A proposal that would require parents to report missing children immediately to authorities was approved by the state Senate today.
The bill was named “Caylee’s Law” by supporters, in response to the controversial Casey Anthony case in Florida.
The child’s mother waited 31 days before reporting her daughter missing.
State Senator Rick Jones (R-Grand Ledge) says he was surprised to learn Michigan does not have an early-reporting law in place for missing children.
“I think it’s very important that parents report their children missing in a timely fashion. The outrageous case that drew this to our attention was the one of little Caylee, that the mother didn’t report her missing for over 30 days."
Jones added:
“As a former sheriff of Eaton County and 31 years of law enforcement, I don’t believe there is any reason for a parent to delay reporting their child missing.”
Under the bill, parents or caretakers would have 24 hours to report missing children under the age of 13 or could face up to two years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
The bill has been sent to the state House.
