Statutory Rape by 2nd Cousin

My question involves criminal law for the state of: I live in MN. my daughter was 14 and is now 15 and was molested by her 19 year now 20 year old dad's cousin she refuses to say what happened and but he has told me he was sorry without giving any detail what happened his family knew of this and enabled them to see eachother behind our back.Our town police refuse to let me press charges because my daughter won't say what happened.I cant aford a lawyer what should i do.:(

How do you know she was molested if she didn't tell you anything?

Quote:

---

Quoting DonnyC

---

How do you know she was molested if she didn't tell you anything?

---

She had hickeys on her neck on two seperate occasions and i only new of one but it has came out by other members of the family about the 2nd time she had hickeys,plus he told her dad and me he ****ed up and was sorry but didn't say what he did. His mother also said she had to stop him from hanging himself in his closet for what he did and of course she is not coming forward,she is protecting her son.:(

If no ones willing to talk, not really anything you can do. Simply saying he f'ed up doesn't really say that he molested her or done anything. The hickies either. It all has to be proven in court to stick and unfortunatly if no one is willing to confess or give statements you don't have that proof.

How long ago was the crime committed?

Donny is absolutely correct.

Backing up for a moment, you should really think about what it is you want to accomplish. My guess is the most important thing to you is making sure this never happens again to your daughter. Punishment for him may or may not be an option, but there are some very real steps you can take as her parent to protect her:

1. Get a restraining order against the man. If he violates it, then he can be arrested and tried.
2. If you can't afford an attorney, contact legal aid in your area for assistance. There is a filing fee for an RO, but if Legal Aid isn't too backed up they might help you out with the paperwork.
3. Let everyone in your family know what has transpired in order to a)warn them to keep their daughters away and b)help you in enforcing your desire to keep this grown man away from your minor daughter.

The legal system can seem a very cold, scary place when you don't have an attorney to guide you. Many attorneys will work for a reduced fee or even pro bono (for nothing) for families facing crises with limited financial means. I highly suggest you make a few phone calls to local attorneys and see what they say.

Regarding punishment, don't lose hope. Depending upon what he did and when, the statute of limitations will take several years to run. At any point your daughter may be willing to tell all, at which time he may indeed have to face the music for his deeds.

Best Regards,

G

An attorney you hire can't file a criminal case, only a civil case. You need to talk to the police and file a police report if your child was molested or raped and you need to get your child into counseling with a licensed psychologist who practices in assisting juveniles who have had sex offenses committed against them. School counselors can provide names of psychologists and many will do so even if you don't mention your childs name.