• MedicsOfAnarchy@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    “She was advised that a missing-person report could not be taken until at least 24 hours had passed,” the attorney’s statement said.

    I know everyone’s delighted that this guy may have taken himself out, but he’s still innocent until proven guilty. My issue is with the cop who answered the phone. Isn’t the “gotta be gone 24 hours” thing BS from movies?

    • pelespirit@sh.itjust.works
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      2 days ago

      You’re right, it looks like they were lying to her:

      The Myth of the Waiting Period

      A persistent myth, reinforced by television and movies, is that you must wait 24 or 48 hours before law enforcement will accept a missing person report. This is false. No law or policy in the United States requires a waiting period. Federal laws like the National Child Search Assistance Act mandate that authorities must accept reports of missing individuals under 21 without delay.

      This misconception is dangerous because the initial hours after a person disappears are the most important for an investigation. Law enforcement agencies are required to take these reports seriously from the moment they are received. Delaying a report wastes valuable time that could be used to locate the individual, so if you are worried for someone’s safety, you should report them missing immediately.

      https://legalclarity.org/how-long-before-you-can-report-someone-missing/

    • Archangel1313@lemmy.ca
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      2 days ago

      Isn’t the “gotta be gone 24 hours” thing BS from movies?

      Yes. It’s not an official policy. And it’s stupid, at face value. If someone is kidnapped, then waiting 24 hours before any official report can be filed, would guarantee the person is never found. If a child goes missing, waiting 24 hours to organize a search party, would mean they could be dead before anyone even starts looking for them.

      Whoever told her that, needs to be fired. If you are reasonably certain someone’s life is in danger, and they need to be found quickly…that cop just made sure they wouldn’t be found in time.

    • IphtashuFitz@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      I’ve gotten the runaround from cops who confidently say things that aren’t true. I had a neighbor who was a lieutenant at the time, and talked to him about the issue I was dealing with. He told me in no uncertain terms that the cop was wrong, and suggested I go back when my neighbor was on duty, and if I got the runaround again then to immediately call him.

    • LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      To me it is a toss up, if it was a pistol, probably suicide, if it was a rifle, maybe dude was just heading into the woods to see if he can hide out in the Appalachians living off deer and what not until he gets far enough away from the area they knew he was at.