Slag, if this is the one place where A.M. felt she could go to get calmed down and begin to think straight, it does indeed speak volumes about her sense of isolation in the midst of abuse. I still find it quite distressing, though.

I don't mean to be a Monday-morning quarterback about this incident, but simply to say to anyone who might find him/herself in a similar situation in the future that: (a) there's a time factor involved in finding a child who has been taken by an adult, so (as hard as it may be to do) one needs to put one's doubts and fears into abeyance and concentrate on notifying the people who can realistically help find the child; and (b) local counselors (police, women's shelter personnel, etc.) have the training and experience to give assistance and advice in such situations, so one has a better chance of finding the help one needs, sooner, than an internet forum that includes posters who don't know the local laws, who question one's story and motives, or who are otherwise unhelpful (and may even deter one from seeking help when one reads that he/she is not being believed).

Sounds like A.M. has her head on straight enough to ignore the nay-sayers here, and that she even has close local friends who are also Mudcatters. I'm happy to see that. But the next person in distress who starts such a thread may not have those strengths to lean on, and reading the less-kind posts may make things worse instead of better. So what I'm saying is that, though Mudcat does have some very kind and caring posters, the forum should not be treated as one's "first responder" in emergencies.