Viral Runaway Child Located and in Care of Human Services  

A fourteen-year-old girl who recently posted a video online after being reported missing is now in the care of the Ministry of Human Services. It’s a delicate situation, especially since the teen is a minor, but public concern has prompted officials to share some details. Minister of Human Services, Thea Garcia-Ramirez, explained that the girl had been placed in her mother’s custody by court order following her father’s passing. However, new information has come to light, most notably, the child’s claim that she doesn’t feel safe at home. Because of this, the ministry is now seeking a new directive from the court. Until that decision is made, the teen will remain under the ministry’s protection. Minister Garcia-Ramirez emphasized that her hands were tied by the original court order, which is why the child was initially returned to her mother.

 

Thea Garcia-Ramirez, Minister of Human Services

“What I want to say in relation to that is that previously that case went before the court so we are court mandated to return her there. So when it comes to the court, and you know that we cannot go and nobody should go against a court order. I can report that the ministry is intervening and she has to be returned there because it is a court order, but the ministry is now intervening in the hope that we can now take the case back to court, with new relative information, updated information, the case workers, the social workers are not intervening to reinterview the child and when she came in that was one of the first things done, to listen and hear from her and hopefully go back to courts to make a new case for her. Apparently and I say that because it is now well ventilated, she is not happy in the care of her mother and there seems to be ongoing problems there. The ministry through the social workers have already started to investigate and see what can be done and try to go back to the courts with new submissions and see if the court will consider removing her from the care of her mother and place her in the care of another family member. She was in our custody. I am unsure if yesterday or today she will have to be placed back with her mother because that is the law. It may not be my personal preference and I am sure it is not the child’s personal preference and I am sure the wider public may not be please about it but that is the law and we have to follow the law.”

 

Again, the child remains in the custody of the Ministry of Human Services. This update came just before news time.