just the good ones - and explain the seriousness of what is going on. One of them like;y knows something.

[Anonymous]

I slept in a friend's boyfriend's car. I'd go into his house to shower and change, he'd drive me to school, and I'd get back to his house around 11pm or so and sleep in there. Then his dad noticed and he said I couldn't stay there, so he sent me to his cousin's house and slept on their couch for a while. Then ran into a former teacher who'd since retired and after about a month of us meeting up once or twice a week they let me stay at their parent's nearby house while the parents were snowbirding in Florida. Just kept moving, basically.

[Anonymous]

As a teen I ran away with a friend because she had a bad home life and asked me to go with her. We hitchhiked to Florida. I got tired of it sooner than she did and called a relative down there who came and got me and sent me home on a bus. She stayed away for about a month then came back and stayed on a friend's couch for awhile. Then she started going back to school and that's when she got caught and sent to the juvenile detention center.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm in DC and went to New York City. I went to all the museums and saw Broadway shows. Hopefully she's OK and not trafficked

omg, this reminds me of "From the Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler"!! I always thought of running away from my abusive home and loved this book as a child!

Sorry to go off topic, best wishes for the missing girl. I knew a girl that hid in the janitor's/utililty room at school overnight for awhile during freshman year. She slept there and got food and clothes from friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm in DC and went to New York City. I went to all the museums and saw Broadway shows. Hopefully she's OK and not trafficked

With what money?

[Anonymous]

I have a relative who is private detective, expert at recovering teens. They almost always go to the home of a friend or relative, and that person covers for them when people come looking. They usually run for a reason and the harborer knows what it is.

[Anonymous]

A friend’s daughter recently ran away to meet someone she had met on social media. She didn’t get too far, but it was scary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a relative who is private detective, expert at recovering teens. They almost always go to the home of a friend or relative, and that person covers for them when people come looking. They usually run for a reason and the harborer knows what it is.

Wouldn’t there be legal repercussions for the home owner/parent once it’s determined they were harboring her? I can’t imagine allowing a child to stay here when police were looking for her. I feel it’s different than back when we were kids blowing off steam?

She’s still missing, btw. It’s Day 5. I sure hope she’s just hiding out somewhere and nothing worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a relative who is private detective, expert at recovering teens. They almost always go to the home of a friend or relative, and that person covers for them when people come looking. They usually run for a reason and the harborer knows what it is.

Wouldn’t there be legal repercussions for the home owner/parent once it’s determined they were harboring her? I can’t imagine allowing a child to stay here when police were looking for her. I feel it’s different than back when we were kids blowing off steam?

She’s still missing, btw. It’s Day 5. I sure hope she’s just hiding out somewhere and nothing worse.

The important thing is not punishing the people who "harbor a runaway" because they're giving a safe place to a vulnerable child. The important thing is working out why the child felt they needed to leave their home and dealing with that.

[Anonymous]

I ran away, all the way to DuPont Circle. I got freaked out as more and more men were propositioning me for sex - I was in middle school at the time and quite obviously so - so I went to a friends house around 9 pm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a relative who is private detective, expert at recovering teens. They almost always go to the home of a friend or relative, and that person covers for them when people come looking. They usually run for a reason and the harborer knows what it is.

Wouldn’t there be legal repercussions for the home owner/parent once it’s determined they were harboring her? I can’t imagine allowing a child to stay here when police were looking for her. I feel it’s different than back when we were kids blowing off steam?

She’s still missing, btw. It’s Day 5. I sure hope she’s just hiding out somewhere and nothing worse.

The important thing is not punishing the people who "harbor a runaway" because they're giving a safe place to a vulnerable child. The important thing is working out why the child felt they needed to leave their home and dealing with that.

I suppose this is true, but definitely not guaranteed, at least in a legal, “what police will choose to do” sense, and that would be in the back of my mind.

Gosh, I wish they could just figure out where she’s laying low!

[Anonymous]

The shed for about 30 minutes.