After Casey Anthony Verdict, Proposed Bills Make Failure to Report Missing Child a Felony
The acquittal of Casey Anthony has led to a push to punish parents who fail to report missing children.
Lawmakers in more than a dozen states have introduced legislation that classifies the failure to report the death or disappearance of a child as a felony, the New York Times reports.
Casey Anthony did not report the disappearance of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, for 31 days. That led an Oklahoma woman, Michelle Crowder, to create a petition at Change.org seeking a change in the law. So far, more than 1 million people have signed the petition, according to a press release.
The release says lawmakers in 18 states have vowed to draft versions of “Caylee’s law.” They are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas and West Virginia.
Prior coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Around the Blawgosphere: Bloggers Sound off on Casey Anthony Trial, Verdict, ‘Caylee’s Law’ Proposal”
