District of Columbia

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State Clearinghouse on Missing Children

Reason to Contact:
A state clearinghouse is usually run by law enforcement. It provides help in cases of parental child abduction. For abductions from another country to the United States, they can help locate a child. For abductions from the United States to another country, they can help parents in filing missing person reports.

D.C. Metropolitan Police Department 
Missing Persons/Youth Division 
1700 Rhode Island Avenue, N.E. 
Washington, DC 20018 
Phone: 202-576-6768
https://mpdc.dc.gov/page/youth-and-family-services-division

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Law Enforcement

Reason to Contact:
Contact your local police to file a missing person's report. Ask them to enter your child's name into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database. 

FBI Field Office
Washington Field Office
601 4th Street NW
Washington, DC 20535
Phone: 202-278-2000
E-mail: washington.field@ic.fbi.gov
http://www.fbi.gov/washingtondc/

Police
Metropolitan Police Department
Government of the District of Columbia
Phone: 202-727-9099 or 202-727-9524
Email: mpd@dc.gov
http://mpdc.dc.gov

Department of Transportation
Phone: 202- 673-6813 or 202-673-6813
Email: ddot@dc.gov
https://ddot.dc.gov/

Nationwide resources:
Taking a child from the United States, or attempting to, is a federal crime. So is keeping a child outside of the United States to block parental rights. These acts are crimes under the International Parental Kidnapping Crime Act (18 U.S.C. 1204). The FBI has jurisdictional authority to investigate federal crimes. If you have questions or believe someone has abducted your child outside of the United States or is planning to do so, contact a FBI field office in the United States. To find the FBI field office nearest to you, use this link: http://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field

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Prevention

Reason to Contact:
If you know your child is being taken to the airport as part of a possible abduction, contact the airport to request assistance. You should have copies of all custody and legal documents ready to send by email or fax, if needed.  You can contact the State Department’s Office of Children’s Issues to assist you as you undertake this process at PreventAbduction1@state.gov or by calling 888-407-4747. 

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Legal Assistance

Reason to Contact:
If you are involved in an international parental child abduction case in the United States or abroad, a legal aid group may be able to help you with your legal representation. Legal aid organizations provide free legal help or help at a low cost to eligible individuals. Eligibility is mainly based on income and resource limits. There are also rules on the types of cases they will take. 

For information about legal aid and other legal referral resources, visit

Follow the prompts for the particular state in which you are seeking legal services.

Council of the District of Columbia
Phone: 202-724-8080
Email: dccouncil@dccouncil.us
https://dccouncil.us/

DC Courts
Phone: 202-879-1010
http://www.dccourts.gov/

Superior Court
Clerk of the Court: 202-879-1400 or 202-879-1232
http://www.dccourts.gov/superior-court

Locator Service
Child Support Services Division
441 4th Street NW
Suite 550N
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202-442-9900
http://cssd.dc.gov/

Compensation Program for Crime Victims
Crime Victims Compensation Program
Court Building A
515 5th Street, NW, Room 109
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202-879-4216
https://www.dccourts.gov/services/crime-victims-compensation-matters

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Resource for State Statutes

Reason to Contact:
The resource below may help you determine your state custody laws and if your state has laws on abduction prevention. You may also want to consult the Attorney General’s Office website of your state or contact an attorney licensed to practice law in your state. Please note: the resource below may not be current and may change at any time. This resource is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. 

Non-Profit Organization

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)
333 John Carlyle Street, Suite 125
Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone: 703-224-2150
NCMEC – www.missingkids.org 

 

Last Updated: April 5, 2024