A 15 year old child was reported as a runaway to local authorities and the national center for missing children. Flyers were hung and friends and family were called. Turns out the child was harbored by the paternal grandmother. ( parents are separated and mother had physical custody) The grandmother was repeatedly asked if she knew were the child was and continued to deny anything. The child was flown out of state using a different name. The parents wereboth devasted and begin to believe something terrible has happened. After 1 year the child returns and turns out that the chld needed medical attention as the child has been diagnosed with severe anxiety, and bipolar. The child was also out of school for a year. It has taken the child 2 years since returning home to get on the right track with the help of medication and support from her parents. The grandmother has now been harrassing the parent. With threats of reporting IRS fraud and a state fraud because she cared for the child for 6 mos. (and the parent is frightened that she may try to kidnap her youngest child) Is there any laws that the grandmother can be charged with. At this point I'd rather not put the state the child lived in and the state she was harbored in out of fear of retaliation.

